In my own footsteps

Off to Ashdown Forest tomorrow for another variation on the Winnie the Pooh walk and a couple of rounds of Pooh Sticks too I hope.

Monday May 11, 2009; 11.5 miles, ascent approx 450m (Map OS Explorer 122)

Absolutely bursting to get out for a long walk. Having done the up-river bimble from home to Hamsey church and back (see previous entries for route) on the Saturday, with my excellent chums Rachel and Jim the dog, I realized what a fabulous May it was that seemed to be rushing by me.

I opted for a lovely walk from home, on the Downs beyond the old Lewes racecourse. The weather was lovely, a bit of a breeze, but no the gales that had been forecast. No doubt these had discouraged others, so I enjoyed a peaceful walk and was out of sight of the rest of humanity for a couple of hours at least.

Here are some pictures for now - more details to follow another day.

Saturday April 25th 2009; 10.25 miles, approx 200m ascent (Map: OS Explorer 149)

Back to Kent with 9 members of the WWINK group to see a wonder of the natural world - an English bluebell wood in full bloom.

The route we followed was about the same as last year - see "Blue Heaven in Kent" from April 2008. The route is circular-ish, starting and finishing in the village of Selling, a few miles south of Faversham.

We passed through Perry Wood (from the Rose and Crown pub) and then up to the top of the Mount and its wooden tower.

From here we headed S-ish to Shottenden and then S some more and into King's Wood.

We stopped in King's Wood for our lunch break, and like last year we ate lunch in warm sun, though unfortunately (for Jill) the warmth also brought out some nasty, big, fat biting ants.

After lunch we headed to Molash (NW), and then on across farmland back to Perry Wood, thence to Selling, and the White Lion pub for a well-earned pint.

As well as astoundingly beautiful bluebells - I thought even more so than last year, we saw primroses and yellow archangel by the North Downs Way, wood anenomes in Perry Wood and orchids (early purples I think) in Perry Wood and Kings Wood.

Thanks to Jayne for leading the walk (again).

Easter Monday April 13, 2009; 6 miles, ascent approx 150m (Map OS Explorer 123)

A lovely day for a walk across open downland, with skylarks overhead and lambs gamboling in the fields. The landscape makes for easy walking and we fairly skipped round this route on a sunny afternoon after a picnic lunch on top of the Downs.

This was a circular walk from the car park on top of the Downs above Bopeep farm and quarry. The car park is reached by turning N off the A27 near the village of Selmeston, which is a few miles NW of Alfriston in East Sussex.

Where the road stops on top of the Downs at the car park, we headed SW towards Heighton Hill (1.5 miles away) and then Gardener's Hill (a further 0.5 mile or so). Going down hill, we crossed Stump Bottom and took the sunken bridleway a further few hundred yards in the same direction.

At a bridleway turning SW, we stopped for a sweetie, etc break (not just any sweeties, these were M&S Percy Pigs - thanks to Caroline). The track SW follows the floor of Povery Bottom and is one of my favourites: a sunken, hedgerow-lined path that's probably been walked for hundreds of years.

Emerging back into the 21st century, we passed the pumping station at Norton Bottom to reach the hamlet of Norton. Here we turned ENE along a footpath that climbs gradually and then more noticeably along the fabulously named Devilsrest Bottom. When the path reaches the ridge (about 1.25 mles from Norton), we hopped over a stile onto a road track (bridelway).

Keeping on the ridge (and on this track), we turned more-or-less N for the 2 miles back to the car park, passing Norton Top and enjoying a lovely finish across open countryside (more baa-ing).

This walk was probably just enough to earn us the curry we had back in Lewes that evening.

Bit of a busy time lately with work, etc, so the blog has fallen a bit behind. Anyway, I was going out in the garden to plant out some purple-podded pea plants, but now it's raining so I've made a cup of tea and thought a spot of catching up was in order.