High Weald Drifter
TUNBRIDGE WELLS TO EAST GRINSTEAD VIA SOUTHBOROUGH COMMON, SPELDHURST, FORDCOMBE AND COWDEN A drizzly start for the first time in ages. I did not find the wet too oppressive but the heat was, This was a-more-lines-on=the-map kind of journey but I'd been meaning to return to make good on a previous attempt further south. The High Weald, we have learnt, is characteristically woody with sandstone outcrops and ridges and amongst the clay, deep, gill-cut valleys. The rocks, always seem to surprise me. This route avoided one single long distance path but includes a few. Likewise, there is no single ridge and while the height may not be considerable, the overall gain proved a satisfying workout. Despite the undulation, the beginning of the walk felt quite enclosed and it wasn't until after Fordcombe that it brightened and the views became apparent. We are in the land of ancient transhumance, a place of 'dens' and old farmsteads. There are more lines to do here and I'll be ...
