Country walk: Glatting to Bignor
Bica was probably a Saxon farmer. He probably had two wheels but they would have been on his horse- or ox-drawn cart, not a bicycle. He owned the escarpment it seems – the ‘yfer’ attachment to his name – giving us ‘Bignor’. The hill broods over this cul-de-sac valley on the South Downs which centuries before the Saxons had been as warm and sheltered for the Romans as their own far lands of the Mediterranean. You can pull the history of the place around you like a rug and feel the social gathering of its ancestors.
Today you can drive from the hamlet with its world-famous villa and tessellated floor pictures of Venus and Gladiator, and the Winter Wind, ascend the winding hill road that has hardly altered in human history, and park near the Neolithic camp in the field and the Bronze Age tomb next to the South Downs Way at SU974129.
An open access woodland called Left Hanger lies below you which is worth exploring for its wild orchids. My walk of 3.7 miles (6 kms) takes the footpath back downhill and through the wood towards the hamlet. Don’t expect the orchids to be as accessible as though you were at the Chelsea Flower Show. The flower spikes of the bird’s-nest orchids for example are the same colour as fox cubs – and just as elusive. They blend almost invisibly into the background: you need knowledge, intuition, and an eye for detail to find them.
Another denizen of these yew and ash woods is the greater butterfly orchid. This is tall and hangs out its white flowers like thin butterflies with long tails. There may be a cluster of ten to fifteen on a single pale green stem that arises from two broad leaves in early to mid May. Deer and hare find them tasty and often eat them though, so there might be just a single flower left at the bottom of a bitten stalk if you are lucky. Please take care not to trample on them – and certainly not to pick them: they are protected species.
At the bottom of the hill is the hamlet. Have a look at the Grade I listed Holy Cross church, which is where you may in the past have enjoyed social gatherings of fun and music at the ‘Weed Festivals’, where almost medieval celebrations of greening commemorating ancient ceremonies took place. Hopefully they will be resurrected when we return to normal again.
A footpath runs west to Glatting Farm across the fields. The name relates to OE ‘glaed’, an open place in the forest. Nearby is Coldharbour farm, a common name given to places of overnight refuge for medieval travellers, possibly pilgrims. The footpath enters Glatting Hanger and joins an ancient way, now a bridlepath, which climbs upward under dense shade, with a spring stream far below.
At the top turn left back towards the beginning of this walk. Near the ancient cross dykes and the modern radio towers, there should be a splendid display of spotted orchids in the grass verges. This hilltop saw the journey of young Prince Charles II on his night escape to France from the Cromwellian war, and the passage of many thousands of travellers over the centuries, from Stone Age tribes on their way to places of Holy Worship at Stonehenge, to itinerate farm workers in Victorian times seeking employment in the harvest fields. These deep valleys and high tops are alive with history – you can feel it in the air.