Walk: Frith Wood, Northchapel
These 3.2 miles (5kms) pass through ancient oak woodland and flat fields with a glimpse of Shillinglee Lake. Start in Northchapel which is on the A283, five miles north of Petworth. Limited parking is by the village green along Pipers Lane which runs east off the main road. Grid ref. is SU954295.
Take the bridleway going north, coming to Frith Wood. The name probably comes from Old English ‘fryhp’ which meant woodland; though another OE possibility is for an enclosure from the Saxon ‘friedhof ’ meaning enclosure with cemetery. Ancient woodland gives biodiversity with a wide range of insect and plant species. Turn right along the track inside the wood, then turn left after 250 yards, going north-west.
You cross a stream with alders growing which replace birch, hazel and sweet chestnut on the drier parts of the forest. Buzzards and sparrowhawks breed in the wood. Blackcap warblers should be singing by the time you read this, and two other warblers, the chiffchaff and willow warbler should be here as well. This is also a place to hear nightingales. These belong in the thrush family, and they should arrive here in the first week of April when the males sing at night to attract females flying over. The nest is usually made with moss and oak leaves up to a metre above ground level. Unfortunately the vast numbers of deer in England also browse at this level so have destroyed a lot of nightingale habitat in our woods across the south. By-the-way: blackcap warblers sing as loud as nightingales and just as musically! Butterflies living here include white admiral, flying in July. They are large, and have black and white wings. The caterpillars feed on honeysuckle leaves. Speckled woods and purple hairstreaks, comma and peacock butterflies are also here.
Turn right at the footpath crossways after 300 yards, to go southeast, joining the bridleway at Frith Hill house, then follow the narrow strip of
woodland over the fields, called The Plantation. It follows the medieval, double banked deer park enclosure wall for fallow deer. These animals were introduced from the Near East by either the Romans or the Phoenicians.
After 800 yards turn left on the footpath arriving at Shillinglee Lake. The name is obscure but is likely to derive from an ancient Norse word ‘sciel’ which meant resounding, especially in relation to the sound of tumbling water. You might see great crested grebes here breeding; also heron, tufted duck, and mallard. In summer, common terns fish here.
The lake is one of the very few places in Sussex where Limosella aquatic grows. This is one of four nationally rare water plants established at this lake.
Now take the bridleway west across the fields, running parallel with The Plantation. This takes you back to Frith Wood, and a left turn along the edge of the wood back to your outgoing path. Note how all the hedgerows make a pleasing geometric design across the fields. They appear to be historic, since they have a wide range of species with blackthorn, blackberry, elder, hawthorn, hazel, holly, oak and willow, which makes them 800 years old.