My first AAC walk as leader - and to make things worse there were 16 people on this walk. I had previewed the walk and also been back to check how much the route had dried out after the spring rains, however the previous day's and overnight rain had dampened things down a lot.
Tim and I met the London train at Christ's hospital station (we needed 2 cars to transport the 6 train travellers) and drove over to Southwater country park and its car park - to walk from the station would be a touch too far for most of the walkers. There we met everyone else (as well as Sue and Bertie who had been dropped off earlier).
I hurried through the bureaucratic paperwork and we rushed off around the lake - there was a park run going on which had just finished and there were crowds of people milling around. The first section of the walk was through the park then the residential area before we could escape into the trees of Blinks wood with a welcome obstacle of a mud wallow just at the entrance - my first realisation that everything slows down to negotiate the mud one at a time.
In the woods we followed a windy path through the Bluebells as this kept us off the main muddy track, then around the edge of the woods to a grass field. The field was not very swampy, however the track through to Trawler's farm was exceedingly trampled and the mud churned up by animals as well. When combined with the limited escape to the sides this proved a little challenging for several of the party.
Through Dragon's Green and across the A272 into more grass fields - still relatively solid before our first break just before the windmill at Shipley.
Now trying to get a bit of speed into the walking we set off down the bridleway that led to the edge of the estate. Through the deer fencing and along the track at this edge of the estate. The group was making a lot of noise so not much wildlife would be seen here.
With that excitement over there was a lot of grumbling about lunch so we hurried on across the bottom of the estate, turning through Tory copse where there was an insistent Cuckoo and apparently some nightingales.
Sue would stay here (and enjoy the cakes and hospitality) as her hips and knees were playing up and we would pick her up later.
As we sat eating the clouds overhead got a little darker, and a few spots of rain, which caused some consternation among people and a desire to rush off. I shortened the trail slightly by missing out on the ruins and crossing over to the lake directly. then charging up the driveway past the gatehouse and the big house.
Around here the rain started in earnest and waterproofs were required, this had the effect of speeding the group up - no dawdling - and also no pictures.
We sped up through the fields to Trawlers farm and then along the track to the muddy section. Here I deliberately went off route and through the private part of the estate to by pass the muddy track through the woods. We entered the field a little lower and across a horse jumping fence (the gate being locked). We re-joined the original track and into the bluebell walk of Blinks wood, having a far better time than previously.
As we came out of the woods into the residential area of Southwater the three dissidents called to say they had reached the car park - only 15 mins ahead of us.
Heads still down against the rain we charged through the housing estate and the country park back to the cars.
My calculation was that we would not get to the train in time and it would need a delay of an hour so I persuaded my passengers to deviate to pick up Sue an I would take them to Horsham station in return which had more trains per hour.
Bertie was indignantly put into the boot of the car (much to his displeasure) and we drove down to the Knepp estate. Sue had been forced to move when the café closed and was waiting in a bus shelter in Dial Post, where she joined us int he car and we hurried back to Horsham train station to drop off our passengers. Hence home to dry off and grab some food.