It is half five in the morning, the sun has already risen although is hidden behind a veil of cloud. A family of starlings that has taken up residence in the hedge outside the bedroom window are making one heck of a noise, generally asking where the hell their breakfast is. We lay in bed until six then climb out, get dressed, feed the cat and get our stuff together.
Although Kent is a wonderful place for orchids, not all British orchids grow here, and some have become extinct. One Kentish orchid that is now extinct in the county is the Burnt Tip, which is found in small colonies in neighbouring East Sussex. I had asked one of my Flickr friends for directions to the biggest of these, and so we decided to set off for the 90 mile drive into Sussex and hunt for the orchids.
The roads were empty, and the cloudy and cool morning meant we made good time and fairly relaxed even on the M25 where the roadworks have now been completed and traffic flowed smoothly in the four lanes. A quick blast down the M23 to Burgess Hill, through the places where my ancestor’s grew up: Cowfold, Warninglid and Burgess Hill, places I knew from my childhood, but now are expensive places to live deep in the commuter belt.
Onwards to Brighton and then onto Lewes. At least with the sat nav we found Glynde very easily, found the parking area next to the village cricket green and the railway station. We got out, stretched and consulted the directions and map we have. At first it seemed simple enough, past the playing area, left past the post office and up the path.
Up being the operative word. Above us the South Downs towered. Well, I say towered, several hundred feet of chalk upland, dotted with sheep and it looked like birdmen. But it turned out to be paragliders who were throwing themselves off the down in the hope they did not crash to the ground. So, we tightened our belts and set off scattering shepp in our way.
Through the first gate and in front up us the path went in a straight line up the down. If that makes sense. We took our time, and in time we climbed up through the fields until we reached the second gate, beside which was a fine looking bench. Needless to say we had a sit down and surveyed the scene below us, and very fine it looked, even though the sun had not yet broken through.
Ahead of us now was the summit of the down, a huge round dome covered with sheep. OK, not covered but scattered. We sighed and set off, but taking regular stops to ‘admire the view’ below.
I should explain that what happened next was all our fault, and our inability to read the contours on a map. Anyway, on a small map supplied by my friend was an arrow as to where the orchids could be found, the fences marking the nature reserve seemed to match the area on the map, so the orchids should be a few hundred yards along the crest of the down, away from the iron age fort and paragliders. When in fact the orchids were down below, in the ‘bottom’. Anyway, at some point we would realise our mistake, no?
Well, at least the views were splendid down onto the river valley below, the railway tracks and the occasional train. And over the other side of the hill, the town of Lewes nestled looking all busy buy far enough away.
We found no orchids, but in fact the who nature reserve did not feel right for orchids, as it had been recently grazed as there was sheep and cow poo everywhere, even on the soles of our shoes! I tried the other side of the fence, balancing on the edge of the drop into the bottom below. After an hour I found a few Heath and Common Spotted spikes, but nothing like a small Lady.
It was nearing midday. I went to find Jools who had left me to it. We looked at the map again, and the directions. The I saw that the orchids were on the steep part of the hill in the bottom not on the main part of the down. In order not to miss them, I walked in a straight line down the down and back up the other side of the bottom, whilst Jools took the level but longer route around the top of the bottom.
I had given up all hope if truth be known, and by now the sun had come out so it was getting warm if not hot. And we had not brought our water with us. Silly us. At that point I saw many more orchid spikes, but still just Heath and Common Spotted. And then, I saw something different. And sure enough, standing alone on the side of the down was a single tiny orchid. A single spike which around the top was surrounded by people-shaped blooms which were almost white and the unopened ones which were dark purple, from which the orchid takes its name.
I snapped it from all angles, then moved on. Jools thought she had found one, but that turned out to be a false alarm. But then I saw another. And another. So did Jools. And around us were hundreds of the tiny orchids. We both took many, many shots, and we stunned how an orchid so small, well compared to the related Lady Orchid, could be so wonderful. Anyway, after half an hour and the time edging towards one, we were hot and very thirsty.
Shall we head down and find a pub?
I think we should.
We got up and our legs began to complaining. And they did not stop until we got back to the car. It was a little gentle climb to the top of the down, then a gentle descent to the village below. It seemed to take ages, and we were getting hotter and thirstier all the time. I guess it did not help using the map to identify which one of the buildings in the village was the pub. The thought of a nice cold beer. Mmmmm, beer.
Com on feet, keep on walking!
Down and down we went, down the long straight path, through the sheep, past the post office and to the car park. In the boot we had a nice cold bottle of juice, which we drained between us. We drove over the railway bridge to the Trevor Arms, and both of us had a nice cold drink. That’s better.
The plan had been to take a long slow drive back along the country lanes and roads back to Rye then onto Folkestone. However, we were hot and tired, so we decided to head back up the M23 and M25 and back down the motorway. 90 miles in two hours or so.
Jools snoozed on the way back, but with the air con ramped up to the max, it was wonderfully cool in the car. The miles sped by, and soon enough we left Sussex behind and were back in Kent, heading home.
And by about four we pulled up outside the house, a welcoming committee of hungry cats telling us that the food already out was clearly not good enough and wanted nice fresh food. We had a coffee and chilled inside, I taped the Cup Final, so I could watch it later, and so whilst that recorded, I reviewed my shots from the day, and then cooked steak for dinner, which was very nice with another cool beer.
The match was OK, Arsenal beat Hull 3-2, despite going 2-0 after 8 minutes. However, the modern cup final, with banks of empty seats either side of half time and into extra time. Seems wrong. But by the time the match ended, it was ten o’clock and well past our bed time.
Sunday.
After the mountain climbing on Saturday, we decided to have a little lay in, despite the cats protests that it was sunny outside and well past breakfast time. Hmmm. So, get up, feed the cats and review more of the shots from the day before.
At eleven we headed out to look at the local colony of Man Orchids, which are now at their peak, I had gone early one morning last week, but the sun was not fully up and the orchids not properly lit, so best go back and snap them in the midday sun. So a short drive into the craziness of the Sunday traffic, as clearly in an evolutionary throwback, everyone feels the need to head to the sea when the sun shines warmly.
On the chalk bank, the undergrowth had grown so much that the orchids are only visible from close by, and I am sure that the passing traffic wondered what we were doing wandering around a sunlit meadow. I got the shots I wanted, just a few shots of the whole spike, rather than macro shots, but wonderful enough. We then drove on to where the Birds-nest orchids are, and after my last visit showed them only just showing above ground, must now be a fine sight.
We parked outside the wood, and sure enough inside there must be about 50 spikes, some really magnificent ones, if one can say that about a pale orchid deep in the woodland undergrowth. Anyway, one was in a beam of sunlight, so I was able to get some unusually well-lit shots, and some good macro shots too. As we walked out, a couple were walking towards us holding camera gear.
Hello, Ian?
Er, yes….
And it turned out to be the couple who had provided us with directions to the burnt tips the day before, come over from West Sussex to look at the Birds Nests and Man orchids. So, after some introductions, we showed them the orchids in the woods, then took them over to the chalk bank to see the Man. It was all rather nice, and a way in which we can pass our knowledge onto other people, just as others had passed their knowledge onto us.
We bid them farewell, as we headed home for dinner, and them to their orchid photography.
Having a pint at lunchtime was never going to end well for me, as I was tired too. And so after lunch I took to the sofa and slept the afternoon through. What better way to end a fine afternoon than to head to The Plough at Ripple for some good food and another good pint of ale? Nothing at all it would seem…..
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