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| Red Wood field... |
Following the Cuxton parish boundary over the road from Warren Gate Lodge took me across the finely-ploughed Red Wood Field. The plough has thrown up a heavy covering of flints. I don't know if the "Silverhand Estate" plans to put this field under vines but if so, it will be interesting to see if these flints pose a problem to the vine-planting machinery.
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| Looking east down the valley from Backendon Hill... |
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| Backendon Hill - common fumitory |
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| Looking west from the top of Great Lumford Field... |
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| Looking east down the valley from Half Acre path |
Curiously, the sign on Warren Road that indicates this public footpath leading to Upper Bush seems to have gone missing...
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| Forge Cottage, Lower Bush... |
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| Cottage gardens, Lower Bush... |
Sadly, the
"boast post" put up by Vineyard Farms on the North Downs Way where it meets Bush Road has been vandalised: the information sheet once attached to it has now been torn off. That's a poor show. Whatever your opinion of Vineyard Farms, there is no excuse for damaging their property. As a community, we can hardly be censorious of their activities if one or two members of it are going to behave like that...
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| Vandalised "Silverhand Estate" post, at the junction of the North Downs Way and Bush Road... |
I have seen three other posts of the same design around the vineyard, which mercifully have remained undamaged to date. Personally, I find these wooden posts quite informative, although perhaps in ways not intended by their owner. They should be left alone.
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| Lower Bush cottages from the North Downs Way, through Pig Field... |
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| High Birch, Upper Bush, lavender in bloom... |
By accident or design (the latter I think) the bare chalk patches in Bush Valley have given way to a welcome and rather spectacular covering of yellow rape...
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| North Ride Hill, Bush Valley... |
Across the east to the other side of the valley, a large pile of flints has been dumped on top of Barrow Hill. This is a popular viewpoint across Bush Valley and it is a shame that someone has tried to spoil it. Perhaps the thinking behind this otherwise seemingly pointless piece of mischief is that this is where Lord Foster's vainglorious
billionaire's folly is going to be built, so get used to the area being covered in stone and spoil...
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| Fly-tipped flints on Barrow Hill... |
In the spirit of "lemons/lemonade", I simply climbed on top of the flint pile, and found that it gave me an improved view of the valley...
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| Bush Valley, looking west from Barrow Hill... |
I also found a rather nice fossilised Sea Urchin on the flint pile. Which, of course, I left there...
