Wednesday, March 05, 2014
Forest Row, Brambletye House and mud.
The sun was shining - almost warm today.
We just had to take advantage of the weather and get out into the countryside.
I had planned a short walk, reasonably close to home.
It wasn't really far - but it was hard work! The mud made it difficult and we older people are not so good at the many styles we encountered.
The walk began easily on The Forest Way.
This is a 10 mile footpath from East Grinstead to Groombridge on the bed of the old steam railway.
We joined it at Forest Row.
Easy walking in the forest, under the catkins.
I was thinking how good it felt to be out on such a sunny day, exploring somewhere completely new.
And then recalled that I had been there before - very many years ago on the steam trains, when we visited my grandparents in Tunbridge Wells.
The trains must have chuffed through Brambletye crossing - where a lane crosses the track.
We turned left on to the lane.
Brambletye House was built in 1631.
It has been a ruin for much of its life.
It is thought that the house was abandoned by its owner, Sir James Richard, in the 1680's, when he fled the country (to Spain) under suspicion of treason.
We then left the lane and turned left onto a country foot path.......a very muddy country footpath!
Fun to paddle in my wellington boots.
My man didn't want to go paddling!
Old stone bridge.
The main river that flows through Forest Row is The Medway.
I assume this is it.
So, another link with family......the Medway continues to Tonbridge, home of my other grandparents.
Burnthouse Farm.
And one of the old barns.
Very pleasing shape - an old tractor type seat.
Brambletye House from the farm.
Soon we were relaxing in The Chequers in Forest Row with a half pint of something refreshing.
The Chequers was built in 1482.
So the stage coach on the pub sign doesn't really fit in - having arrived on the scene about 350 years later.
But, for sure, The Chequers was a Victorian coachin inn.
We just had to take advantage of the weather and get out into the countryside.
I had planned a short walk, reasonably close to home.
It wasn't really far - but it was hard work! The mud made it difficult and we older people are not so good at the many styles we encountered.
The walk began easily on The Forest Way.
This is a 10 mile footpath from East Grinstead to Groombridge on the bed of the old steam railway.
We joined it at Forest Row.
Easy walking in the forest, under the catkins.
I was thinking how good it felt to be out on such a sunny day, exploring somewhere completely new.
And then recalled that I had been there before - very many years ago on the steam trains, when we visited my grandparents in Tunbridge Wells.
The trains must have chuffed through Brambletye crossing - where a lane crosses the track.
We turned left on to the lane.
Brambletye House was built in 1631.
It has been a ruin for much of its life.
It is thought that the house was abandoned by its owner, Sir James Richard, in the 1680's, when he fled the country (to Spain) under suspicion of treason.
We then left the lane and turned left onto a country foot path.......a very muddy country footpath!
Fun to paddle in my wellington boots.
Old stone bridge.
The main river that flows through Forest Row is The Medway.
I assume this is it.
So, another link with family......the Medway continues to Tonbridge, home of my other grandparents.
Burnthouse Farm.
And one of the old barns.
Very pleasing shape - an old tractor type seat.
Brambletye House from the farm.
So the stage coach on the pub sign doesn't really fit in - having arrived on the scene about 350 years later.
But, for sure, The Chequers was a Victorian coachin inn.
