The Eastern South Downs: My Home

A couple of years ago a friend of ours came to stay for a weekend. We took him along to a local farm to go cider tasting and as we hit the main road he was completely blown away by the view of the South Downs on either side of us. He just gasped and said, "How can you not be amazed by that?"

It's not that we weren't. I've always thought of that scene as beautiful, but I've known it so well since I was small that it doesn't make me gasp out loud like our friend each time I see it. To me it's just the way the landscape looks around my home. I never thought I took these views for granted, but recently his words have come back to me and I'm making sure that I absolutely take the time to love the beauty around me.

The South Downs has been a designated national park for the past couple of years now and I live in a small town nestled inside it. I grew up in a town just on the outskirts, and the village my parents now live in is only a few miles north of it. The South Downs have always been part of my life.

The park runs from St Catherine's Hill, Winchester, Hampshire in the West to Beachy Head, Eastbourne, East Sussex in the East. Its most southerly point is Eastbourne and its most northerly point is some village in Hampshire if I can trust Google maps. I am least familiar with the West side, knowing West Sussex only a little and not knowing Hampshire at all.

Weald & Downland Museum near Chichester -
of the less familiar, but still beautiful West side!

I do, however, know East Sussex like the back of my hand, and therefore I know this part of the South Downs pretty well.

I spent my childhood walking and cycling on the Downs with my friends, or hiking across them as a scout. I've spent my adulthood walking on them and always admiring the landscape at every opportunity. At my last job I had a spectacular view of the Ouse Valley flanked by Kingston Ridge and Firle Beacon on either side. In my current job I can see a ridge of Downland, beyond which lies Beachy Head.

Looking across to Kingston Ridge

One of my favourite places to go is Cuckmere Haven and Seven Sisters. This area is very popular with tourists but it is also very special to locals. The meanders of the Cuckmere River are well known, and the Seven Sisters cliffs are amongst the most iconic features of Sussex, and apparently they frequently star in films as the White Cliffs of Dover!* From trips here with school to walks with my husband, I don't think I could ever grow tired of this place.

The River Cuckmere meandering towards the sea

Husband paddling in the sea at Cuckmere Haven,
near where the Seven Sisters start

A chalk horse wanders across the Downs near Cuckmere

My entire train journey to work is accompanied by the Downs zooming past, and that is where my friend's words have returned to me most as I gaze out of the window, my thoughts often a million miles away. I've been taking the time to watch the new lambs running about the fields, a sight that always lightens my heart and fills me with joy. I give a little nod of acknowledgement to the Long Man of Wilmington, a chalk figure carved out in the grass centuries ago, standing tall above the A27 and the railway line as if keeping us all in order. On the way home, on the sunnier days, I love to watch the paragliders taking off from Mount Caburn, the bright colours of the wings emphasising the blueness of the sky and the greenness of the grass.

I am thankful for the South Downs. I am thankful to live in such a beautiful part of the country. I do not want to take them for granted. I may not always live in this area and so I want to continue to enjoy them for as long as possible.

Photos my own.

PS. Sorry I don't have a picture of the lambs, the Long Man of Wilmington, or of paragliders. I hope to take some in due course!

* Sourced from Wikipedia, but I've seen pictures of them mistakenly described as the White Cliffs of Dover on many a website too!

The Colours of Autumn

We've just had a beautiful stretch of weather here in England with clear blue skies and warm temperatures. It's the hottest start to October that we've had in many many years according to the Met Office.

Whatever the facts we've been enjoying this extra spurt of summer. Yesterday was the last of the warm spell, and as my first day of freedom from the council I decided to enjoy it. My husband had taken the day off work so we took a picnic to Sheffield Park and then wandered around the landscaped gardens to admire the amazing colours of the trees at this time of year.

Our garden at home is full of Michaelmas daisies and rosehips, and yesterday the ivy was graced with red admiral butterflies and numerous honey bees. My husband spend a long time taking pictures - below are a couple of my favourites.

Our fruit and veg have come to their seasonal end, except the squashes which are a little confused by the heat and have begun to grow. We hope to harvest them before the first frost!

Photos my own.

A Wet & Wild Birthday

For my birthday this year my husband took me to the Wildlife & Wetlands Trust site in Arundel.

We travelled by train as when you have lots of time it is the least stressful option. The wetlands is a 15-20 minute walk from the station. Raindrops began to pitter patter down on us as we walked down the long tree-lined path, our shoes crunching the many golden leaves that already littered the ground. We were ravenous by the time we reached the wetlands so the first thing we did was order lunch. The cafe looks out over Swan Lake and watched as the ducks and swans swam happily around in the downpour.

What's a little rain to a duck?

Our first stop after food was to be the boat safari but the rain was proving to be unrelenting so we instead we sought shelter by the Icelandic Lake, watching ducks from Iceland - common scoters, harlequins and long tails. The ducks are from Lake Myvatn and are now an endangered species due to dredging of the lake floor for minerals, which has a had a negative effect on the lake's ecosystems. The scoters were really cool. They make a funny cooing noise before soaring through the water.

