Your jumper is a ray of sunshine on what was otherwise a grey day. The colours of winter maybe be muted but that makes us us appreciate the summer’s colours all the more. Thanks for taking us on this journey with you.
A beautiful and at times quite contemplative video with the peaceful sounds of birdsong and squelching through the mud. Some gorgeous images too of vernacular buildings, countryside and plant life. Thank you for taking us along on the journey.
Lovely.I found this walk more atmospheric with the sound of the woodpecker and the squelching mud, when the music came it was very gentle - until you were walking through said mud ! I think the name of the machine they use to 'trim/ butcher' the hedges says it all - a flail cutter
Hi Richard. I am one of the Friends (Quakers) from the Blue Idol Quaker Meeting House. I enjoyed this video, and I'm glad you featured our burial ground in your walk. But please note: we are in the process of clearing the scrub, and most of those tree trunks (deceased Ash trees) will be removed as soon as the access path is less muddy. We will also be improving the footpath around the edges of the burial ground. We want the place to be a sanctuary for wildlife and wild flowers. It is, of course, still in use as a burial ground. I would like to point out that where you parked is in fact private land - it is the car park for use by the Blue Idol Quakers and is very full most Sundays - and at other times. Of course at the moment we are not allowed to meet there because of Covid restrictions, but on a normal Sunday we ask that walkers don't park there because there might well be no room left for worshippers. Please may I contact you privately, because I would like to comment (not publicly) on your other video - made a while ago - of the Blue Idol Meeting House itself?
That was a lovely walk. It was lovely to hear the bird song and the woodpecker(s).I am glad you have decent boots to enable you to navigate the mud. As I've said before, I love that squelching sound but I don't like slipping over but hopefully the ground will dry out soon. At least the paths are getting used and that means people out and about in the countryside.
Those poor bushes remind me of the chained oak in Alton, England. It's sad to think that anything that gives us beauty can be treated so rough. Fantastic walk! Glad to see you were able to get out to fresh air today! Stay well! Tammie
Lovely to see you out and about, even though the paths are incredibly muddy in parts. You need to keep your gaiters in the van and remember to put them on!
Thanks B.E. That's a good point about finding somewhere to park in order to start a walk. I often have difficulties taking some of the family out to the local countryside for this reason. It worries me also that there are few people managing to enjoy the South downs and areas and so when it comes to development proposals its argued that there are not many people making the most of it so why not build. Whereas if more people were able to appreciate the countryside we might find people will fight to keep it.
Good morning Richard, would you say that footpaths around here are getting muddier since lockdown? We have been walking more than usual this winter and wondered whether the mud is quite the norm or if the extra foot traffic had exacerbated it?
Very enjoyable walk Richard. Nice to see you out exploring again. This video had a very quaint mood to it. I liked the mix of views between the landscape and the beautiful structures. You mentioned having a conversation with a local resident, it would be interesting if you could occasionally feature these interactions in your videos.
Thanks again Richard! Yes, the parking places are getting fewer and fewer - I resort to using Google Street View as that sometimes reveals a suitable parking place. p.s. Because of your encouragement, my wife and I did a little "Exploring" today and got some fresh air in our lungs and now feel so much better!
I noticed I heard a woodpecker at the start of this, very nice. I do like the birdsong I hear it along when I'm walking home from work in the evening very soothing sound. Very muddy a squelchy Richard blimey. Hope you washed your jeans after that walk haha :)
Another informative video Richard, thank you for that. Did my ears deceive me or was that a woodpecker hammering away at a tree in background when you were introducing yourself in this video? Hopefully the weather is turning for the good too👍
Hi Richard, if i had known you where coming that close to home, you could have popped in for a cuppa. The pig farm belongs to my ex wife, now only one pig left. It is a wonderful place for our grandsons to play and learn about nature. I also think it is an ideal place for a Michael Joseph meadow.
Lovely to hear all the birds enjoying the spring like weather. I must admit these days I avoid walking in muddy areas. I’m not keen on the modern trend to sandwich public footpaths between two barred wire fences. It seems to me that landowners are legally allowing public right of way, but are doing so somewhat reluctantly 🤭
Yeah, the mud makes for a challenging walk, but on the positive side means that these pathways are getting a lot of usage. It's the ones that are hard to find seem likely to be lost for good.
