A couple of hikes up from Keswick in mild and fine spring weather. Whinlatter forest park offers fine views of Keswick, Bassenthwaite and Skiddaw. Not yet enough mountain bikers on the trails nor kids on the “ape” high route of ropes and poles through the treetops to be a nuisance to walkers; the famous red squirrels were keeping themselves hidden though the birds were making good use of a feeding station at the headquarters of the forest park.

We took the route past “Keswick’s answer to the Eiffel Tower” and Walla Crag on our hike up to Bleaberry Fell (590 m.), one of the peaks on Castlerigg Fell above Keswick. Still a bit wet under foot, but the reward for the climb was an all round view of Lakeland’s three highest peaks, Scafell Pike, 978 m., Helvellyn, 951 m. and Skiddaw, 931 m. clear in the spring sunshine. The ridge and summit of Helvellyn are over my shoulder in the picture.

Far away over the Solway Firth, we saw the granite shape of the hills of Galloway. The return route took us down Cat Gill/Ghyll, no longer inhabited by escaped domestic cats.

Walking a small section of the Vanguard Way in Sussex, past Seaford's Martello Tower (Number 74) took us up the furrowed white cliffs of Seaford Head (69 m.) with a view West past Seaford's beach to the Isle of Wight and past Cuckmere Haven on to Beachy Head to the East. Seaford used to be the most westerly Cinque Port; but the port on the River Ouse moved to Newhaven when the river changed direction in the Middle Ages and the port silted up at Seaford. Hence Newhaven, meaning Newport. Photos from my camera phone.

Swans taking off from the picturesque river Itchen at Shawford, near Winchester, which we saw when hiking a part of the route now designated as the Monarch's Way; it roughly follows the route of Charles II's flight after the Battle of Worcester in 1651.
The local farmers are currently custodians of fields of flint stones and are clearly hostile to hikers; we assumed they did not support the recent creation of the South Downs National Park. Numerous applications for diversions of footpaths and broken way-markers gave weight to this impression.
Back in Winchester, the arched corridors of ancient stones around the cathedral give an impression of eternity whilst "The Old Gaolhouse" was the venue for a scooterist rally, maybe not what one expects to find in Winchester.

The Devil’s Punch Bowl at Hindhead used to be a notorious traffic bottle-neck, now it’s blessed with a tunnel, one of the few UK tunnels which specifically protect areas of natural beauty. Now the traffic noise has been banished underground, the valley echoes with just the noise of the wind in the trees atop the rim, the rustle of small mammals and the songs of the birds. And us visitors.

The beech, ash, oak and chestnut trees growing in this valley and the holly bushes and stream in the bottom of the bowl, readily support the tales of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight or Siegfried and Fafner; the garden gates around the periphery of the woodland have notices reminiscent of Pooh Corner (“Trespassers will”).

There are paths now deprecated by the National Trust which lead to vast meeting places under the tree canopy (not unlike stone age meeting places in Polynesia) and secret valleys accessible only by the adventurous.

The legend is that the Devil, who lived at the Devil’s Jumps (three small hills nearby at Churt), often tormented Thor, the god of Thunder, who lived nearby at Thor’s Lie (Thorsley), by jumping from hill to hill. Thor would retaliate by trying to strike the Devil with thunder and lightning but on one occasion the Devil scooped up a handful of earth and hurled it at the Devil leaving the Punch Bowl at Hindhead.

Gibbet Hill is now marked by a cross in the Celtic style: the main road once passed this spot; the gibbet was used to hang highwaymen, their rope-strained remains becoming an exhibit to deter the rest.