Bertie and I hitched a lift with Sue when she went to see her mother in
Wellcross Grange, taking advantage to have short walk after the heavy rain of
the last couple of days. We jumped out at the beginning of the drive and
followed pour previous route down the side of the care home and across the
landing strip beyond
There were large puddles across the farm driveway, as we dropped down to the
Downs Link path. Turning east on this we followed the old track bed towards
Christ's Hospital.
The track bed was the driest part of the walk today, and we soon arrived at the
old platform, just before the old line merged onto the current line.
We followed the Downs link as it dropped away from the old track bed and curved
around under the present day line, climbing up again on the other side.
Leaving the Downs link an cutting over a waterlogged field along the top of some
houses before dropping to a tributary of the river Arun.
Across a footbridge and climbing the other side into a plantation. The track
curved through this and came out on the side of the A24. We leapt over and into
the fields beyond.
Beyond the horse pastures we came out onto a back road before we could take a
lane leading out to arable fields
Across another lane and we crossed a grass field to go under the main rail line.
Beyond it was the construction of new houses and the path was diverted around
the outside, rather than directly across it.
We crossed under the A24 once again, before dropping to a bridge across the
River Arun. This had flooded the path with just the bridge sticking out.
Luckily we could get to the bridge by some drier deviation, however on the other
side we had a point where the inevitable happened and water came over both
boots!
We climbed up from the river to reach the top of an isolated hillock
The other side looked over towards Cranleigh and the Surrey Hills. We dropped
down to Old Wickhurst lane and turned through a collection of remodelled barns -
it must be annoying to pay so much for a property to have a path through the
middle!
Around the "private" pond for the barns and we hit more flooding. We tried to
get around it using the pond bank, however around the corner everything
disappeared into the water.
Back up the lane to the A264, along the road and down the next path - this we
meet our intended route just past where we had been blocked. However the lane
disappeared into the water ... this was obviously a flood plain for the
river and was the last opportunity here to get over.
Plan C .... through the housing estate to the Garden Centre, and then along the A264 and over the river using that bridge, before dropping down the drive back to the care home.
We scooted around the side of the home to Barbara's window and waved to show we were back. Then over to the car so we could dry a little before going home for lunch.