Thanks for another lovely ramble A footpath is a highway over which the public has a right of way on foot only. A footpath should be at least 1 metre wide across a field where crops are growing, and 1.5 metres wide where it passes around the edge of a field. Footpaths are marked by a yellow arrow with a white surround
Was nice to see the Blue Idol again. Couldn't help but wonder if any of my ancestors (after reading that sign) would have been buried there being they originated from Billinghurst (before sailing to America w/ William Penn on his The Welcome). Wish we could have made out those old stones easier, but I'm sure time & weather has rubbed them smooth over the last 400 yrs. Loved the sound of the woodpecker in the background at the begining of your walk!😊 Btw....yes, I hate seeing it too when machines tear up hedges/bushes. You are right, it does allow for rot & disease to set in easier when a shrub can't heal from a clean cut. I often find myself following behind our landscape guys after they have completed big jobs & trimming off branches like the one you showed!😏😅
@@RichardVobes there are actually two burial grounds at the Blue Idol. The one featured in the video and another one in the immediate grounds of the Meeting House. The local Quakers have been doing some restoration and tree work at the burial ground you feature. My father is buried there.
Nice to hear a woodpecker in the distance. The damage done by mechanical hedge trimming is incalculable. As you pointed out, it can encourage fungus and other diseases. It also damages and deprives nesting birds of valuable habit.
I've done a few long distance hikes in my time Richard but the way you do yours suits your style. We are all different. The days of me doing long distances carrying a heavy pack are drawing to a close as I have started to feel pain in my right hip. Cutting the hedge with those flail trimmers also makes the hedge grow weaker and over time it will no longer be stock proof. The base of the hedge becomes woody and leggy with large gaps. I did a day course hedge laying at Cirencester college years ago:) I believe my Great Grandparents were Quakers. They lived in a small village called East Garston and there is a building there called The Friends Meeting House. It still holds Quaker style worship today. I found an interesting video slightly off topic but I believe is profound understanding which could effect positively the wellbeing of the Earth. Here is a TEDX talk by Allan Savoury: ruclips.net/video/vpTHi7O66pI/видео.html
Hello Richard. I see you didn’t approve of the modern flail hedge trimmers. It would have taken an awful long time to have cut that hedge by hand and then it would have to be cleared up. Those trimmers are ideal for that type of hedge. Early on in my farming life, the first trimmer I used was something called a Teagle Jetcut.. This was basically a reciprocating 18” knife on the end of a long boom with an engine on the other end, which to some extent acted as a counterweight. A carrying strap went over my shoulder to take some of the weight. Similar to the long reach modern hedge trimmers, but twice as heavy.. Next came a trimmer in the form of a 30” circular blade driven by bee belts from the tractor. This one was slow and labourious and would throw pieces of thorn and wood at the poor driver. My next job presented me with tractor mounted reciprocating 48” cutting knife, which was a step in the right direction. All the machines I have mentioned required people walking behind clearing up the branches. Then came the flail. Wonderful. No cleaning up behind. A one man operation. Keeping hedges trimmed once every year made them thrive and thicken up. Certainly did them no harm.
I always found the word "Idol" more curious for the name of their place of worship as the Quackers did/do not believe in (or condone any) the worship of idols?!🤔🤭😉
@@ramibu239 There is no definitive answer as to why it has the name but the prevailing theory is that regular meetings for worship ceased in 1793 and did not start again until 1869. During those 76 years when the meeting house sat idle, it was painted with a paint tinged with blue, hence 'blue idle', which morphed into 'Blue Idol'.Another theory is that it was named for a small blue ceramic figure found in the garden!!
A fantastic out and abouter. So much more than vlogging. I'd prefer some 'atmos' rather than some of the music. How about Stock Routes of Sussex? Cheers.
