Friday, 20 April 2012

Slindon HeartSmart Walk first 2.17mile extra


20120420 Slindon


On this fabulous of April morning arriving at our rendezvous point, the National Trust car park along park lane Slindon I decided to take a quick walk Mainly around the circuit to make it more energetically compatible towards what I needed.  Setting off through Butchers Copes just below the field known as The Bellows.  I’d kept to the left path to take me to the top of the bellows with the college in the background.  Meandering through the forest and the wonderful bluebells I made my way to Slindon pond.  Nothing much of great interest on the noticeboard I made my way up Church Hill and turned left into Top Road.  Glancing at the time I had been walking for 10 minutes, the pace had been moderate and with this slight incline a church he or I had started to perspire.  Continue my journey Westwood I passed the college and crossed over to the Court Hill side of the road.  For nearly ½ mile wide carried on down the road before it turned left onto a footpath.  This area is known as Park Pale along Slindon Bottom of Slindon Wood.  Again continuing in a southerly direction for just over ½ mile I came alongside Slindon Park Field.  I then kept left along the narrow footpath skirting the field after a few 100 yards and approaching the rendezvous point car park the other 31 walkers were approaching.  As I turned and spoke to Janet our walk leader, I heard Chris’s wonderful voice.  Another walker from Selsey, I daresay we travelled as far as anyone else in fact more than most people there.  Checking my GPS device I had covered the distance of 2.17 miles at an average speed of 4.5 miles per hour.  If I had had time to cover the other 200 yards to the car park I would have completed that’s full circuit in just over 30 minutes.
Back tracking around Slindon Park field we continue close to the field all the ways to the touring camping park just below the college.  The hon. It started to rain and we all started to put on our jackets and coats and hats.  Keeping on the footpath close to the road we headed northward to the college gates.  At this point there rain became torrential with us several roles of thunder echoing throughout the trees.  Wrongly or rightly we all sort cover and under the best canopy of trees we could find.
After a few minutes Janet Anderson cross the road and along the Butt Lane bridleway.  Passing Courthill Farm we continued until we arrived at Downes Barn.  Here we stopped and looked across to the folly Up by Nore Wood. Built during the second half of the 18th Century at the request of the Countess of Newburgh and based upon a painting of a replica Italian arch that she and her husband The Earl owned.
If we continued for another 50 metres and doubled back along Mill Lane this took us to the high point of her journey alongside Baycombe Wood.  This was the dirtiest part of our journey, a muddy farm track not a footpath.  Cresting the hill we headed down toward Slindon.  Approaching Baycombe Lane A holiday tractor / train with holiday makers on passed us, I presume they were looking at the sheep and newborn lambs.
Continuing southward and Top Road we turned into Dyer’s Lane on towards Church Hill and we congregated at the pond.  Entering back into Slindon Wood, we saw the best display of bluebells of the whole walk.  After a very brief interlude we were back into the car park, another walk completed, thank you very much Janet.
A very enjoyable 3 mile walk with such gentle gradients, with only an easy stile adjacent to the college this was a very pleasurable walk and I look forward to doing it again.


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