Upper Bush...

The sterile monoculture of the vineyard and the swathes of bare chalk are sadly all too evident in once was once the verdant farmland of Upper Bush valley...

Some areas have not been deep-ploughed, fortunately, allowing some colour to develop...

Lower Bush...

Some wildflowers cling on at the edges of the woodlands...

Bugle...

Germander Speedwell

Doves Foot Cranesbill

Small Tortoiseshell...

White Deadnettle...

Viburnum (Wayfaring tree)...

 

Wildflowers in Mays Wood...

Woodruff..

...as above...

Ramsons (Wild Garlic) and Bluebells...

Ramsons..

Unfortunately I have seen idiots digging these up, expecting to find garlic bulbs as if they were in a branch of Tesco. Digging up any wild plant is, of course, illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, but pointing out the folly of some "foragers" only gets you a volley of self-entitled, child-like abuse these days...

To Luddesdown...

 A walk to Luddesdown to see if anything is actually growing in the new "vineyard"...

Looking east from the top of Bavins Shaw...

Conifer planation, Bushy Wood...

View towards Luddesdown Church from Wrenches Shaw...

View towards Cobham Church from Wrenches Shaw...

Nearly two years on and the patches of bare chalk dredged up by the deep ploughing still look sterile, with not even vines growing in some areas. It may be a bit early given the cold spring, but the vines look stunted or otherwise just absent. It certainly doesn't look like a vineyard that will be yielding a substantial crop of grapes next year, as originally promised...

View up the hill from Cutter Ridge Road...

The church and Court Lodge...

Luddesdown churchyard...

Luddesdown church - look like I just missed the blossom...

Forget-Me-Nots

Oak, Warren Road/Cobhambury Road junction...

Towards Cuxton from the edge of Red Wood, looking east.  Enjoy before it gets "vined over"...

Buttercups and Orchids...

A walk out to Ranscombe to check on a patch of Early Purple orchids, and I was pleased to see that they had come up again this year...

Buttercups at St. Michaels

Early Purple Orchids...

...as above...

Cuxton/Cobham border, Hornbeams at Broad Oak Wood...

Nether Bottoms (Southern Field, Ranscombe)...

Short walk to Brockles via Lower Bush...

 I never get tired of the seasonal changes to the otherwise familiar landscape...

Cow Parsley on Bush Road...

Lower Bush...

The access road to the pumping station at Lower |Bush - trees in blossom

Brockles, looking south-west from Terry Sutton's memorial bench...

Upper Bush from Brockles...

Upper Bush from Mill Hill...

Bluebells in Wingate Wood...

The cold, wet April weather has slowed spring down, making the show of bluebells about three weeks later than usual...

The western end of Wingate Wood..

The ruins of "Stoneyfield House", an old gamekeepers cottage...

White Pit...

Some views from around the area of White Pit, the old Hilton and Anderson chalk quarry in Upper Halling...

View from the top of the Warren...

View from the top of White Pit...

View from the top of White Pit...

Pylon...

From inside White Pit...

Pring's Cottage...

Grey Pit Lake (no, sorry, I am not going to use its swanky new name...)

Primroses at Warren House...