Sussex Scrapbook
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Nature walks throughout the year
Sunday 27th December 2009
Funtington - Stoughton - Walderton - Funtington
10 miles
As we got the
bike out of the garage
this morning a
rainbow appeared, which we took as both a good omen for the day and as warning of
possible foul weather. As usual though, the moment we left Crawley the drizzle
stopped and the rest of the day was bathed in sunshine.
From the church at Funtington (5 miles north west of Chichester) we walked back
to the main road, turned left and then right into Hares
Lane. The start of the footpath was up on the right and went up through woods
of beeches and yew. At the second T junction (footpath junction) take
the right and you will eventually come to the
Kingley Vale Nature Reserve. The reserve encompasses a yew Forest which includes a group
of trees that are among the oldest
living things in Britain. As well as the woods there are some great views to be
had up there. Looking south west you can see right across Thorney and Hayling
Islands all the way to the Isle of Wight.
Lovely clear skies today, which allowed us superb views of the Buzzards and
Kestrels that came very close overhead on several occasions. Much of this area
is of course agricultural, but many acres have been given over to pig farms.
Gill shows off her new jacket. Not exactly camouflage, but
a bit more feminine than the last one.
She was also testing out a
Gelert handwarmer (xmas prezzzie) which got her (warm) thumbs up .
We parked close to this beautiful cottage in Funtington, which seemed
very apt.
Funtington Church, which was closed today.
Butcher's Broom (Ruscus aculeatus) is a very strange plant as the flowers seem to form in the centre of its dark green, spine-tipped leaves. These stiff leaves are in fact specialised, flattened-out stems called cladodes. This very hardy plant usually flowers in the early spring. Therefore -
Happy Spring Everybody!
The view south west towards Thorney and the Isle of Wight.
The
Monarch's Way is a 615 mile long-distance footpath
that is based on the escape route of Charles II after the battle of Worcester in
1651.
Stoughton Church, which was open and had some great
hassocks as well as a copy of the Last Supper.