Great stuff, Richard. The mud here has gone from “bog” to “incredibly sticky”! Here’s the official info re width of pathways: Field-edge and cross-field public rights of way You must not cultivate (eg plough) footpaths or bridleways that follow a field edge. The minimum width you need to keep undisturbed is: 1.5 metres for a field edge footpath 3 metres for a field edge bridleway You should avoid cultivating a cross-field footpath or bridleway. If you have to cultivate make sure the footpath or bridleway: remains apparent on the ground to at least the minimum width of 1 metre for a footpath or 2 metres for a bridleway, and is not obstructed by crops is restored to at least the minimum width so that it’s reasonably convenient to use within: 14 days of first being cultivated for that crop 24 hours of any subsequent cultivation, unless a longer period has been agreed in advance in writing by the highway authority
Hi Richard luv videos reminds me of the times when I lived in West Sussex, just one Question, is it possible to walk across West Sussex just on Bridle paths.
Yes, I think you could navigate across the county on just the footpaths. You would cross roads and sometimes have to move a long a road a few hundred yards to read the next footpath.
@@RichardVobes OS maps are good though there is a cost involved for both paper or app. OSmAnd uses open street maps which are free open source maps, so anyone can contribute and edit.
Your jumper is a ray of sunshine on what was otherwise a grey day. The colours of winter maybe be muted but that makes us us appreciate the summer’s colours all the more. Thanks for taking us on this journey with you.
Very enjoyable, now the weather's improving, too!
A beautiful and at times quite contemplative video with the peaceful sounds of birdsong and squelching through the mud. Some gorgeous images too of vernacular buildings, countryside and plant life. Thank you for taking us along on the journey.
Love the music as you go through the mud. Just as well you got your new boots. Well done. Thank you again.
Lovely.I found this walk more atmospheric with the sound of the woodpecker and the squelching mud, when the music came it was very gentle - until you were walking through said mud ! I think the name of the machine they use to 'trim/ butcher' the hedges says it all - a flail cutter
Lovely video Richard. You are doing all of my country walking for me:)
Hi Richard. I am one of the Friends (Quakers) from the Blue Idol Quaker Meeting House. I enjoyed this video, and I'm glad you featured our burial ground in your walk. But please note: we are in the process of clearing the scrub, and most of those tree trunks (deceased Ash trees) will be removed as soon as the access path is less muddy. We will also be improving the footpath around the edges of the burial ground. We want the place to be a sanctuary for wildlife and wild flowers. It is, of course, still in use as a burial ground. I would like to point out that where you parked is in fact private land - it is the car park for use by the Blue Idol Quakers and is very full most Sundays - and at other times. Of course at the moment we are not allowed to meet there because of Covid restrictions, but on a normal Sunday we ask that walkers don't park there because there might well be no room left for worshippers. Please may I contact you privately, because I would like to comment (not publicly) on your other video - made a while ago - of the Blue Idol Meeting House itself?
That was a lovely walk. It was lovely to hear the bird song and the woodpecker(s).I am glad you have decent boots to enable you to navigate the mud. As I've said before, I love that squelching sound but I don't like slipping over but hopefully the ground will dry out soon. At least the paths are getting used and that means people out and about in the countryside.
Those poor bushes remind me of the chained oak in Alton, England. It's sad to think that anything that gives us beauty can be treated so rough. Fantastic walk! Glad to see you were able to get out to fresh air today! Stay well! Tammie
nothing beats our beautiful English countryside,thankyou Richard
all i saw was a bald guy and alot of blur in the background...
Hee hee! Love the whimsical choice of music for the wading-through-the-mud segment! 😀
Glad you liked it!
Lovely to see you out and about, even though the paths are incredibly muddy in parts. You need to keep your gaiters in the van and remember to put them on!
Thanks B.E. That's a good point about finding somewhere to park in order to start a walk. I often have difficulties taking some of the family out to the local countryside for this reason. It worries me also that there are few people managing to enjoy the South downs and areas and so when it comes to development proposals its argued that there are not many people making the most of it so why not build. Whereas if more people were able to appreciate the countryside we might find people will fight to keep it.
nicely filmed
Thanks for the walk Richard. It would be extremely helpful and informative if you would put up a map showing your route. Please.
Good morning Richard, would you say that footpaths around here are getting muddier since lockdown? We have been walking more than usual this winter and wondered whether the mud is quite the norm or if the extra foot traffic had exacerbated it?
Very enjoyable walk Richard. Nice to see you out exploring again. This video had a very quaint mood to it. I liked the mix of views between the landscape and the beautiful structures. You mentioned having a conversation with a local resident, it would be interesting if you could occasionally feature these interactions in your videos.