A common scoter in action!

We spent many minutes watching the ducks before heading back towards the small jetty as the rain had finally stopped. We joined seven others on a small boat along with a guide. The boats have silent motors so as not to disturb the wildlife and thus increase the chances of seeing something up close. After several minutes we spotted a water vole hurrying across the bank and then vanishing into the rushes. Further on we saw one chomping on a reed stalk. Apparently when they are eating they think you can't see them, which allows you to get fairly close as long as you are still and quiet. Sorry, I just have to say that water voles are so cute!

Ratty from Wind in the Willows enjoying lunch :)

After the boat safari we just meandered around the wetlands, stopping by various bird hides in the hope of spotting something special, and otherwise enjoying the wide variety of ducks, swans and geese from around the world. We did spot a reed warbler - such a loud little chirrup for something so diminutive! We also saw a heron being chased by some vicious herring gulls. It looked like the heron maybe had a fish in its beak, and whilst capable of getting their own fish, herring gulls prefer to steal and scavenge, and so we watched them literally 'snapping at the heels' of the poor heron as we were looking out across the Reed Bed (a Site of Special Scientific Interest). The heron eventually disappeared, the gulls swooped after it and then they flew up into the air and back in the direction they had come, demonstrably fish-less. I later learned that herons can land in trees which gulls can't, so presumably the heron managed to land somewhere in the woods and enjoy his fish in peace.

After that drama we checked out some more rare ducks from around the world before meandering through the Reed Bed keeping our eyes pealled for kingfishers. Sadly we didn't see any - their iridescent blue feathers reflect the sun making them easiest to spot on bright days, but by now the sky had blackened considerably and before long the heavens opened and the rain really really poured this time, steady and torrential, combined with strong, chilly gusts. Oh autumn...

The Reed Bed SSSI

Thankfully we soon made it back to the cafe in time for tea and cake, and then delayed our exit by visiting the gift shop. The rain had stopped and so we began our wander back to the station, enjoying the fresh autumn air for at least a few yards. But of course this is Britain and so the rain returned with an even great vengeance. And so we arrived at Arundel Station like drowned rats (or water voles, but I don't think they mind the rain...), mud-splattered, dripping and shivering. Thankfully, at Barnham Station where we had to change trains, we were able to purchase a large steaming cup of tea.

And on the way home we saw a huge rainbow, arched high above the rail track. A beautiful addition to a lovely day and a welcome sight after being drenched to the bone.

The photo doesn't do it justice, it was stunning.

We had just enough time once we were back home to dry and change before heading to our favourite Italian restaurant for an absolutely delicious three-course meal.

A day of adventure with my favourite person, admiring the beauty of God, and indulging in fantastic food. My kind of birthday :)

Photos my own.

Lightning Strikes

I wrote a blog entry a couple of years ago on my fear of thunder and lightning storms. Since then I've been fortunate enough to only experience one or two such storms. However, I got to experience the biggest one we've had in a while a couple of weeks ago. It was actually three storms, one after the other.

I am worse with storms at night, but during the day isn't great either. These were during the day when I was at work. I was surrounded by other people, which helps to an extent. I also work in the tallest building in town on top of the highest hill in town... It has lightning conductors, but so what!? Even my colleagues that do not normally delight in the same phobia as I do were scared by these storms.

From my desk I have a spectacular view across the Ouse Valley with the South Downs looming either side, Kingston Ridge to the right and Firle Beacon to the left. This view gets me through my working day - I'm reminded of the beauty of my county and the glory of God whenever I look at it, whether it rains or shines, when it is steeped in fog or when the skies are clearest blue.

So watching a storm play out across this view was one of the most amazing things I've experienced. The first storm rolled in and the thunder rumbled menacingly, growing louder and louder. We were aware of lightning, occasionally seeing a fork in the distance when we looked up from work. The second storm followed much the same. Then the third storm came crashing in and now I was completely distracted. The lightning forked out over the valley, reaching for the Downs on either side. It was stunning. It was terrifying. It was beautiful. I will always be afraid of thunder storms, but I am so glad I got to appreciate one in this way, to witness the beauty and the terror combined whilst in relative safety. I am now facing the challenge of putting what I saw into words - I want to try with poetry, which is most certainly not my strongest form of writing, but that awe-inspiring sight keeps conjuring up images, words, and feelings in my brain that must be put on paper...

I should probably admit that I was distracted from work for a good hour - a combination of fear and excitement, and then ultimate distraction with the light show. But, I also kept checking out this awesome website where you can track a storm's progression in most of the UK and northern France. It's a storm chaser's dream. And, if you're like me, brontophobia does turn you into a little (desk-based) storm chaser, because there's nothing like scaring yourself that you're phobia is on it's way...