Wild Orchids in the Chiltern Hills

Jane Rosoux reports:

This Hampstead group walk was led by Joe Garver on Sunday the 20th of June.



[Joe is centre, with stick].

"There were only nine of us on the walk but those who were put off by the engineering works, which affected both the Metropolitan Line and Chiltern Railways, missed a delighful 11 mile walk.

"We had good views, pretty villages and plenty of orchids and other wild flowers, not to mention a Roman snail, a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly and a Five-Spot Burnet moth.









"The walk included a half hour lunch stop at 'The Red Lion', Whiteleaf village".

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Balcombe Circular

Jane reports from Wednesday's 12 mile circular walk led by Pat Hully...

"A party of seven of us enjoyed a walk through very attractive countryside and the many wild flowers we saw even included some early orchids...




as well as dandelions, bugles...



blubells and wild garlic...



Our morning route followed quiet footpaths past Little and Great Strudgate Farms and Chiddingly Farm to the picturesque village of West Hoathly for lunch.





We then followed the High Weald Landscape Trail to the eastern shore of Ardingly Reservoir where a flotilla of sailing dinghies added dashes of colour to the revervoir's waters....





Upon reaching Balcombe Mill we had a short, sharp climb out of the valley and found ourselves back at Balcombe Station all too soon."

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