Interesting stuff Richard
Thanks again Richard! Yes, the parking places are getting fewer and fewer - I resort to using Google Street View as that sometimes reveals a suitable parking place.
p.s. Because of your encouragement, my wife and I did a little "Exploring" today and got some fresh air in our lungs and now feel so much better!
Beautiful.
Richard, I've driven on the A272 lots of times and knew there was a Quaker house there but not the graves. Interesting video, thank you
I noticed I heard a woodpecker at the start of this, very nice. I do like the birdsong I hear it along when I'm walking home from work in the evening very soothing sound. Very muddy a squelchy Richard blimey. Hope you washed your jeans after that walk haha :)
The jeans are hanging on the line as I type.
Hi my friend. Very nice video
Another informative video Richard, thank you for that. Did my ears deceive me or was that a woodpecker hammering away at a tree in background when you were introducing yourself in this video? Hopefully the weather is turning for the good too👍
Oh I am thrilled you heard the woodpecker - it was lovely to hear it.
That mud looks terrible, and when you do a set-up shot you have to walk through the same bit three times - what sacrifices you make for your viewers!
Dedication to ones professional 😉
Hi Richard, if i had known you where coming that close to home, you could have popped in for a cuppa. The pig farm belongs to my ex wife, now only one pig left. It is a wonderful place for our grandsons to play and learn about nature. I also think it is an ideal place for a Michael Joseph meadow.
What a fab place to live in.
Lovely to hear all the birds enjoying the spring like weather.
I must admit these days I avoid walking in muddy areas. I’m not keen on the modern trend to sandwich public footpaths between two barred wire fences. It seems to me that landowners are legally allowing public right of way, but are doing so somewhat reluctantly 🤭
I think in some instances it is to prevent the paths getting wider and wider ( especially across fields) as walkers seek to walk on drier ground
Yeah, the mud makes for a challenging walk, but on the positive side means that these pathways are getting a lot of usage. It's the ones that are hard to find seem likely to be lost for good.
One has to keep stomping the pathways.
That is one of my bugbears, so many places and pathways are simply not accessable because there is nowhere to park :(
Thanks for another lovely ramble
A footpath is a highway over which the public has a right of way on foot only. A footpath should be at least 1 metre wide across a field where crops are growing, and 1.5 metres wide where it passes around the edge of a field. Footpaths are marked by a yellow arrow with a white surround
Was nice to see the Blue Idol again. Couldn't help but wonder if any of my ancestors (after reading that sign) would have been buried there being they originated from Billinghurst (before sailing to America w/ William Penn on his The Welcome). Wish we could have made out those old stones easier, but I'm sure time & weather has rubbed them smooth over the last 400 yrs. Loved the sound of the woodpecker in the background at the begining of your walk!😊
Btw....yes, I hate seeing it too when machines tear up hedges/bushes. You are right, it does allow for rot & disease to set in easier when a shrub can't heal from a clean cut. I often find myself following behind our landscape guys after they have completed big jobs & trimming off branches like the one you showed!😏😅
It is an interesting place for sure.
@@RichardVobes there are actually two burial grounds at the Blue Idol. The one featured in the video and another one in the immediate grounds of the Meeting House. The local Quakers have been doing some restoration and tree work at the burial ground you feature. My father is buried there.
Would have liked to look a little closer at the gravestones. The hedge cutting looked more like rip and tear. Thanks for the video, enjoyable.
I didn't like to trespass on the burial ground too much.
Nice to hear a woodpecker in the distance. The damage done by mechanical hedge trimming is incalculable. As you pointed out, it can encourage fungus and other diseases. It also damages and deprives nesting birds of valuable habit.
Well said!
I've done a few long distance hikes in my time Richard but the way you do yours suits your style. We are all different. The days of me doing long distances carrying a heavy pack are drawing to a close as I have started to feel pain in my right hip.
Cutting the hedge with those flail trimmers also makes the hedge grow weaker and over time it will no longer be stock proof. The base of the hedge becomes woody and leggy with large gaps.
I did a day course hedge laying at Cirencester college years ago:)
I believe my Great Grandparents were Quakers. They lived in a small village called East Garston and there is a building there called The Friends Meeting House. It still holds Quaker style worship today.
