Gallery

Viewing galleries from April, 2025

Graffham walk on 16th April 2025

Our limited number of members were supplemented with very welcome new walkers as we gathered at the Graffham recreation ground car park for our 4.05 mile walk.  We walked back up to the war memorial on the main road, turned right past The Foresters Inn and village store, then left onto the footpath between fields of sheep with their lambs.  Dropping down we crossed the footbridge over the stream into Middleheath Copse enjoying the sunshine and woods when we came to the bank of the stream that we followed until the path bore us away across another stream and up the hill of Graffham Common in the pine woods.  At the top of Gallows Hill we stopped at a convenient bench to enjoy our coffee break, the views and some fine banter.  Joining the Serpent Trail, we walked more in the Common woods, the sculpture of the sheep standing on the back of a pig kept us guessing for a while. Continuing down the hill we got back to a local road by Barnett’s Bridge; staying on the Serpent Trail we entered Lavington Common, a sandy heath with ponds and some muddy paths.  Leaving the Trail at the tee junction we headed south to Lower Barn taking the unmetalled tracks to Upper Norwood and back to the car park.  Half of us retired to sample The Foresters under new management, enjoying an excellent lunch.

Lodsworth walk on 9th April 2025

Starting at The Halfway Bridge Inn, Jay and Lindsay took us East on the old A272 to Beggars’ Corner to then take the footpath into River Wood on the hanger, with views down to the stream before taking a left path downhill to cross the stream at Eel Bridge.  Ascending the field, in the sunshine and clear blue sky, towards St Peter’s Well, we turned into Old Park Copse taking the wooden walkways over the marsh, then encountering giant yellow bog plants.  On reaching The Street at Lodsworth we crossed up to School Lane  and onto a path taking us through gardens and across a field of frisky polo ponies. Beyond Redland’s Farm yard we took the Serpent Trail along the edge of Snapelands Copse, then we left it heading south on Hoe Hill where we stopped for a brief, breezy coffee break.  Continuing on through the woods of Vining Common and  Copse we made our way down the hill, across fields to Heath End Farm and Heath End Lane into Lodsworth, turning off at Church Lane back into fields, then descending back to The Halfway Bridge Inn for an excellent lunch.

Elsted walk 2nd April 2025

We assembled in the sunshine for our 5 mile walk at Elsted Inn, crossed over the disused
railway line on the hump back bridge before leaving down a footpath and across ploughed
fields with obliterated paths. Getting onto the tree lined track, Brimbrook Lane until we
reached Ingram’s Green Lane to Piper’s Farm. Turning north east the route was through
Pipers Wood and a field to cross the old disused railway line, over fields, woods and further
fields to the stream to the south of Minsted. Some felled tree trunks hosted our coffee break.
Once finished we made our way up Minsted Road and turned left to skirt around the disused
gravel pit, onto Fitzhall and Henfield Wood. Crossing Ingram’s Green Lane again we took
paths across fields in Elsted Marsh until retracing our starting route back to the pub for our lunch