Still in Sussex but starting today from Petworth where I grew up, well from 7 until I permanently moved to Oxfordshire at 21. I did a walk in Petworth park in my first 50 so time to revisit.
I park in the south of the town and enter a passageway which we used to call ‘back alley’, it divides at one point and I have memories of walking back to school after lunch with my dad who was a policeman and he would divert up to the police station when he was doing a 2-10 shift.
On through the town square and up Lombard Street which is still cobbled. Last shop on the left was my main Saturday job location – E. Streeter and daughter- a jewellers and antique shop. A very strict shop owner but she ( the daughter) gave me some wonderful opportunities.
At the end of the street is the church – Sunday School, Mary in the Nativity play, Guide thinking day, Remembrance Services, first wedding, sister’s wedding and more recently my dad’s funeral.
I turn right and cross the road into Barton’s Lane and quickly I am in the country and out of the town. Round the hills we used to call it! A place for making gardens on mole hills as a Brownie, following trails and putting up tents as a guide! Many good memories. My route today will take me down and then up to the woods with the Gog and Magog Lodge which was perhaps a route into Petworth House.
Over the stream where I remember finding King Cups and then upwards – a field of horses. Feeling apprehensive they are all munching happily so a safe passage! A good place to turn and view the town and the distinctive church tower which once had a spire. I wondered if the round clump of trees was natural or part of a planting regime when the park was landscaped.
As I enter the wood a familiar tunnelled path and round to the back of the lodges, now renovated. This is a great wood – Brinkshole Heath with many open access paths to explore and once again I’m following the Serpent’s Way.
This track comes out on Riverhill Lane and quickly crosses and into another wooded but quite different area. Not open access but definitely a managed area, there’s also a parking space before entering the working area of this wood. Unlike the previous wood where I heard woodpeckers it has now changed to chain saws. It’s a climb up hill and over the crest there is a huge tractor grabbing a cage of logs over some very rough ground – some skilled driving.
The path comes out onto a road at a really tight bend and the next path quickly leaves and then splits. I’m taking the left hand fork but the right hand one that dips doesn’t into the valley looks equally as exciting.
Many wild flowers and mosses along this next stretch. This is a really pleasant part of the walk.
As I come out of the wood and on to a road I am next to a steam which comes through a hole in a wall. I wonder if this is linked to a mill and as I go round a corner I see a sign on a garage ‘ Crowsole Mill’ and then a pond followed by a mill building and leet. This is the hamlet of Little Bignor a notably attractive group of houses.
The path takes an abrupt turn right and goes along the edge of fields before going through more woods before coming out at the dog friendly ‘ Well Diggers Arms’! A narrow tunnel like passage leads down to Byworth which has another good pub!
I come to a T junction in a valley – to the right it appears overgrown but my way is clear and a fast flowing stream runs along. A pleasant place to stop for a snack and in the still I see what was most probably a kingfisher scoop along between trees.
The path comes out onto the road and the track I’m looking for doubles back after only about 30 metres and is through a gate and driveway to a house. The path rises up and across a field – the farmer has started ploughing but luckily there’s an undisturbed section just to the right of where the path should be. Getting close to Petworth and this area was always called the Sheep Downs- inhabited today by cows!
The path comes out onto the main road – and quickly crosses for the last part of this walk. The view across is to Shimmings Hill and to the woods I’d climbed to at the beginning of my walk. This path has been newly refurbished as the retaining wall above had slipped into disrepair. The turnstiles at each end of this path is something that is so familiar on sight but that I had forgotten about.
I had remembered somewhere called the Virgin Mary Spring but I didn’t walk passed it on this route. I think it must have been on the section by the stream – if I’d turned right at the T junction. Perhaps another day. I finish by walking back up Barton Lane. There are some gates with a sign Old School House, this is an entrance that leads into an area which was my junior school playground. I decide to walk back to the car via East Street, Middle Street and Golden Square.
When I moved to Petworth from Crawley I was somewhat surprised to find that this building was the Girl’s junior school. Just two classes in contrast to the 500 pupils in my previous school – 4 classes in each year group. Where the arches are now we had outside toilets that used to freeze up in winter. The playground had a hole in the middle for the maypole.
This was an ordinary state school, the Infants had a separate building which my sister started at. The boys were housed in a large house as their school had been bombed during the Second World War when a returning aircraft had shed its load and wiped out many local boys – a very sad day for the town. Our headteacher presided over all three buildings – including putting salt in our toilets in the winter to melt the ice! For the last term before I went to secondary school we all moved into a new co educational Primary School.
The walk today was 12.5 km, nearly 8 miles. Great to walk an unknown route in a familiar place.
Marion's 50 Walk Challenge 