The
walk out of Inkpen ascends Inkpen Hill to join the start of the Test Way, a
route that has sufficient waymarks to lull one into complacency. I was lulled
several times, once into a wrong turn that cost 40 minutes of time and lost
about 150 feet of elevation that needed to be regained. But all in all it was a
beautiful walking day, with the trail passing through meadows and pastures, through fields of blue-flowering flax,
over hills and into dark and spooky woods.
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| Inkpen Hill |
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| View from Inkpen Hill |
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| Barn near Linkenholt |
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| House in Linkenholt |
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| Field of flax |
Despite
passing through a couple of very quiet towns, I saw nobody the entire day –
unless you count horses, cows, sheep and pigs. The horses seemed particularly
interested in me, but I’m not surprised.
In
St. Mary Bourne, I met Colin and Jon, who were re-thatching a home. Jon explained
that the sheives of thatch (I think that was the word he used) are layered on
the roof like tiles, and held in place by a clothespin shaped reed. A thatch roof
lasts about 25 years. Jon’s and Colin’s roof thatching business has been in the
family since 1889.
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| Colin |
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| Jon |
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| Home in St. Mary Bourne |
© 2014 Ken Klug
I really like your pics these last two days. Can't beat the English countryside and villages. Is the weather treating you ok?
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful day to be wandering through the fields, just love that house. That is basically how they thatched the roofs at home too. Not doing as much now because of the cyclones.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your walk.