A complete contrast today from yesterday, the sun was shining from teh
start of the day, albeit with a morning mist as the land dried out. Bertie and
I dropped Sue at the college then dropped down to Stanmer park for a walk. The
idea was to do a couple of loops in the Park, then a lop over Tegdown Hill.
I wanted t park in the lower car park, but could not identify the entrance as
we drove past, so we settled for the upper lodges one where we had been
before.
Leaving the car, and paying the charge by phone, we set off over the grass field
beside the road back to our original choice of car park.
Into the car park to drop off the poo bag, then back into the woods following
the monument trail as it dropped down to the big house, with the more structured
spaces.
Down by the main drive we could look back to the big house
The monument trail walked back down the side of the drive, until we reached a
gate into the fields on the other side. We then climbed up the field to a gap in
the woods on the skyline.
Approaching the woods on the skyline, and looking back to the big house below
Up on the skyline we then turned along the bridleway there into the woods.
Bertie stopped off at a dew pond for a dip.
Out f the woods and back into the grass fields, initially a gentle slope then a
steeper one as we returned to the village.
In the village we turned through teh farm yard and up a chalk and flint lane
climbing back to the skyline around the bowl.
The chalk track climbed up tot eh skyline fo the bowl defining the park. meeting
the perimeter trail on the top of the ridge.
Now on the perimeter track we continued around the northern end of the park
passing high park farm. Continuing around the top and down the western side
parallel to Ditchling road.
We turned back into the park and dropped down through a field to the woods of
green broom. In the woods we continued past the flint heap - another copse.
Beyond the woods we entered another field which came out on the chalk track we
had climbed from the village.
Back up the western side of the bowl towards the car park we had started from,
however we discovered a gate giving access to the field beside the lane. We took
this and angled across the field heading to the end of upper lodge wood. On the
way we passed an archaeology dig beside a clump of trees.
Up on the ridge of the bowl we looked over towards the Indian memorial on the
far ridge
Crossing over the Ditchling road, and down a chalk track, at first gentle then
steeped dropping down to new barn
Past the barn we continued down to meet the farm drive which we then followed to
Lower Standean.
Through the farm and up a steep climb past some slurry heaps. Bertie tried to
leap into one very smelly puddle and I caught him just in time. beyond the climb
we then followed the edge of a field - first wheat.
Then the path got rougher beside scrubby rape, the flint stones made the walking
difficult. We dropped down into a grass field beside a shooting range hidden in
a woody dip (looking back at it showed it in better detail).
Beyond the range we climbed up the slope beyond - this was the side of Tegdown
hill, and we curved around to get to the high point.
From the top we used a gate in direct line to the car park and continued though
the sheep heading towards the end of the upper lodge wood.
To get to the car park we dropped down and up the other side. Somewhere we had obviously lost the path as there was no gate there and we had to negotiate a fence with barbed wire on top. Then up to Ditchling road, where I had hoped to re-enter Stanmer park, however it would have been better to stay in the field as we could not get passed a stone wall and walked down the road back to the car park. Back at the car for lunch and snacks, before returning home with teh windows open.
