At the beginning of July I had Covid and was stuck at home for a couple of weeks – a common situation for many people. The major after-effects for me were a loss of muscle tone and stamina which was a bit of a problem since I have Walkfest coming up shortly and am normally a regular walker. So, whenever I’ve had the time, I’ve tried to get out locally and do short (about 4 mile) walks to get me back into condition. This really has been “Walking for Health”.
I’m lucky! I have the land surrounding West Horsley Place plus the Sheepleas as off-road walking country that I can get to on foot. Recently, I’ve been discovering more and more permissive paths amongst the fields and woodlands behind West Horsley Place and watching the landscape change as the hot weather has arrived - activities which we can all do wherever we walk.
A few days ago, our Walkfest Chairman mentioned that she had heard an item on BBC Surrey about a sunflower field at West Horsley Place and asked if I’d seen it. I was a bit bemused because with all my walking I hadn’t come across it – so I went looking! The clue to my not knowing about it was that I always walk BEHIND the buildings and rarely walk down the tarmac track to the main road. The sunflowers are in a field beside this incoming track from the road – and well worth seeking out. Thank you to West Horsley Place, BBC Surrey and our Chairman for pointing out what I was missing.
The moral here is that there is always something new and interesting to discover by varying where one walks. The dateline also makes a difference. These sunflowers are already at peak bloom and with the hot weather, rapidly going over. Similarly, as the image below shows, a normally routine section of footpath nearby has become a sea of thistledown for a short time.
By the time we get to Walkfest – which is less that three weeks away now - both of these sights will probably have disappeared. But I can guarantee that other short lived (or unexpected) features will appear so that our walks will always have a “Wow” factor of some sort.
Now is the time to check the Walkfest programme, book your places, mark your diaries and prepare for another wonderful September of exploration, enjoyment (and “Wow” moments) as you participate in our walks around the Borough.
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