Flying high from Chelsham

On 7 June fourteen walkers, including debutante Jackie Farrant, gathered at The Bull on Chelsham Common on a glorious sunny afternoon. After a stretch through flat fields we crossed Limpsfield Road and reached Nore Hill with its stunning vistas across to Woldingham.

The fourteen take R&R at golf club

During the descent we were entertained by the Green Dragons Hang Gliding club in the adjacent Hoving's Hollow, causing former glider pilot Polly to reminisce about his days looping the loop and defying the ground.

Defying the ground  - hang-gliders at Hoving's Hollow

At the foot of the hill, Dave the Navigator offered a safer path along a farm track, rather than braving the traffic on the narrow country lane. It transpired that an angry farmer driving his ginormous harvester, followed by a barbed-wire gate, proved more hazardous.

Some began to wilt in the stifling heat during the trudge up Slines Oak Road, but then came an enjoyable traverse through the Long Hill nature reserve and Woldingham Garden Village before a steep descent to the golf club.

The group needed to rehydrate with a pint or two before the final climb back up to The Bull and dinner. The exhausted walkers still had the energy to entertain with songs the enthusiastic beer garden audience (of one).