Lord’s Piece to Waltham Park

There is a large roadside carpark at the nature reserve called Lord’s Piece on the road between Duncton and Watersfield at Stoughton.

Display boards tell you a little about the heathery hill you are going to climb.

The rare field cricket lives here for instance and in summer chirps outside his burrow. It mainly lives in the New Forest so the reserve is a miniature. Nightjars breed here as do woodlarks. You will see clumps of rare lichen and moss, and bell heather turns the sandy mountain purple in autumn.

Paths lead north-east over this triangular-shaped open-access reserve, so you exit at top right corner over a stile having passed some glorious Scots pines trees and follow the bridleway between holly trees.

The path goes left under power cables and left again following the Serpent Trail.

Under old oaks, known as Coates Common, you cross a stream which drains into the Rother a mile north near Lower Fittleworth.

Here you have a peek at what I always think looks like typical of

Saxon farm fields of hillocky wet pasture, where those Germanic types lived peacefully until the Normans uprooted them.

Churches in the area show signs of both cultures rather well, incidentally.

This track meets the B3128 at Tripp Hill.

Turn right for 20 yards, cross the road to a kissing gate and follow the footpath along the hedge as it enters Walberton Park Woods.

Cypress and Norway Spruce give way to a once thriving ash grove as you pick your way through the damp ground with its marsh tits and great spotted woodpeckers until you reach a minor road which has a dangerous bend as you emerge.

This has to be crossed onto the track to Walberton Park Farm for 400 yards before you dive right into Walberton Common.

This is a bridleway through oaks and pines, and yellow archangel flowers in spring.

Cross the B2138 again: watch out as some people think it is a race track. You are now on Bignor Park Road. Wild flowers along the verges in spring include early purple orchid, spotted orchids, and red campion.

At Bowler’s Copse you meet the return road to Lord’s Piece.

Some years I have picked pounds of blackthorn sloes along these hedges, and this is also.

Blackthorn is also a breeding ground for the brown hairstreak butterfly, whose caterpillars feed on the buds and leaves.

The butterfly is on the win g in late summer.

All of this countryside is useful for several other rarities than those I have mentioned.

The now very threatened turtle dove hopefully still arrives in summer.

And look out for buzzards, kestrels, white admiral and silver-washed fritillary butterflies, bird’s nest orchids and white helleborines.