Let me tell you about five sheep encounters!
We start with the sensible sheep. These came early in the day, mere minutes after getting going. Our path ran alongside a flock resting in the shade, unlike us. Ordinarily, I suspect they would have got up and walked away from the fence when we passed, but on balance, they took the risk to avoid the heat of the almost-midday sun – good decision.
The second sheep encounter came shortly after; the black sheep. We made our way through a familiar farm, which we always enjoy traversing, and passed its usual residents of beefy cows and adolescent lambs. Yet one of these lambs was not like the others. For one, its wool was black. Additionally, and most importantly, it was on the wrong side of the fence. Previously this year, we have already undertaken a few sheep-based rescues, and we are no strangers to helping out livestock in need. However, my animal instincts were not tingling on this occasion. This lamb seemed fairly chill, relaxing in the shade with its fellows, just on the wrong side of the fence. The farm was well-secured, and the lamb was not at any kind of risk. In my livestock experience (which I do have more than my fair share of after all), it is important to know when not to intervene. I left this one for the farmer.
This led us down to the shores of Bewl Water. How many times have we walked here now? Coming and going on its roundabout of footpaths from every which way. And yet, our sense of direction remains poor. Fortunately, as long as you get the direction right, it’s simple enough to follow the path mindlessly until eventually your exit appears. And that’s pretty much what we did! It was around midday when we arrived, and things were indeed hot. However, lots of the water is tree-lined, and this, combined with a decent breeze for company, kept things under control. The blue surface rippled and sparkled, and we passed a large gaggle of geese, herons and cormorants, amongst other waterfowl, and all was very peaceful. We also got to meet a very friendly Labrador puppy. He approached with both a woof and a waggly tail, confused about what to do, and in the end just accepted lots of cuddles. Eventually, our exit did appear, and we began to turn back out toward farmland. This is what led us to sheep encounter number three; spooked sheep. Our path brought us to a small road, at the edge of which was a five-bar metal gate. Unfortunately, my unexpected appearance on the other side of it spooked a ewe, who had previously had her head down happily grazing in her meadow. She gave a start and skipped a few paces backwards. She turned and looked at me reproachfully, the reservoir still glimmering at her back.
Striking back out across gently rising countryside, we crossed into a field containing a flock of sheep, amongst which we would shortly meet number four. The first few sheep were hiding beneath the hedges, once again shade-seeking. However, our presence disturbed them and they made a swift exit, on a general trajectory toward the body of the herd. However, their initial enthusiasm quickly faded, slowed right down and then stopped. They turned to look at us as we neared. We drew level with them and met their gaze. One sheep stepped forward. Her bare head poked out from a heavily woolly body. I reached out a hand. She took another step forward. This is highly unusual. Sheep, as we all know, are traditionally flighty animals. Yet this one was definitely approaching. Carefully, but without doubt. As she came into arm’s reach, I knelt. I stretched out a hand, and she did not back away. I gave her head a little scratch. I think she enjoyed it. And this was how we came to meet a surprisingly friendly sheep. We hung out for a minute before going our separate ways. She did look particularly hot in her thick woollen jumper, and one of our theories was that, spotting humans and desperate, she had approached in the hope that we would shear her!
We clambered over the gate and left the farmyard behind. Lunch time was upon us, and a known spot was approaching. We stopped beneath a tree with a root network forming two perfect seats and enjoyed our wraps. The shade provided and cool place for us to refuel, and Beth even managed to high-five the tree in the continuing breeze. Once back on our feet, we climbed up the regular feature of a post-lunch hill, at the top of which we could see the spire of Wadhurst church across the fields ahead. We could also hear loud bleating and see a farmer on a quad with his dog rounding up a flock in a field opposite. Which brings us on to our fifth and final sheep encounter of the day. We dipped back down into the valley, at the bottom of which the chorus of bleats began to grow louder and louder. We rounded a corner to see the quad bike parked up, accompanied by a dog. When it saw us, it came over with a wagging tail to accept pats, before obediently returning to the farmer’s whistle, as he closed a wooden gate behind him. At his rear was a mighty, loud, flock. The duo departed, leaving us with the still yelling sheep. There must have been hundreds of them, ewes and their overgrown lambs, and they would not shut up. We walked alongside them, as they too made their way from the gate back out across their paddock. Lambs looked for mothers, freshly shorn sheep trotted about in delight, and all stopped for a slurp from the trough as they passed. And all the while, the chorus of baas continued. It was actually very cool, and we enjoyed our encounter with the noisy sheep very much.
The end was in sight now, and with only one more field to cross, I began to climb through a rather overgrown stile. I picked my way through the trailing thorns cautiously and warned Beth that she too would have to be careful as she came through behind me, thinking of her bare legs. At that moment, she came striding into sight on my right, having walked through a nice clear gap in the hedge which I had failed to notice. As I stepped my way from the spiky bush, she looked more than a little smug. After crossing this last meadow, full of butterflies and dragonflies, we made our way back up the road into Wadhurst, and another day’s walking was at an end.
Four weeks have passed since our last foray into the Weald, and that’s a long stretch for any time of year, never mind the glorious spell where spring turns to summer. Indeed, we returned to find waving golden wheat, shorn sheep and over-stuffed lambs waiting for us along the way. Following a flush of hot weather, combined with a late-night 2-0 win for England over Panama, we decided not to push it on the mileage today, hence picking out this simple, level route to reintroduce us to the season. This was a very good decision in the end, and we really enjoyed our return to our normal turf.
Matthew G. Huggins 