Kirdford walk on 3rd May 2023

We had a beautiful sunny day for our walk led by Sally. Starting at the Foresters Arms in Kirdford recently closed for renovations but they let us park there. The start of the walk led us through the oldest part of Kirdford where on the junction is the Church of St John the Baptist built around 1100 AD with its great tower and vast indoor space shows the importance of this village in medieval times. Opposite the Church is the popular Half Moon pub owned by Jodie Kidd but not open on a Wednesday for our walk. The new ‘bareback’ pub sign for the Pub Renaissance campaign was unfortunately not visible from our vantage point as it would have destroyed our concentration for the plaque in the centre of the village showing the village story. Taking a left at the T junction we passed the Old Rectory with “its ode to the virtue of staying sober”. At this point we felt obliged to model some of the benefits of drunkenness for the camera. Leaving the village behind us we turned left at Normandie Stud and through its yard with very smart stable buildings and dogs with short legs, then into the woodland of Boxalland Copse, an ancient site of iron mining. The woods were carpeted with bluebells. Continuing down to muddy Boxall Brook and over the bridge and up into pastureland and then into the dense woodland of Barkfold Rough. The path rises to Chandlers Barn and into the open with fine views of Blackdown where they had conveniently placed a bench ideal for an early cup of coffee. Walking along the edges of fields filled with oil seed rape and the historic Fountains Farm screened by high hedges we start our descent back over the mud of Boxall Brook. A challenge presented itself. A very muddy section running along a farmer’s field with sheep in it, half the walk went for it and at the other half agreed for Tim to negotiate with the farmer to allow us to walk on his land which luckily he did. On the home straight passing Lakelands Farm and over Great Common skirting the mud and back into the village past a new development of houses. To our right was the village stores with more history and information about the flora and fauna. Back to collect our cars and 2 miles to The Stag Inn at Balls Cross for a delicious lunch by Phil and his team.