Spring has turned slightly more seasonal in the last few days, in as much as the clear blue skies have turned a little greyer, with a spattering of rain putting an end to the unusually dry and hot conditions for early spring. There was also a very real promise of more rain on the radar for the day too, but we went for it anyway. Today we would be walking a new route out of Wadhurst to the ever-familiar Bewl Water and back, setting off just gone ten o’clock.
We made our way out of the village centre past the church whilst the bells were ringing for the Sunday service, and turned right past a patch of allotments. This brought us out to Blacksmith’s Lane, and we were surprised to suddenly find views of rolling hills open up before us. As this road reached a corner, we spotted off to our right a few, small white blobs across a rising field.
Together we went running to the gate for a closer look.
LAMBS!
For the last three weeks, their absence had been noted and we knew it would only be a matter of time before we came across these most adorable spring symbols. We turned back and retraced our steps to the corner, where we were supposed to turn down a drive to take us through a farm. A few seconds later and we came across another field with more ewes with their lambs by their sides. This was a very magical section of walking. We passed a barn full of the sounds of ongoing lambing, and followed the path up behind to find yet another large field full of lambs exploring their new world. To top things off, a small barn containing a few cows was positioned just to our left as we watched the lambs, with a magnificent bull munching hay out of its front. As we made our way out of this perfect scene, two more lambs ran up to the fence from the neighbouring field, to take a closer look at the strangers.
Carrying on along a path running between open farmland, Beth pointed out that I suddenly had an extra bounce in my step, and I in turn suddenly realised something else – I was walking just like my Dad! This made me smile even more. We passed another field with a few more lambs shortly after, before arriving at a stile, on the other side of which was the path around the edge of Bewl Water. Here there was also a stile which pointed back the way we had come, saying ‘Wadhurst 1 mile’; it had been a fantastic mile!
The path around Bewl Water felt familiar, having done several walks around its edge at this point; a mixture of woodland and shoreline walking, with views across the moody-looking reservoir. The day was warm, but only a little way around did we come across the first spits of the promised rain. Spits turned to droplets, and droplets turned to actual rain. This however gave Beth an excuse to finally try out her camera coat, which allowed her to keep it out in the wet and not risk damaging it – it perhaps looked a little odd, but worked very well! We continued to walk around Bewl Water, and actually managed to walk around one of the few remaining sections that we had not before. We turned left off the official thirteen-mile circular, and picked up a small footpath. You may recall that by the end of last week’s walk, my boots had completely fallen apart, and I had had to order new ones. I was extremely glad that they had since arrived, as this section was surprisingly muddy. We had been spoilt over recent weeks by the weirdly dry conditions, but the sudden return to mud made me glad not to be wearing boots with gaping holes in them! The rain continued to fall, only finally easing up just as we turned away from the reservoir for the day.
As we turned back across the High Weald countryside, we made our way along the edge of a series of fields containing a few sheep, one of which stared at us for the entire time we were in view. We could also see another field of lambs scampering about in the distance, and as we made our way through the day’s second farmyard, we again came across a barn full of lambs – I love spring. This then brought us back up to the road, briefly returning to the Bewl Water circular, before turning right down a new path. We walked down a field’s edge toward a pair of handsome trees. Here we sat amongst the mossy routes, looking out across the rising weald before us. The rain stayed away and we sat on coats and coat bags to keep our bums dry – it was a very nice spot. We carried on downhill and enjoyed walking through a small dell which felt a bit mystical, and just a little Yorkshire-y. This whimsicalness then continued back uphill, and this is something we managed to achieve surprisingly often right after lunch whilst our legs are still warming back up!
We came out at the top to a quiet road, and a few minutes later our next footpath to the right, which would take us onto the home run. Between us and Wadhurst could be seen a couple more rises and falls – it is always a surprise when we come across the tight-nit hills to the south of Bewl Water, for they are somehow very well hidden and off the beaten path – but for that they are all the more special. We made our way downward for the final time as a pair of geese flew overhead, crossed a stream and then headed back upward, passing a ploughed field where the goose friends had landed together. After this, it was a short distance back to the village, and all too soon we were walking back toward the centre of Wadhurst. We arrived back at the car a little over three hours later, mostly dry and happy to have finally seen lambs.
This route provided some beautiful scenery and perfect examples of the High Weald AONB. The stretches to and from Bewl Water were particularly nice this time of year thanks to the spring lambs, although the reservoir section might be a bit easier later in the season or even summer, once it has dried a little. However, the mud was well worth the trade for the magic of the farms.
https://www.kentramblers.org.uk/KentWalks/public/walk_099.htm
Matthew G. Huggins 