Rural Strides

Rural Strides Sharing the secrets of the Western Weald through walks. Pure escapism…. just one hour from London

Sometimes the outside of a church is just as interesting as the inside. These white stones are essentially stalactites o...
25/02/2026

Sometimes the outside of a church is just as interesting as the inside. These white stones are essentially stalactites or stalagmites! Their proper name is Tufa & it’s found in just a few places in the Weald along the spring line.

Tufa forms when groundwater deposits calcium carbonate. So, rain falls on the South Downs seeps through the chalk, dissolves carbonate, then re-emerges at the spring-line where it precipitates out of solution.

Look carefully and you’ll also spot oyster shells in the mortar. They were used because they’re rich in calcium carbonate (lime) — the key ingredient needed to make traditional lime mortar.

𝗦𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿All Saints in Steep celebrated 950 years in 2025, though for much of that time it was a Chapel of...
22/02/2026

𝗦𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿
All Saints in Steep celebrated 950 years in 2025, though for much of that time it was a Chapel of Ease to East Meon. Traditionalists might not agree, but I am drawn to its spire - one of its most recogniseable features. In my opinion it offers a rare but sympathetic blend of Norman and Victorian architecture.

Steep is most famously connected to the poet Edward Thomas, whose wife, Helen, taught at nearby Bedales school. He is commemorated by 2 etched windows, designed as smaller versions of the celebrated memorial window at St James the Greater, Eastbury.

As someone with OCD tendencies my eyes (and bottom!) were particularly drawn to the magnificent display of colour-coordinated kneelers and the extra thick pew cushions. How many more people would attend church if there was more comfort for our posteriors?!

Lastly, my family has a personal connection to this pretty church as my 23 year old daughter was christened here just before we left the UK for Baku, Azerbaijan. With many onlookers and crying child I’m not sure I appreciated the font as much then as I do now.

No prizes for night sky photography, but a full complement of constellations/asterisms, Jupiter, the Moon …….and a huge,...
21/02/2026

No prizes for night sky photography, but a full complement of constellations/asterisms, Jupiter, the Moon …….and a huge, relatively slow-moving shooting star! 💫 Beats watching TV!





Come and listen to the incredible stories of a stonemason who has worked up close with some of our nation’s most treasur...
19/02/2026

Come and listen to the incredible stories of a stonemason who has worked up close with some of our nation’s most treasured heritage, & also help preserve it at the same time. With St Botolph’s frescoes having lasted more than 900 yrs we can’t be the generation that drops the batten.

See link in bio for tickets

What a glorious day to be sharing The Petworth Way & enjoying lunch at in Lurgashall. Have you walked The Petworth Way....
16/02/2026

What a glorious day to be sharing The Petworth Way & enjoying lunch at in Lurgashall.

Have you walked The Petworth Way. You can find details in the bio/on website (self-guided walks).

𝗦𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲Location, location, location! With parking just for one car, this unspoilt, 12th century, Grade ...
15/02/2026

𝗦𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲
Location, location, location! With parking just for one car, this unspoilt, 12th century, Grade I Listed, drovers church with round apsidal end is best approached and appreciated on foot, just as the drovers would once have done.

Reflecting a strong sense of place in this Downland setting, Cardinal Manning famously described this spot as “only less beautiful than heaven”. The list of 12 services through the year, including Plough Sunday, Rogation Sunday, Lamas Service & Harvest Thanksgiving also firmly anchor this church to the land.

Upwaltham itself was once a larger medieval village, but it’s now mostly vanished. However, the names in the graveyard still give us a glimpse of the once proud agricultural community. Meanwhile, the names on plaques inside the church commemorate tragedy. ✈️

13/02/2026

I found this almost perfectly spherical flint geode up on the Downs this morning. The half I discovered previously has sadly lost its crystals.

Should I open this one or not? It’s so beautifully tactile that I’m tempted to let it keep its secret 😊

Come and listen to the incredible stories of a stonemason who has worked up close with some of our nation’s most treasur...
12/02/2026

Come and listen to the incredible stories of a stonemason who has worked up close with some of our nation’s most treasured heritage, & also help preserve it at the same time by helping raise money for St Botolph’s. Its frescoes have lasted more than 900 yrs - we can’t be the generation that drops the batten.

📅 Weds 4 March
🕥 7 for 7.30pm
📍St Peter’s Church, Petersfield
🚗 Free parking in Waitrose car park
🎟️ £5 (profits to local church conservation)

Follow this link for further information and to book tickets:

https://ruralstrides.co.uk/church-going-with-andrew-ziminski/

A coppiced woodland may look like a war zone at first—but views open up, light floods in, flowers thrive, and the cycle ...
10/02/2026

A coppiced woodland may look like a war zone at first—but views open up, light floods in, flowers thrive, and the cycle of regrowth begins all over again. It is the most perfect example of symbiosis between man & nature 🌳

𝗦𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗧𝘄𝗼 The Victorians often take the flak for “spoiling” churches, yet some of their Gothic Revival crea...
08/02/2026

𝗦𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗧𝘄𝗼
The Victorians often take the flak for “spoiling” churches, yet some of their Gothic Revival creations are real gems. West Meon’s St John’s, built in the Early English style (think thin lancet windows & towers - possibly with a small spire on top) is one such example. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, one of the 19th century’s foremost architects (responsible for the St Pancras Hotel, Albert Memorial, Foreign Office, and over 800 churches), it is a Grade Il listed building and an important Victorian ecclesiastical landmark in Hampshire. Nestled on chalk, the church showcases beautifully squared, knapped flint, which immediately captures the heart of any flint enthusiast...such as myself 😍

👀 Look out for the gargoyles & grotesques - they are rarely seen on churches in this area - and there are some fascinating local maps inside too 🗺️

Stonemason and author Andrew Ziminski is giving a talk about his career and book on Weds 4 March at St. Peter’s church P...
05/02/2026

Stonemason and author Andrew Ziminski is giving a talk about his career and book on Weds 4 March at St. Peter’s church Petersfield. Church Going was named Book of the Year by The Times, Telegraph & BBC History magazine. To find out more & book a ticket visit: https://ruralstrides.co.uk/church-going-with-andrew-ziminski/

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