Walking through Narnia
Seven walkers who gathered at the Kingswood Arms ready for a 12.30 start on November 27 were disappointed to learn that dinner was off the pub menu. Over 100 golfers had already eaten breakfast there ahead of a charity day at the nearby club and were due to return and exhaust the kitchen's capacity before nightfall. Undaunted, the group adopted Plan B, namely to drive back to the Rambler’s Rest halfway stop after the walk.
The wardrobe.....
The road behind the pub led past the forbidding and near empty Legal and General offices on to open farmland. As the group trudged across muddy fields, Dave the Navigator was taking calls from Roger Lee who had forgotten that his car was due for its MOT. Roger's back-up plan of going by train then misfired, as he found he had forgotten his travel pass when he arrived at the station. So, not for the first time, he was running very late and would be using his Ordnance Survey map to forge his own route across country to rendezvous with us at the halfway stop.
After crossing Holly Lane, the group contoured along Park Downs, then re-crossed at Park Farm to follow the rising track through Banstead Woods. Phil Willis claimed the prize offered by Dave for being the first to spot a wardrobe nestling in the woods. Close inspection of said wardrobe revealed carved wooden coats inside.
The witch....
Soon afterwards the group was further surprised by a 20-foot witch gazing menacingly at them. Inevitably a lion was discovered at the end of the track, as well as a lamp-post with Lucy Pevensie alongside. All were sculptures carved by chain-saw artists The Tree Pirates, and form part of the Narnia Nature Trail.
....and the lion
Roger duly joined the group at the Rambler’s Rest before we ventured out again into the gathering gloom for the return leg. We passed along Chipstead Downs and Fames Rough before ascending to Perrot's Farm. The final stretch took us past Legal and General again to the Kingswood Arms, from where motored back to the Rambler’s for dinner.