Sussex Scrapbook
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Nature walks throughout the year
Saturday 7th
June 2008
Pulborough - Stopham - Petworth - Fittleworth - Pulborough
15 miles
We were late starting
today because we overslept, so by the time we arrived back at Pulborough after
our walk it was
10 pm and dark. By then we had had a fantastic days walk and a mini wildlife safari.
The countryside between Pulborough and Petworth is particularly beautiful with
lots of huge houses and tiny hamlets along the way. Many people in the area must
own horses as there were large herds in some of the fields we had to walk
through. The horses were really friendly and followed us all the way through
their fields. The weather was really hot all day but with a welcome cool
breeze whenever we passed through one of the frequently encountered woods. In
the evening the fragrance from the honeysuckle made us feel ravenous and we
quickened our pace for the train home. On passing through a farm called High
Hoes we made sure we sang the dwarf song.
We saw a Hobby and a Cuckoo
at Stopham church, we stopped at Shopham Bridge to see the visiting Red-backed Shrike
there, and, as the sun was beginning to set near Fittleworth, we watched a Little Owl
watching us. When we finally trudged back into Pulborough we were entertained by
Pipistrelle bats hunting insects along the street by the church.
This walk was a real good 'un and we can thoroughly recommend it. Its easy to
find your way, so go for it!
Stopham Bridge
Very friendly horses with Petworth House
in the background
This footpath is used by up to 10 people an hour, so a
turn-stile was called for !?
The view from June's first potential
"bench of the month" at Petworth
We found this incredibly light nest that had fallen out
of a tree.
It was made of grass, moss and downy feathers.
The
Red-backed
Shrike at Shopham Bridge
Gill contemplates the way ahead from another
potential "bench of the month" near Fittleworth
The view from that bench
Little Owl sitting on the telephone wires
just outside Fittleworth
Fittleworth Church with its unusual dormer
windows - and a chimney!?
It was closed by the time we got there, so another visit is called for.