Explore the Western Weald this summer!
June 11, 2024
Avid walker Malinka van der Gaauw, who founded Petersfield Walking Festival, writes about a new opportunity to explore a lesser known section of the National Park.
Enjoy walking and learning about the nature and landscape around you? Well, why not come and explore the Western Weald this summer with a Rural Strides’ Western Weald Wednesday Walk. Whether you are a walker or wanderer I warrant that a walk around the Western Weald will be worth your while!
On Wednesdays (mostly) throughout the summer, from June to mid-September, you can take your pick of leisurely, guided walks to explore and better understand the Western Weald’s unique landscape, history and general splendour. The walks programme includes:
- Walk The Chalk – there is much more to this soft white substance than meets the eye
- The Flintstones – never look at a piece of flint or flint wall the same way again
- Dead to Yew – learn about the ‘Hampshire Weed’s’ connection with churchyards
- Up The Garden Path – a chance to not only explore Woolbeding Gardens, but also to experience it within the local landscape
Some of the walks will be starting from the South Downs Centre, in Midhurst.
Wondering where to find the Western Weald? Well, it is the area at the western end of the National Park, where chalk meets trees and Sussex meets Hampshire and Surrey. It’s a term used to describe an area unified by nature rather than marked by administrative boundary. Being the bulbous end of the national park, it comprises much more than just the prominent chalk ridge. The inclusion of the Weald provides that extra dimension and complexity to the landscape, not found elsewhere in the National Park.