Wellcross Grange Return #3, Local

Blue skies when we woke up, but the forecast was rain at lunchtime, together with the fact the van was still waiting for a repair, Bertie and I went off to Wellcross with Sue on her weekly visit. The idea was to take a short route home and hope to beat the rain.

For once we did not go across the airfield, but went back down the drive and over the A264, down past the Toyota garage on the Slinfold road. taking the next lane on the left and down past a number of houses.

The lane ended at a grass field than led onto the Downs link path - this we followed for a very short while until we turned left onto a bridleway heading south.

The bridleway led through several grass fields and then into some Bluebell woods (without Bluebells)

Shortly before reaching the A264 we turned off the bridleway to go around the houses of Runfold on a very boggy path bounded by a fence and a hedge. After a couple of grass fields we then entered a second Bluebell wood - this time with lots of bluebells.

Beyond the wood we crossed Hayes Lane and down a complicated path junction and along a path in scrub between two fields. This mutated into a fenced off strip of field and eventually came out onto the A29. There was lots of traffic and no verge, luckily a kind van driver slowed it all down for us and we crossed over.

our chosen route now went down a driveway and onto a path around the side and back, before going down their back garden to the fields beyond.

We then traversed around Black barn Farm with a huge pond and lots of watching perches, before following another path in the scrub between fields.

Crossing over Haven Road and into a series of fields with paths across them in a vague pattern, until we reached a pond in the top corner. From here we went into teh woods on a muddy path (often with water running down it)

We crossed over Marles Lane and into more woods ending at a back road T-junction . We followed the road to heathers Farm and beyond.

I had hoped to use a lane towards Hope farm and pick up a footpath to Gibbons Mill, however there was a locked gate in the way so w walked around on the roads via Gibbons Mill farm.

Beyond the mill and we were now on familiar, well used local trails. Up the muddy slope to Newhouse farm, then across the fields and side path to Drungewick Hill farm.

We now crossed last week walk around Alfold and Loxwood, but we cut over Baldwin's knob rather than follow the canal, then down through teh grass fields to the bridge at Brewhurst Farm.

Over the bridge, and now fallowing the canal up past the canal centre at the Onslow Arms and the locks leaving at Devil's hole to enter Ifold by the footpath up past the large pond, and home. As we came in the drive a rain shower welcomed us home, however Bertie still needed to go under the sprayer and dried off before he could get in the house.