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Clapham Woods ...

Clapham is a small village which sits on the South Downs in West Sussex.

It's where my Dad and step-Mum live.

We moved here when I was in my late teens, when my parents' marriage broke up, and my Dad left his life in farming.

I made sure to set aside a few hours on Sunday to go visit them.

I had the idea of also taking a short walk, with photos for the Scavenger Hunt on my mind.

Dad came along too.

First stop was the local Church of St Mary the Virgin, which sits at the entrance to Clapham Woods.



Clapham Woods is locally known as a place of unexplained mystery and unusual phenomena.

Can you believe these woods are listed amongst the Amityville Horror, and suchlike!



Are you someone who believes in fairies, or maybe sees ghostly apparitions?



Be prepared to be scared!



To be honest all I can see whilst walking through these woods, are how many beanpoles and peasticks I could make use of in my garden at home!



Oh yes, and dog poo some of which I was unfortunate enough to tread in, of which somewhat marred what had been a lovely walk.



If you're prepared to hang around long enough in the woods, there's a lovely bench made out of driftwood you can sit on.



In the tree above there was a large number of agitated birds.

Eeek!

Maybe time to get back for that second cup of tea!



This poster was pinned to the fence next to the village stores and tearooms.

It's for a talk to be held in the local village hall - Gardens of a Golden Afternoon, Gertrude Jekyll and her gardens.

Now that sounds more up my street!

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Holiday Monday bike ride ...

Our starting point being home, we find ourselves on the outskirts of Shoreham Airport meeting up with The Downs Link heading north towards Bramber.

The path, originally the Steyning Line is used by both walkers and cyclists.

Robins, blue tits and blackbirds seen along the way.



I couldn't help but notice how spectacular the sun was looking behind the clouds.



Alongside the banks of the River Adur there's a most wonderful view of the East facing side of the church of St Botolph.



Arriving in Bramber we take the road into the historic village of Steyning.

If you love crafts or collecting antiques, bric-a-brac or bits for dolls houses, pints and pub grub or coffee and cake, I can recommend you visit.

There's beautiful Tudor, Stuart and Georgian architecture to take photos of too.



Coming out of Steyning, we meet up with the road which leads through the small villages of Annington, Botolphs and Coombes.

It's all up hill and down dale, so this part of the route is quite heavy going, for me anyway!

From the top of Annington Hill spectacular views of the Adur Valley can be seen, so it's worth going the extra mile.

Well that's what I tell myself, when I find myself puffing like a steam train!

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This is the view of the church of St Botolph facing West. The oldest parts of the church being over a thousand years old.

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We stopped here for a breather, drink and a banana!

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There's more information on the history of the church here, and just who is St Botolph.

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After having a very quick peek inside the church, we continue along the road which meets back up at Shoreham Airport, and then home.

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A fourteen mile round trip.

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Not bad going on a tummy full of mince pies and Christmas cake!

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I'd like to return to take more photos of the inside.

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Until then, I shall leave you to look through the arch window!

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please be(e) happy ...

I hope these sunflowers bring sunshine to your day, as much as they did to mine.



No, this field of sunflowers isn't in France or Italy, it's on farmland at Michelgrove in West Sussex.



We came upon them unexpectedly whilst on a bike ride which started from Ford, ending up back home in Lancing, along a stretch of the Monarch's Way between Arundel and Findon.



Not knowing whether grown for commercial purpose or as good countryside practice, these sunflowers in all shapes and sizes, for now, are making the bees buzz themselves happy.



If only the faces you came across in life could be as cheery as these.

There are some right miserable people around, I can tell you!



Michelgrove is an area just north of the exit from woodland off the Angmering Park estate, an area for forestry, shooting, agriculture and wildlife.

If you love to be outdoors, and you're ever in the West Sussex area, try and make time to visit. There are lots of footpaths and bridleways to enjoy, woods and country paths and lanes to explore.

You may even get to see the big cat!



I wasn't the only one very reluctant to leave the sunflowers behind.

I may just be able to get back in a month or so, to check out if the birds are having such a great time as me and this bee was.

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Would a little something sent to you through the post make you feel great?

Keep those comments coming in for my 300th post giveaway below.

I have already had some really funny suggestions as to what is keeping that lid from shutting on the cat's hamper!

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the Ring, a weekend walk ...

Chanctonbury Ring (known as Chanklebury in Sussex dialect) dates back to the Bronze Age, and later in history a small Iron Age hillfort was built on the site. Romans came and built a temple, and in the reign of Elizabeth 1st, a beacon was placed on the crest to warn of the approach of the Spanish Armada.
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Beech trees planted on the site by Charles Goring in 1760 are a prominent landmark. The Great Storm of 1987 brought much damage, and now stands a shadow of its former self.



