A Little Hiking

26 Aug 2016 57 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: , , , , , , , ,

A couple of weeks back, we went on a little family hike around a local country park, Shorne Woods Country Park.

The park was once part of the Cobham Hall estate, before being passed on to the local council for use as a country park. There is even an old clay pit which is being reclaimed by nature now!

It’s a wonderful space, full of nature. From wildlife to plants, trees to fishing lakes, there is a lot to see. There are walking trails laid out, from the easy to proper hiking trails, bicycle paths and dog walking areas. You can ride a horse along certain trails, and there is even disabled access, and trails suitable for mobility scooters.

There is a fragrant sensory garden which is neighboured by a small pond that is used for pond dipping.

All around are beautiful wild flowers growing, encouraging the minibeasts to do what they do best, and pollinate! There are many breeds of dragonfly that were endangered, but are breeding well here!

As you walk around, you go through dense forest, as well as large greens. There are quite a few ‘dead’ trees too. Each one looks so intriguing. The kids managed to climb up a few too!

One of my favourite parts of Shorne Woods Country Park is the Fairie Ring. There is a staircase carved into one of the declines, that is around 140 steps down. Note the sign requests no cycling… as if lol!

It is a beautiful little clearing in a glen that we come to where there is a circle of wooden carved tree trunk seats that have been placed there. I have tried looking for the history behind this ring but couldn’t find anything!

And I think that my favourite sign has to be this…

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To climb back up, via the staircase, the way is signposted as Cardiac Hill! And I tell you what, on a warm day, it can feel like you’re going to suffer a heart attack going up!

Another little nugget of history is the Rhododendron Walk, where couples used to come for romantic walks, or rather carriage rides amongst the Rhododendron Bushes! As they started to overtake the woodlands, the Rhododendrons are no longer there, but you can see the carriage pathway.

We spent a few hours there, walking our own trails, hopping from one to another, and there are also children’s play areas set up too, with various activities for the more traditional ‘park’ enthusiasts, with slides, and swings, and climbing frames.

During school time the park also hosts Forest School sessions where children are allowed to learn in nature. They get shown different plants and fungi, taught what is safe, and what is not, then there is a huge clearing which has been furnished with all manner of sticks and logs, and they children can climb and den build. At the end, they have a campfire, and drink hot chocolate, and even toast marshmallows!

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A hand holding a flint tool, which is an homage to Stone Age flint tools that were also found there.

There is a great Eco-friendly Visitor centre there, with cafe and shop, several ice cream places dotted around too! But it is fun to make yourself a picnic and eat out in the open on a beautiful day!

It is a truly great place to visit, with or without kids!

57 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. mywanderwhy
    Jan 09, 2017 @ 20:17:04

    I love this. Would you take a second to look at my blog and let me know your thoughts 🙂 it would be greatly appreciated! Trying to get my works out there!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  2. Trackback: Haiku Hub Floating Challenge #1 – Heritage – A Round Up! | But I Smile Anyway...

  3. Judy Martin
    Aug 28, 2016 @ 21:20:48

    Sounds a great place to visit Sis. Educational as well as beautiful. love the faerie ring 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Ann GrubbsnCritters
    Aug 28, 2016 @ 13:50:29

    Heheeeee… Cardiac Hill. I’m sure there’s a reason for the name! 😜

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. joey
    Aug 27, 2016 @ 19:53:50

    Oh that’s a gorgeous place!
    Lovely photos, Ritu 🙂

    One of the places we like to hike has very bad signage and directions, but now we know better. Our first trip up, we had two little kids and a dog, so we chose Moderate trails. Uh. I wouldn’t call them moderate. lol Many many steps. Phew!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Sue Vincent
    Aug 27, 2016 @ 15:05:45

    It looks gorgeous. I looked it up online after you had mentioned it, intriued by the name. The local villages here form part of the Schorne parishes, named for Sir John Schore who was rector at North Marston in the early 1300s… and associated with a miraculous healing well that is still there and with conjouring the devil into a boot! https://scvincent.com/2015/04/06/dear-don-xxiii/

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. Erika Kind
    Aug 27, 2016 @ 13:44:38

    Ha!!! And you changed your theme!! YAY!!! Very cool!!! What theme did you choose? It looks wonderful and I love the neutral background!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. Erika Kind
    Aug 27, 2016 @ 13:43:22

    That is a beautiful park and I love the idea of the Rhododendron path. Such a shame it is not the same anymore! Thanks for sharing, Sis!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. jlfatgcs
    Aug 27, 2016 @ 12:31:19

    Beautiful photos! What a lovely place.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. Chris White
    Aug 27, 2016 @ 10:58:10

    Sounds and lookslovely. Cardiac Hill though …. how quaint.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. kphoenix1
    Aug 27, 2016 @ 03:57:28

    Amazing photos! Looks like something out of a movie. Beautiful.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. susieshy45
    Aug 27, 2016 @ 03:23:19

    Ritu,
    Love the new design of your blog !
    And also the descriptions of this new place- new to me.
    Keep sharing !
    I can understand how you are losing all the weight this summer- hiking and biking.
    Susie

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Ritu
      Aug 27, 2016 @ 08:57:44

      Thank you Susie! I felt it was time for a change!
      Yes, I’m trying to be more physical this summer, hopefully it’ll rub off on my normal school life too!!!
      Shorne is a wonderful park 😊

      Like

      Reply

  13. The Poetry Channel
    Aug 26, 2016 @ 22:13:58

    Looks like a great place to enjoy nature and art. I would disagree about the kids part 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. Southern by Design
    Aug 26, 2016 @ 21:51:55

    Some very stunning photos! Looks like an amazing place.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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