Something is changed.
There’s magic in the mist.
Can you feel it?
Ah yes, that must be it; Beth’s new hat!
Isn’t it wonderful, and totally seasonally appropriate – this would be its maiden voyage, and left Beth looking like a whimsically wandering witch all day.
On this particularly bright and beautiful day, we would be returning for our second go around the Wadhurst Park walk, which we last did in Spring 2025. Unusually, this walk requires you to park up in a little lay-by in the middle of nowhere, rather than in a village or a little car park, which feels a little odd, particularly when another car pulls up right next to your car just after you have set off and acts *suspiciously*. Once we were satisfied that the old lady was in fact not an opportunistic criminal, we turned our attention back to the route and got under way.
The first point of interest comes nice and early on this walk. After only a few minutes, you arrive in the middle of a farm. Ahead of us, we could see staring back a large herd of cows. From previous experience, we knew that there would be no need to traverse their paddock, which was handy, because there was going to be no way in the world that I would have got Beth across today. The considerable and mixed herd were all gathered close to the metal gate and started mooing loudly as we approached. At first I thought these moos were for us, however it quickly became apparent that they were actually for the farmer, who appeared in his tractor and began moving round bales of hay around. They were clearly moos of expectant hunger, and we followed the farmer and his tractor as he headed up the long farm track alongside their field. We watched from a distance as he dropped the bale in the feeder, where stood a single, heavily pregnant cow. He hopped out and gave her a scratch, as we saw his spaniel come trotting back down the track toward us. It accompanied us for a while, as we swung up and around the field, and enjoyed a little pet, before turning around to follow the farmer back down to the yard. We stood with the single cow at the top of the hill as it munched – interestingly, the rest of the herd still waited at the bottom; perhaps there would be another drop at that end; why expend unnecessary effort, I suppose, right?
Turning away, we entered Batts Wood. This was alive with bluebells on our last visit, but today, the colours of autumn were everywhere; bejewelling the canopies above, fluttering through the air around us and carpeting the woodland floor at our feet. There was a little mud underfoot, so we trod carefully as we descended through the trees, keeping an eye out for seasonal fungi. As things levelled out, we began to walk alongside the lake and popped back out into the open of Wadhurst Park itself. There was a sign saying Bull in field, but we didn’t see him, only perhaps some of his dumps. However, a few fields further on, we rounded a corner and almost bumped into four other cows, which was a surprise, but they were not bothered, and we passed them by. Whilst the world beneath the trees was nice and cool, back out in the direct sun, it was a different story; periodically, Beth’s hat required removing to allow the hot air within to dissipate. Fortunately, lots of this route is wooded, and before long we were back in the dappled shade of a stand of Willows. Within this, we passed a lady walking her dogs, who was very complimentary of Beth’s hat – it’s a great hat.
We turned to begin the day’s long, gentle climb up through the trees. Light streamed through and turned the leaves golden, and made the green moss glow, as we steadily made our way upward. It really was a perfectly peaceful day. After passing various mushrooms and lichen, we popped out into the open at the top and were greeted by a widespread flock of sheep in the sunshine, before beginning to slowly head back downhill. The easy walking continued, only interrupted by a brief Lego impression, and we soon arrived at the bank of a little, winding stream. Following its course as it wound its way along, we kept an eye out for the spot we had stopped at for lunch last time. We found it, and carefully settled ourselves down on the bank. We used our sit-mats to avoid the little mud, and watched as leaves fluttered down onto the water, which softly trickled by. We enjoyed our food, hidden away deep within the Weald, and this little spot was the ideal Autumn perch. We finished our food, sat for a quiet, thoughtful pause, before continuing on with the end of the walk.
We carried on along the stream for a while longer (again, Beth got compliments on her hat from a passersby – it really is a great hat) before arriving back at the road (the first one since the start of the day, which is a great feature of this particular walk). One last field lay ahead; however, as we approached, we saw a visibly active herd of cows grazing nearby. Being so late in the day, it was not necessary to put Beth through the ordeal, and so we instead turned up the road, which would take us alongside the footpath back to the car. There was no distance lost and a herd of cows avoided, and I also seem to remember this path not being particularly clear last time anyway – so, on this occasion, it was an easy decision. We arrived back at the car at about half past one. The light was already sinking and turning golden, and yet it was still hot on our faces – the end of another perfect Autumn walk.