After many weeks of torrential rain, on the first stage of our walk we had a great time slip-sliding along a very boggy track, ankle deep in mud. There's terrific views of the surrounding countryside from here, and you can see Rock Mill from through these trees. You then enter into dense woodland ascending as you go, still slippery with piles of leaf litter, and damp moss underfoot.



Much folklore surrounds. Sleep under the trees for one night to increase fertility.



Run around the clump of trees seven times anti-clockwise, and the devil will appear offering a bowl of soup in exchange for your soul.



Recite a Midsummers Nights Dream at Summer Solstice, and magic little people will appear.



At this stage, 783ft above sea level with no protection from the elements, we were uplifted by the force of the wind. Exhilerating it was to blow away the cobwebs spun after yet another manic week at work. Apart from a few spits and spots we escaped the worse of the weather, and could see rain over many parts of West Sussex, and if you look closely you can see the end of a rainbow too.



Working up a gentle canter, it's now downhill all the way, with great views of the sea below.

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The South Downs Way is an area of outstanding natural beauty and is soon to become a National Park.

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It's important to have time to yourself, peace and quiet, and only towards the end of our walk did we start to meet with cyclists and dog walkers.

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Being chalk downland, it's slippery when wet, like an ice rink. A few years back this was the very spot were I came down to earth with a great bump!

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A moonlight walk sounds interesting. With much rumour of the supernatural frequenting this area, go at your peril!

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a walk down to Amberley Wildbrooks ...

A lovely way to spend time on a Bank Holiday.

Early morning, we start off at Greatham Bridge, and from the car park walk across to the other side of the river to take the Wey South path, which runs through the middle of the brooks.

At this time of year, and at this hour of the day, walking through the long undergrowth means wet walking shoes and soggy trouser bottoms! Thankfully soon drying out once the sun came up.
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Greatham Bridge was built by Sir Henry Tregoz in the early 14th century, of where a skirmish took place during the English Civil War.



Stepping over a two-step stile, of which there are quite a few to negotiate along the way.

How about this for a romantic snippet taken from an old countryside book, which I picked up from a boot sale recently - upon the steps of these stiles, country folk meet to take their lovers' vows at ease and to do their courting.



Walking briskly past a crop of ripening maize.

A field of screams! These fields always remind me of scary movies.



Screaching to a standstill, hanging over the fence, to say hello to these two beautiful horses. The lovely white one set me off humming out loud! Remember this?



At this point rather fancying a sit down. A beautifully crafted seat on an implement from farming days gone by. I'd imagine it's seen a few numb bums in its time!



Standing here we question why we travel for miles, when we have beautiful countryside like this on our doorstep?



Walking on, whoops! Taking great care with every forward step!



We come across this lovely old tree stump and encounter lots of wildlife along the way.

In the air, three kestrels being lifted on the wind, and a flight of swallows. On the ground, grasshoppers, pheasants and three galloping deer. In between, whitethroats in a tree, red admiral and small white butterflies on a buddleia bush, dragonflies, blue damselflies, and a huge hornet!

Beware, the ground in places is very boggy and slippery underfoot.

These brooks remind me of days growing up on a farm. Disappearing for hours, on a summers day, with brother and mates, quite happy to make our own amusement, no doubt causing Mum much angst, wondering where on earth we were, and what we were getting up to!



There being a slight breeze it was difficult to get a photo of the lovely wildflowers amidst the grasses. I managed this one.

Out of shot, three white swans are busy preening alongside the grassy banks of the River Arun, which flows into the English Channel at Littlehampton.

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As we return to the car, a beautiful black swan cruises gracefully through the water close to the bridge.

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wish you were here ...

A postcard from Worthing, from me to you.

Just lately, as the weather has been set fair, I've been cycling into work. It's a straightforward route mostly along a seafront cycle path, just over three miles each way.




Remember the 1987 film, Wish You Were Here? Set in austere post-war Britain, this is a high-spirited tale of rebellious teenage girl Lynda, played by Emily Lloyd.

Many scenes were set in Worthing using the seafront, the Dome cinema and a shop in Rowlands Road.

Click here to see a clip of the film. Not only does it show lovely old Southdown buses in the Worthing bus depot, the Worthing outdoor lawn bowling greens, where the English Bowling Association have held the National Championships for over 25 years, it shows Lynda cycling along Worthing seafront just like I do!

Having a lovely time - I shall be next week, I have a week off!

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