Large, attractive gardens with some wonderful, tall trees.
Wakehurst, Sussex
Dapdune Wharf
A train to Guildford and a 15 minute walk took me to Dapdune Wharf, a modest National Trust site on the River Wey. My purpose was to investigate the second-hand bookshop, which I can now recommend and which proved successful. I went inside the large barge wearing one of the hard-hats provided – absolutely essential for all six-footers! There’s also a very decent cafe. It was a lovely few hours spent in the bookshop, pottering around and having a cafe sandwich lunch. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/river-wey-and-godalming-navigations-and-dapdune-wharf
The first two images were taken on the walk from the station to the Wharf and show the River Wey as it passes through the centre of Guildford.
Polesden Lacey
It was raining when we set off for Polesden Lacey and it was raining more persistently when we arrived, but after a cake and coffee the rain gave way to sunshine. A walk around the fabulous grounds and a visit to the the second-hand bookshop (it was closed!) and we were ready to leave, just as cars were piling in for the afternoon open-air jazz concert. All pictures were taken with an inferior iPhone camera.
Nymans, West Sussex
On a lovely sunny day (at last!) we spent a couple of hours strolling around the beautiful gardens of Nymans in West Sussex, part of the National Trust. The house isn’t much, part house part ruin, but the gardens are lovely and there’s a small but very decent second-hand bookshop. We were also much impressed by the friendliness of the staff and volunteers.
And from the second-hand bookshop…..
Worthing & Steyning
A mixture of cloud and blue sky on our short visit to Worthing was just right for sitting on the beach with a sandwich and for admiring the huge offshore wind farm out at sea (119 turbines!). Afterwards, we made the short drive to the pretty village of Steyning for cake and a pot of loose leaf tea, and where we admired the presence of an independent bookshop and a musician’s shop-front.
Arundel and Bognor, by train
From the train, on a day trip to the seaside (Bognor), I took this iPhone picture of Arundel, where we broke our journey for a brief visit. Arundel is a lovely, small town on a steep hill, though it’s difficult to take decent pictures that don’t include loads of parked cars.
Chartwell, Kent
Chartwell, Kent
Chartwell, home of Winston Churchill, has beautiful gardens and an interesting house, and makes for a lovely day out.
Kew Gardens
Ely, Cambridgeshire
A day trip by train to Ely.
There is a cathedral, too.
Green sea at Eastbourne
A day trip by train to the seaside. The sea was Lake Louise green.
The Itchen Way walk – stage 4
The fourth and final stage of the 4-stage walk along the Itchen Way was around 8 miles and took a little under 4 hours. Starting at Itchen Stoke, where the third stage finished, it ended at the tiny village of Cheriton. On a generally warm and sunny day the best bit of the walk was at the very start, where the river was present and the sun was out. After that there was not much of the river to be seen until the trickle at the very source of the river.
This is a part of Hampshire I’m unfamiliar with. It is absolutely beautiful, with lots of thatched cottages and tiny villages. The 67 bus from Winchester, towards Petersfield via Alresford, is a real joy if you can get to the front seat on the top deck!
Possibly the source of the River Itchen
Day trip Southampton to Cowes on the Isle of Wight
A trip for the ferry ride.
Camera images on the way but then the lens mechanism jammed and the iPhone camera took over (but not in raw format – my mistake).
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things change 