East Grinstead - Dunnings Mill

Tuesday 26th March
 Before I start today's missive, we haven't been able to walk for two weeks, due to weather conditions.  Last week the extreme snowy weather had virtually cut off some of our members (oo matron) in the South, and in the North, the bitter, biting wind was enough to bring on severe bouts of earache, jaw ache and face ache.  We stayed home, and watched events unfold on the telly.  Farty and T.B. have been decorating the kitchen, and painted the walls with 'Soft Sunlight'.  Personally, I find shiraz and toblerone can give the same effect...................
So, here we go
 Ice Station Grinstead

 Walkers:  Farty, T.B., Windy and Clat.  No Lil and, erratum horribilis, I made a mistake with the previous blog , cos she wasn't with us at all!!  Today, she was out collecting a car - it's called a Duster, which is ideal, as she loves cleaning.  No 4 Legs either.   So, a cold quartet assembled.

Find of the Walk:  pork scratchings

Distance: 6 miles - ish

Good heavens, this place has changed.  The big sports building has been razed to the ground, and even more new houses are going up beyond.  So much activity, and new horizons to see.  Clat was amazed she arrived on time, as she somehow ended up in Tandridge, but due to a cunning manoeuvre, managed to track down south and find the right route - phew.
Farty was sporting a new pair of tiger-print glasses, which she gave to Windy to examine, should she wish to tread this pair into the mud, too.

It wa sooooo cold - we didn't waste much time in our assemblage and decided to risk the field route to a main road.  How wrong we were - within seconds we encountered quagmire conditions and much slippage.  We don't want any accidents  - like a fibia fall-over, or a tibia tumble, cos it wouldn't be very humerus  - ha ha ha ha ha.  We made it safely, and decided to road-walk to East Grinstead Station,the home of the recently restored section of the Bluebell Railway to East Grinstead, which now links on to the main rail track to London and beyond.  It has taken a lot of voluntary work, and £11m to get this done, so we had to see it.
A converted railway carriage is where we stopped to have a coffee, whilst waiting for the chuffer to arrive.  T.B. mentioned his brother had bought a model railway set - 'Hornby?' we asked.  'Not at the moment' , was the reply - time to go train spotting then.  Soon, we heard the toot toot and saw the smoking chimney of the loco, as it pulled its lovely old wooden carriages into the brand new
station.  Anoraks galore as they clustered round this marvellous sight, and we spotted a man with a weird head - bald, domed and bumpy, as if he had been a forceps delivery, and the bones hadn't gone back again.

We were cold - we got moving - up and over the bridge, noting a big clump of primroses, bravely facing the elements and telling us Spring is here - er no, it isn't.
  This path then led us onto the Sussex Border Path, which was a godsend as no mud was encountered, although there was  plenty of it, plus waterlogged fields either side.  We found a tree, then a bridge, covered in icicles, absolutely frozen.  Farty gave us an acting masterclass, snapping one off, and re-living the shower scene from Psycho - Anthony Perkins eat your heart out, I say.
We walked as far as Gullege - a rather dark and forbidding, Jane Eyre-type house, looking derelict and sinister - we decided to investigate.  We discovered it was inhabited and swiftly moved on, right into the easterly wind.  Heads down and hatches battoned, we made our way back towards civilisation, and much track and road walking, before finally arriving at the car park.  No time was wasted getting into the pub, and the barmaid remarked on our rush towards the table near the open fire, where we sat and thawed out.  Good food and good service followed, and although slightly dearer than our usual fare, it was worth it today.
No walk next week, due to most of us being otherwise occupied, but the week after we shall do something, although Farty and T.B. will be doing something else, cos Uncle is due in town and it will be time to get the martini glasses dusted off and ready for plenty of action.

In the meantime, we wish you all a warm and happy Easter - and no hot cross bunnies  xxxxx

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