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Firstly, apologies that I haven't been around as much the last couple of weeks. Regular followers will know I've moved into a new house, what you may not know is that the new house is actually a pretty old house! Indeed, it's a pretty old house in need of lots of TLC. I've had some of my larger items of furniture in storage whilst I carry out the interior work, but it comes out of storage at the end of the month (plus Christmas is knocking at the door) so I've had to take the bull by the horns and crack on with getting everything done.
I'm up to my elbows in decorating/tiling, floor sanding/varnishing .. it never seems to end! lol. My days are spent working and my nights working on the house, but I'm told it will be worth it in the end. It's really frustrating for me as I love writing and immersing myself in a sea of words. Although I do have a couple of longer posts briefly fleshed out, plus until I'm back up to speed I'm going to try and get some shorter works together.
I haven't been able to get out much recently but over the summer I managed to take some time out and pop back home to see some friends and family. I say home but in reality, my home is now about 300 miles away. That said, this is where I grew up and my roots run deep in this area and so it will always hold a special place in my heart. Whilst I was back I managed to enjoy a couple of nice walks so I thought I'd take a few pictures. Although, I was experiencing a serious case of verbal diarrhea so I didn't grab as many as I may have liked.
My first walk was within the South Downs, which is Britains most recent addition to its national park network. The South Downs park covers over 1600 km of beautiful rolling hills, chalk downland, hidden woodlands, and rare plant species. The park is also found with the busy south-east of England, and so with urban creep and an expanding road network never has an area warranted (indeed needed) such protection. That said there are many regions within this national park that exude a timeless charm, areas where the song of birds and gentle pull of the summer breeze are your only company.
I have spent many a day wandering these hills, losing myself in their tranquility and beauty and at one with the cycle of life. Along the spine of the South Downs ridge (as seen in my title picture) runs the 100 miles long South Downs way, and it's a walk that comes highly recommended. The next couple of pictures are not mine but I wanted to give an idea of the contrasting landscapes that can be found on the trail.
I just love the contoured look of these hills, they are just so uniquely and breathtakingly beautiful. The north downs in Surrey run parallel to these hills and although their landscape is more one of woods and heathlands I equally feel that they are deserved of national park status. Indeed, an army of protesters (who have spent months living underground and in trees) have recently managed to overturn a fracking application at the beautiful Leith Hill, an site that was already afforded the protected status of an area of outstanding natural beauty! Sadly, following a fall one of the protesters died .. but his death was not in vain.
Into The Dark Woods
So my next walk was into the heart of an ancient forest, first we climbed up through the plantation and then into the deciduous woodland.
This ancient woodland has many myths and legends woven into its long and mysterious history. When walking through its sun-kissed leafy glades I would often ponder what tales its mighty oaks could tell. Indeed, the name of the forest is derived from the 16th-century hermit that used to live there, St Leonard. There are numerous legends of dragons residing within the forest and a local village is aptly named Dragons Green.
Following a fierce battle with one such beast, the dragon lay slain and the blood of the injured St Leonard spilled upon the ground. As the blood stained the forest floor white lilies were said to have sprouted from the lifeblood of the saint, to this day these lilies still grow and flower. Alas today I wasn't in this area of the forest so I couldn't take a picture of the lilypads, but I did find a dragon!
For the south-east this forest is a really nice size and you can spend a good day walking along it's myriad of paths and tracks and staying far away from any roads. When I lived in the area this was one of my goto places to get away from it all, I spent many a day here during my formative years and I still have a mind map of every path in the entire forest.
Much of that time was spent playing on the rope swing that hangs from this majestic old tree. But remember, the first rule of the rope swing is that dogs don't like you swinging on the rope swing!
And the second rule of the rope swing is that dogs don't like the rope swing!! :D
I just love this old tree, and there is a part of me intertwined with it's every branch, leaf and gnarled, knotted writhing mass of roots. It was sitting under this tree in a summer storm that I developed some of my ideas on self-similarity. As the lightning streaked across the sky and chased away the darkness of night, the tree became illuminated. In that instance, I began to notice the similarities between the chaotic structure of both the roots and the lightning. From that moment I began to research and understand the validity of that initial assumption.
The track in front of you is known locally as Mick Miles race. It is told that Michael Miles was a local smuggler and that one-day the devil appeared and demanded his soul as payment for his crimes, unknown to Old Nick, Mick was an exceptionally fast runner and thus won the race and kept his soul. To this day no trees encroach upon this track and ghost hunters can often be found camping alongside it. Indeed a recent TV series (True Horror) focused upon the forest and you can find the programme here.
So after briefly sating my hunger to walk these paths again, it's time for another couple of pictures and then it's time to head home. Next time I'll be sure to take a longer walk and take some more pictures until then I'd like to say thank you for joining this #walkwithme.
Written by perceptualflaws
Banner Gifs courtesy of @justcallmemyth
Great pics as always my friend.
Doing up an old gaff can be a lot of work, my place was built in 1852 and while solid as a rock it took a shit load of hard work getting it up to scratch when I first bought it. It’s funny how jobs that look like a few days work quickly turn into weeks
It’s totally worth it once you’re done though however it’s never really ever finished on an old place, there is always something that needs doing.
