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17 Impressions from a short walk in the our sector (October) 17

18 The walk: From High Cross Church, into Ivyhouse Lane, Privett Road, Bluebell Lane, left at end, left into Ivyhouse Lane past Ivyhouse Farm, back to High Cross. Ivyhouse Lane X-roads at junction with High Cross Lane and Stoney Lane, freshly trimmed field hedges, downhill past an acre given over to native trees and wildlife. Arable on the other side of the lane. Up Privett Road along the boundary of J. E. s organic farm. A stand of oak trees near maturity (in Sussex it would be called a shaw). Altitude here is about 600 feet. Gulls are walking in newly-rolled field. Mixed hedgerows: hazel, field maple, dog rose, elder, hawthorn, bracken, honeysuckle, with taller ash and birch behind. On the other side, much of the hedge has disappeared, smothered by bracken after years of short-back-and-sides cutting. Towards abandoned hazel coppice called Stephen s Copse. This is covered in bluebells in season. Feel sad that coppicing has died out in the area. Turn right down track feels ancient and secretive here. Complete change of surroundings, lane overhung with small and larger trees, very wide lane boundaries (why?). Flinty track. Grass field one side, J. E s failed maize the other. Few bits of late pink campion in bloom, downhill to bottom. Ancient deep earthwork, a large pit I guess, with an impressive badger s sett. Here is wild cherry, goat willow, horse chestnut, birch, ash, sycamore, oak and many others. Lichen everywhere. Lots of rotting wood, good for the food chain. Ferns, brambles and many fungi as the lane rises again. J s timber dump on left, with piles of wood chips too. The sounds are a jet aircraft, distant farm machinery. Otherwise just wind and birds no traffic. The air smells clean. Right into lane towards Ivyhouse Farm. The patchwork of copses and small fields is very obvious here. Pleasant view to the north, with J s cattle in a distant field. Lily of the valley on lane s edge, old man s beard in the hedge. A fenced copse, pheasant enclosure perhaps. Ivyhouse Farm opposite has a studied undeveloped air. It s a weekend house now. The barn conversion is sympathetic. There has been an attempt to restore the old cart pond, with only partial success. The are some bits of ancient ecclestiastical stonework on the grass verge, from the old Froxfield church perhaps. Into woodland. Ivyhouse Lane here is tree-lined, with steep banks in places. Fallen trees from storms are still alive, with roots in the air. Large very deep earthwork on the south side, reputed to be defensive. A pit on the north side. This part of Ivyhouse Lane has been identified as important ecologically, with many ancient woodland indicator species on the verges. It s worrying because there is so little of them left due to damage caused by heavy vehicles. In places the edges have been eroded by 2 metres total. The large earthwork is sometimes used for bike trialling. Undergrowth is sparse as a result. Here is an old dead tree trunk which has been used for years by nesting woodpeckers. It s so rotten now they have abandoned it. One of my favourite plants in the spring on this stretch is the buttercup called Goldilocks. Shaggy parasol mushrooms make good eating they grow here too. The road winds steeply through the earthworks. There are hundreds of spiders here today. 18

19 Back across Privett Road and up towards High Cross. I cut across the patch of land that is encouraged to grow wild. Trees, originally planted on purpose but now spreading, are oak, ash, scots pine, field maple, guelder rose, wayfaring, spindle, birch, horse chestnut, wild cherry, grey alder, beech, mountain ash. Many wild flowers, not flowering now, including common spotted orchid which appeared by themselves out of what had been arable land. The pond has lots of the usual pondy things. Birds seen on this walk included herring gull, crow, rook, robin, blackbird, kestrel, starling, blue tit, great tit, coal tit, goldfinch, dunnock, house sparrow. Human activity: van (parked), 1; dog walker, 1. 19