Pancakes, bacon and golden syrup made up the opening act for this Sunday, as another bright spring day loomed. Since last week, I also made a decision. As you know by now, I have not been getting on so well with my new pair of EXTREME walking boots, which have been rubbing at my heels and squishing my toes. Obviously, new boots can take some time to settle in, and I was hoping this would be the case. However, after sixty miles, they are still very distracting. So, I have decided to retire them until winter, when I will give them another go and allow their EXTREME (waterproof) nature a chance to shine. In their place, I have returned to a pair of boots that have long proved both comfortable and reliable. Yes, I am excited to announce the return of Peter Storm Buxtons. This will be my fourth pair, and despite being very much toward the lower end of the market (they are only about £35 – £50 cheaper than my other new ones), they suit me perfectly. I have yet to encounter a terrain they haven’t been able to handle. They have got me to the top of Ben Nevis, around the Yorkshire Dales and even tackled the Canadian Rockies, as well as endless walks around Kent and Sussex, and they never missed a single step. Yes, I end up replacing them about once a year, but I do also walk hundreds of miles in between. So with the return of the old reliables, pancakes and nothing but sunshine, the day was filled with promise from the go.
We managed to get parked at the side of the road and set off at about half past eleven out of the village. The nice day had brought out plenty of people, and we passed tennis players, other walkers and families riding their bikes up the old railway. However, the standout was a couple and, more importantly, a Bernese Mountain dog puppy named Roger. He seemed to have little care for what he was being told to do, and instead was just happy to be outside doing his thing. He wasn’t badly behaved, but certainly not obedient, and was pleased to stop and say hello. After this, we struck out across the countryside and left the busy outskirts of Hartfield behind.
We soon arrived at a small but magical patch of quiet woodland. Today, we found it blooming with bluebells carpeting its roots. We stayed here for a moment to soak it in, the scent of the flowers filling our noses and the sound of birds singing in our ears. Once back out in the open, we began to feel the day’s heat and stopped for an unusually early drinks break. We then found a fallen way marker in the undergrowth, having fallen off when the signpost was moved to the other side of the road at some point since our last visit. Beth asked about the legalities, and I wasn’t sure, however, long story short, we now have another Way Marker to add to our collection! The moved signpost pointed us on toward the recently closed campsite (hopefully it reopens), and we paused beside a large pond. Our timing was perfect, because at that moment two Geese and their goslings quietly slid out onto the water in front of us. We then came across another pond shortly after, and the same happened once more – a lovely walk so far.
The next stretch was made up of a series of arable fields, divided by little streams and hidden garlic groves. These included one which stretched far and out of sight, and we wandered a little way in on small, secretive animal tracks. So far, the day had been warm but manageable. However, we then turned to face the first and most significant climb of the day. This steep rise is very open, and the sun beat down, leading to a couple of pauses on the way up – we were both grateful to reach the shade at the top! It was also made extra worth it by being followed by a surprise field of lambs, with a neighbouring trio of donkeys for good measure. These were then followed by a more familiar donkey, whom we had met on both previous visits. We stopped to say hello to our old friend and filled him in about the events of the last year, whilst giving him a scratch. We then said goodbye until next time.
Shortly after, we arrived at the day’s lunch spot. Today we stopped amongst a glowing woodland, and perched on a branch amongst bluebells which swept down and away in front of us. This perfect lunch was made extra special by the day’s meal deals; a chicken, jalapeno, cheese and BBQ sauce wrap for me, and a cheese and dill pickle sandwich for Beth – the exact same as we had on our Groombridge walk in January, and both are very tasty choices. We arose and made our way through the continuing trees and bluebells, also passing more Wild Garlic as well as three small and fuzzy-looking cows. We then made it to the beginning of a long stretch of road walking, which was broken up nicely halfway by stopping in at a little farm shop. A gathering of Morgans was clearly occurring at the Tea Room, and we stopped in and treated ourselves to some ice cream, which we ate as we continued. This got slightly trickier as the lane began to rise, and in the end Beth had to pause and finish hers before we carried on upward.
We again left the cottages behind and finished climbing the hill a few minutes later too. This was the last of the day, and from here it was largely downhill all the way to the pub – hoorah! Before we began to head back down, we entered a patch of woods. Beneath, we found another rolling Wild Garlic Glade, dotted with Bluebells, as the sun poured through the glowing green leaves. Here, it very much felt that we had arrived at the height of spring – everything was in full bloom, the smell of the garlic was heavy in the air, and everything was just right. Beth harvested a few leaves for our annual attempt at cooking something with Wild Garlic, before we returned to the open and the approach to Hartfield.
The path goes quickly downward again through the middle of an open field. From this vantage point, we could see the church ahead and hear the sounds of lambs in between. By now we knew to expect these particular lambs, and we were soon walking across what we have come to regard as the home of the world’s fattest lambs – honestly, for some reason this particular field always contains the chunkiest lambs, and today was no different. The next couple of pastures also contained lambs, more regularly built, who seemed to be enjoying the warm spring day, including one who’s bum was stuck resolutely in the air as he grazed; *face down, ass up, that’s the way we like to graze*. There was also one particularly erratic pheasant who made a lamb jump, and a guard sheep stood on top of a slope looking down on us we passed through the middle of the flock. This brought us back to Hartfield, and we made our way gratefully to the pub. We sat in the sunny garden with a couple of ciders, and honestly, I don’t think I have ever appreciated a pint of Inches so much, nor drunk the first half so quickly – it was glorious!
This was our third go around this particular route. Each time we have come slightly later in the season than the previous. We have loved every visit, however on this occasion, we witnessed it in full bloom for the first time, and it was beautiful. This route is one of our favourites, and has plenty of beasts and woodland glades as you go, making it a fantastic spring walk – the pub at the end very much helps as well. I am also pleased to say that my new, new boots, were an immediate success. There were no issues, no aching feet, no blisters and my toes could wiggle at the end – welcome back Buxtons!
Matthew G. Huggins 