I took the decision about 10 years ago to knock decorating/tiling on the head and get a man in as I fucking hate it and besides it was cheaper for me to pay someone else to do it rather than take time off work.....
Also, I live with a ‘back seat’ decorator!
The joys of getting older I guess is sitting back and watching some other mug graft on maintaining your house 😂
Anyway buddy good luck with the work and if you need any help call me, I know tradesmen all over the place 😂😂😂😂
Ha thanks dude .. and yeah, case in point I fell asleep on the sofa after posting this and woke up at about three in the morning lol My Dad is a builder (sadly he is busy at the moment) so I should have known not to underestimate it .. especially as I spent half my life living in a building site lol A builders work is never done :D
I would love to hire someone in but its a pretty big old place and it would end up costing me thousands and unfortunately I just can't afford it at the moment .. otherwise I'd be very much along your line of thinking. lol Thanks again dude, good to hear from you!
thank you for that walk, so many great photos, the coast line is so beautiful and then that mist on the hills really is something. I would love to get to follow in your footsteps and then That Majestic Tree, wow how I would love to sit with it for a while, to let my feet touch the soil and rest my back against the trunk, I think I could happily spend a lot of time with that true elder.
You really are swamped under with work, just remember to take time each day for you xxx
Hey @trucklife-family thank you for stopping by and I'm glad you enjoyed the walk :) I haven't lived in the area for about fifteen years now .. but I so many memories tied up with my friends, places and indeed in these walks that I always try to make it back as much as possible. There are some beautiful places in the downs, and yes I just love that old tree .. if trees could talk. :)
Thank you, at the moment my time is when I take the dogs for a walk and I'm really grateful for that .. but I'm looking forward to when I can get back out for some proper hikes. Thanks again my friend.
That looks like the tree in GOT!
I feel your pain...I've gutted and reno'd many homes in my life (even if I didn't own them).
Nothing quite like looking at that nice shiny new varnish on the floors...
If you're like me this work comes with lots of ice and heat!
Ha thanks dude .. and yeah it does eh? :) My Dad is a builder and I grew up on never finished building site .. so I should have known better than to underestimate it lol The nice shiny floors still seem far away .. but looking forward to the day when I can see my reflection in them :)
Great shots. I'll definitely keep an eye out for more shots from a future nature walk
Thank you @empress-eremmy really glad you enjoyed the walk and shots .. thank you for stopping by :)
Now THAT is a walk with me! I feel like I just went on the trip with you from the grandeur of some of those shots. The one with the valley that seems to be holding the haze and frost while the top if sunny is unbelievable. Dragons and dogs and swings oh my!
Good luck with the renos. Maybe you can post some @memesteemit style reno shots!
Thank you my friend, I'm glad you enjoyed the walk .. it was a beautiful couple of days! On the reno front, if the world of steemit saw some of my current efforts .. it might slot nicely in the comedy section lol But yes, in all seriousness .. that's a great idea, I may take some interior shots and show you all what I'm up against .. at the moment I think I'd rather battle a dragon! :D
Looks beautiful and untouched still, unlike the post I just wrote and you voted on.
I guess I am still very much scarred from the UK. It has left a nasty taste in my mouth, for obvious reasons.
Good luck with the house, hope it all works out Okay, you deserve it, and looking forward to your new posts soon my old friend.
Hey my friend, yes I bookmarked your post and then promptly fell asleep on the sofa lol .. but I did have a brief read through and will be back to read fully and comment tonight. Yeah, the reason I moved out of the South East was because it began to feel like an ever-tightening noose. When I drive back, the nearer I get I can begin to feel the stress levels building and this manifests itself in peoples driving style etc etc. That said, it's fairly easy to guess where people go and so the vast majority of my walks in the countryside are spent within isolated and remote areas .. the path less trod. Even in the south-east I can walk all day and not see a soul. But yes I do understand what you're saying, that's the reason I'm tucked away in the middle of nowhere .. it's a very different life down here. Thanks again dude!
You must have been tired from all that grafting. :-)
Yes the driving and traffic is also a factor in why we left. As I used to spend a few hours each way to work and back. And not seen a real traffic jam since I left France to be fair, as when I lived in Spain for 6 months in Andulucia it was dead as a door nail on the roads, siestas and all that.
Sounds like you live in the ideal place for now, hope you do not get invaded any time soon.
Aw, you always make me feel homesick for England, you know that! J is pretty familiar with the south downs, used to walk there alot. Such beautiful photos. Love how England has so many stories written it its stones, it's fields, it's trees and paths. xxx Thanks so much for sharing, you could probably just tag me in all your #walkwithme posts because I love them!
Hey @riverflows .. hope you're well my friend. Yes there are some stunning landscapes in the downs, there also used to be lots of parties around the downland of Brighton :D I love the history of England, faint whispers on the wind. Thank you .. really glad you enjoyed my walk. :)
Oh yes he was part of those parties that's for sure. I always love your walks comma and if you are ever thinking should I go for a walk or not? You just need to say well river flows would say yes so I better get out there. Xx
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