Harting Downs circular 3/4/2012

We parked at the Harting Downs National Trust car park. This is free for members but £2 for the day otherwise. There are places to park along the road running SE from the car park. This is a short walk but the views across South Harting are stunning as are the views if you take a detour and climb to the top of Beacon Hill.We missed the turning at 4 on the map because a chunk has been cut out of the wood and I was expecting to walk through trees.

Easy going.

Length: Approx 3 miles

Time: Approx 1.25 hours at a reasonable pace

Ascent: +- 161

1.South Harting and beyond - stunning.

2. Looking towards Beacon Hill.

3. We've climbed Beacon Hill from this point before and believe me it's a killer. Not for us today.

4. This is where I went wrong. I was expecting the track to go through woods. It's clearer on the leaflet you can pick up at the car park than on the OS map.

5. There were lots of wild flowers along this stretch, bluebells, wood anemones and others we didn't know, like these first two photos. Any ideas?

6. More flowers to identify, not to mention another impossible to identify fungus. Beautiful though isn't it.

After the walk we visited Up Park House which is only a short distance away.

Kilmeston circular 30/3/2012

This walk starts from the road near Wind Farm and follows the Wayfarers' Walk across College Down to Kilmeston with a detour to visit Beauworth, returning through a large DEFRA nature reserve and a short stretch of the South Downs' Way.

Easy going.

Length: Approx 7 miles

Time: Approx 3 hours at a reasonable pace

Ascent: +- 150m

1. Park at the lay by near the road junction and head northwars by the Wayfarers' Walk.

2. Typical Oak parkland.

3. This huge field seemed to go on for ever. I imagine it could be quite hard going in the wet.

4. Large fields of Oilseed Rape just starting to flower.

5. These woods are going to be stunning when the bluebells flower.

6. Beauworth - what a stunning village. St James's Church is not that old (1838) but it is surrounded by beautiful thatched cottages. One of them is having a complete new thatch.

7. Parish Church of St Andrew, Kilmeston (1772). Roughly halfway round the walk and the ideal spot for a picnic in the sun.

8. Cute!!

9. This delightful fencing stops the general public from wandering into the DEFRA Nature Reserve. Judging by the amount of deer tracks it's also a busy deer motorway between Kilmeston and Wheely Down. It would be interesting to meet a herd coming in the opposite direction.

10. Another mass of bluebells, this time mixed with wood anemones.

11. Looking back across the DEFRA Nature Reserve towards Kilmeston.