Rural Strides

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

21/03/2026

No lost sheep on today’s Shepherding the Flock walk around the shepherd churches beneath the Downs 🐑

Two standing churches, one ruin, and one marked only by the space it once occupied in the churchyard. Local historian Andrew Shaxon brought each site to life with its stories.

Ewe couldn’t have asked for better weather or company… including bumping into on the SDW. Do come back Amol - but next time to explore the Weald below. After all, it’s the view you enjoy from the Downs 😉

19/03/2026

Strip lynchets across a ‘green and pleasant land’.

18/03/2026

Is life so busy you neither have time to stop nor stare?

Over millions of years our ancestors wandered, tracked, herded, migrated and explored the globe, guided by curiosity and their senses. Walking wasn’t exercise or leisure; it was simply life. Our reliance on transport, maps and GPS has quietly dulled that ancient connection to the land—a connection that was once central to the human experience.

This June I’m leading a small-group Time to Stop and Stare silent walk and woodland camp, designed to help us reconnect with that most basic human instinct to wander, while also giving ourselves the time and space to rediscover our childlike curiosity about the world around us.

During the walk we’ll travel in silence, giving us the opportunity to slow down, notice more, and simply experience the landscape without distraction. Numbers will be kept deliberately small to keep the experience special.

The silence is only for the walk. Afterwards we’ll unwind together at a beautiful private woodland campsite sharing food and conversation, with a natural pool, showers, toilets, outdoor kitchen, cabins and space for tents.

A simple and slightly unusual opportunity to wander, switch off for a while, and spend a night in the woods. Fancy joining me?

https://ruralstrides.co.uk/time-to-stop-stare-1/

15/03/2026

Day of two weathers ☀️🌧️
Looking out at the rain now, it’s hard to believe this was earlier today. A fabulous burst of sunshine before the clouds rolled in — truly sunshine on a rainy day.

14/03/2026

Lost, but not forgotten - discovering the history of the Monkton valley……on a fabulous spring day. More of those please 🙏🏻

08/03/2026

𝗦𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗦𝗶𝘅

This clock inside Ropley Church always brings to mind W. H. Auden’s Funeral Blues with its famous opening, “Stop all the clocks.” In this case, though, “stop the clock” feels more fitting. It stands as a stark reminder of the fire that swept through the church in June 2014, almost destroying it. Caused by a power surge, the damage took eight years to repair — but in my view, the wait was worth it.

The result is a beautifully warm, light and inviting space that still honours key elements of traditional church architecture, such as the ship‑like roof. Pevsner was never especially enthusiastic about the original building, feeling the Victorians had played fast and loose with it. I like to think he might have approved of the new incarnation.

If you visit, look out for the possible sword marks around the Norman stone door frame.

07/03/2026

Shepherding The Flock is the next open walk later this month. It is not only in keeping with the time of year & our area’s agricultural heritage but also continues the Legacy of Belief theme 🐑 See link in bio for details.

05/03/2026

A packed house in Petersfield last night as revealed the art and craft of stonemasonry. A brilliant evening, a great atmosphere, and generous support to help protect the frescoes at St Botolph’s, Hardham.

Thanks to the Rev Will Hughes for hosting us at St Peters, for helping supply the AV equipment, for providing copies of Church Going & to for helping publicise the event. It was a true community event!

03/03/2026

Set the quiet joy of a magnolia opening, its shadow soft on the wall of Elsted church, against the sound of bombs falling and the uneasy talk of another world war — one delicate & peaceful, the other dark and foreboding. Keep calm & carry on walking folks 💚

01/03/2026

Happy St David’s Day 💛

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.

Address

Petersfield

Website

http://www.ruralstrides.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Rural Strides posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Petersfield?