I found an interesting video slightly off topic but I believe is profound understanding which could effect positively the wellbeing of the Earth. Here is a TEDX talk by Allan Savoury:
ruclips.net/video/vpTHi7O66pI/видео.html
Hello Richard.
I see you didn’t approve of the modern flail hedge trimmers. It would have taken an awful long time to have cut that hedge by hand and then it would have to be cleared up. Those trimmers are ideal for that type of hedge.
Early on in my farming life, the first trimmer I used was something called a Teagle Jetcut.. This was basically a reciprocating 18” knife on the end of a long boom with an engine on the other end, which to some extent acted as a counterweight. A carrying strap went over my shoulder to take some of the weight. Similar to the long reach modern hedge trimmers, but twice as heavy..
Next came a trimmer in the form of a 30” circular blade driven by bee belts from the tractor. This one was slow and labourious and would throw pieces of thorn and wood at the poor driver. My next job presented me with tractor mounted reciprocating 48” cutting knife, which was a step in the right direction. All the machines I have mentioned required people walking behind clearing up the branches.
Then came the flail. Wonderful. No cleaning up behind. A one man operation. Keeping hedges trimmed once every year made them thrive and thicken up. Certainly did them no harm.
I am only going by what Oliver Rackham pointed out about disease for hedges and how they are trimmed. Also I guess less employment for workers now.
Blue idol, even though it's white?
Very nice video.
I always found the word "Idol" more curious for the name of their place of worship as the Quackers did/do not believe in (or condone any) the worship of idols?!🤔🤭😉
@@ramibu239 There is no definitive answer as to why it has the name but the prevailing theory is that regular meetings for worship ceased in 1793 and did not start again until 1869. During those 76 years when the meeting house sat idle, it was painted with a paint tinged with blue, hence 'blue idle', which morphed into 'Blue Idol'.Another theory is that it was named for a small blue ceramic figure found in the garden!!
@@lindakane4717 thanks for the info Linda! Beacause of family connections to it I always wondered about its name.😊👍
A fantastic out and abouter. So much more than vlogging. I'd prefer some 'atmos' rather than some of the music. How about Stock Routes of Sussex? Cheers.
There was quite a bit of atmos at the beginning of that video deliberately.
@@RichardVobes I did enjoy the different start.
Great stuff, Richard. The mud here has gone from “bog” to “incredibly sticky”!
Here’s the official info re width of pathways:
Field-edge and cross-field public rights of way
You must not cultivate (eg plough) footpaths or bridleways that follow a field edge. The minimum width you need to keep undisturbed is:
1.5 metres for a field edge footpath
3 metres for a field edge bridleway
You should avoid cultivating a cross-field footpath or bridleway. If you have to cultivate make sure the footpath or bridleway:
remains apparent on the ground to at least the minimum width of 1 metre for a footpath or 2 metres for a bridleway, and is not obstructed by crops
is restored to at least the minimum width so that it’s reasonably convenient to use within:
14 days of first being cultivated for that crop
24 hours of any subsequent cultivation, unless a longer period has been agreed in advance in writing by the highway authority
I notice that many farmers obviously don't read this then. The field I walk over had crops and no hint of a path! Thanks, Matthew.
have you tried the Horsham Museum Heritage Trails, the Billingshurst trail starts in a car park.
I must give it a try!
Here's mud in your eye Richard. .....or maybe not lol !
Hi Richard luv videos reminds me of the times when I lived in West Sussex, just one Question, is it possible to walk across West Sussex just on Bridle paths.
Yes, I think you could navigate across the county on just the footpaths. You would cross roads and sometimes have to move a long a road a few hundred yards to read the next footpath.
Were the farms in this video, a true likeness of houses in this area? Shame about the muddy paths but at least they are fenced off.
Yes I think so.
I use the OsmAnd app which shows all the public footpaths/ rights of way unlike google maps.
I use the OS maps
@@RichardVobes OS maps are good though there is a cost involved for both paper or app. OSmAnd uses open street maps which are free open source maps, so anyone can contribute and edit.
I enjoy your prog, but do you realize that you are walking on the wrong side of the road, and you are likely to get run over!!!