Before we start, I would like to talk about spring, and why it is our favourite of all the seasons. There are of course the obvious reasons, which we have spent the past few weeks gushing over. The arrival of lambs in our fields, the glow of the bluebells amongst the woodland floor, the wafting scent of wild garlic; all of these are unique to springtime, coming and going in a matter of weeks, all of which ought to be treasured. However, in addition to this, is spring’s positioning in nature’s cycle, which really extenuates its character and makes it stand out that little bit more. After the long, damp, cold winter, spring greets you like an old friend. The sudden bloom of colour after the long lifeless grey, the sweet smells drifting up your nostrils, the warmer, brighter days, all wash over you in a tide of relief, relaxation and joy. Its other neighbour, summer, is of course not bad either. As you meander through warm, colourful days, the promise of even sunnier days with brilliant blue skies just around the corner gives you even more to look forward to. And herein lies one of the factors that makes summer only second in the seasons rankings; the fact that you know that next up is the turn back toward the damp and cold we had seemingly only just left behind us. The heat itself is another factor, and this additional element makes our long walks that little bit more of a challenge (aside from the obvious, I am a sweaty beast and regularly get suncream burning my eyes!). Which brings us back to spring. Not too hot, not too cold, it is very much the proverbial Baby Bear’s porridge of the seasons, and we just love it!
With the arrival of May and summer (allegedly) on its way, we have already noticed the first signs of the seasons turning. This was further emphasized when we woke Sunday morning to clear blue skies and sunshine pouring through the window. On top of this, as I was leaning on the window ledge taking in the new day, I finally spotted something I had been waiting to see – rejoice, for the swifts hath returned! Stood there with a pair of binoculars, I spotted four of them flying about in front of our little cottage, before running to the bathroom window to turn on the call system designed to attract them to the new bird boxes I had put up for them under our eaves last month. This perfect start was then topped off by a plate of syrup-covered pancakes, before we headed out for the day’s adventure.
And what a day it was set to be, for a special occasion had finally arrived – B-Day. No, not the thing for washing your butt, but the day of the year when we go down to Bodiam Castle in East Sussex. This is something we have done every year since we got together, and was one of our earliest ventures out into a part of the world which has come to mean so much to us. The walk itself is only five miles, but the day offers more than a walk through the countryside alone. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, the clear blue skies had become a little more overcast, although the day was still warm and bright. Having managed to time it for a bank holiday weekend (well done us) the castle was the busiest we had ever seen it and we found ourselves parking in the overflow. Fortunately, as the families went in one direction, we went the other, exiting the National Trust site, crossing a small bridge over the River Rother and wandering off away into the countryside, setting off just gone half-eleven.
Once around the edge of the first field and across the usually quiet rail line, the castle disappeared behind us as we found ourselves in a small patch of trees, amongst which a group of lambs frolicked, alongside their more mellow mothers. Another stile led us out into a large field beyond where we walked through more dozing and suckling lambs, whose bleats continued to line our path as we made our way steadily up through a series of fields until we came out onto a quiet road. From here we continued to meander up past some pretty cottages, before another stile appeared to the left, leading us out across another stretch of wide, open farmland. These fields are usually full of lambs and pregnant ewes, although on this occasion there weren’t quite as many. We were still treated with a small herd all the same and walked through a field sprouting with golden buttercups, before crossing another road.
A few minutes of tree-lined path which is often muddy leads back out onto open, rugged land, before another tree-lined path then appears on the right, and continues to run along the same trajectory. Today we found that the brightness of the day had seeped through the new leaves and made the soft carpet of moss amongst the roots glow. Another stile then comes up on the right, which takes you out into a hilltop field with a good view stretching back out to the castle in the distance, before descending back down through the farm yard. This next short stretch is often not the prettiest of the day, but then it is a working farm and only lasts a couple of minutes before you are back on the footpath.
The route then continues downhill past a herd of curious Alpacas, who approached close to the fence to investigate the newcomers, whilst on the other side of us two little dogs came to see who was walking through their garden (the footpath takes you through the land of a very impressive country house here). Once you have made your way along the garden’s edge and down the gravel driveway, you come back out at the road. This is the trickiest bit of the day as the road is quite fast and the path on its edge narrow. Before you turn off, there is a bridge to cross back over the Rother, where timing is important as the bridge is not particularly wide. After this however, it is another right turn, this time away from the road, to walk back along the quiet banks of the river. From here it really is a simple, quiet river walk until eventually a pub appears on your left, and the morning’s first bridge is before you. Crossing back over the road, the route then returned us to the car park, and our walk was done for the day, about an hour and forty minutes after we had started – job done!
But the day was far from over. We grabbed our lunch from the car and made our way into the castle grounds itself. As we made our way around the moat, we noticed that the countryside behind us seemed to be disappearing and turning grey, a fact we had been trying to ignore since picking up the lunch. By the time we reached our usual spot (the lawn in front of the castle) it was actually raining, and so instead we sat beneath one of the trees just to the side, still with a good view of the impressive castle. Unfortunately however, the rain was bad on two accounts. For Beth, it meant that for ten minutes her thoughts turned unyieldingly to the washing she had left on the line that morning. For me, it meant missing out on one of Bodiam’s best features – its ducks. Previously, when eating on the grass, the castle’s ducks had always come up to investigate what was on offer, boldly walking over bags and legs, completely fearless of humans. Sadly, on this occasion the ducks were not interested in the deserted lawn, instead choosing to go for a swim in the moat, with one particularly loud female duck quacking round and round the bottom of the high castle walls.
The light rain had cleared by the time lunch was finished, so it was time to enter the castle itself. As it was particularly busy, we didn’t spend too long here, choosing to venture up only one of its tall towers, pausing for a minute at the top to admire the view. Once we had ascended and descended the tower’s steep stone spiral staircase, we found our legs a little shaky as we wandered around the courtyard, and laughed at that familiar Bodiam thigh burn (Ben Nevis next week folks!).
After leaving the castle, it was time for the final stop of the day – The Castle Inn pub, just across the road. This is a great pub we have always enjoyed stopping in, although was the home of the world’s most expensive Lemon Spritz on our first visit! Here we sat and whiled away the rest of the afternoon with a couple of pints and a pink gin whilst sharing a bowl of loaded fries, entertained by the dogs and playing kids who were also enjoying their afternoon.
Then it was home time for another year. This five-mile circular is definitely the shortest and simplest of our regular walks, but is always a day that we love so much and look forward to. On this occasion, the turning of the season felt suddenly present, as the meadows were visibly starting to grow up about us and we spotted only a spattering of bluebells. However, late spring has a beauty of its own, and during the sunnier spells of the day as the light streamed through fresh, glowing leaves, it was there, plain to see.
Original route provided by East Sussex County Council and is available at https://eastsussexgovuk.blob.core.windows.net/media/1248/bodiam-castle-walk.pdf
And now, ladies and gentlemen, buckle up, for the time is finally upon us….
….we will see you in Scotland.
Matthew G. Huggins 