Popped into Petersfield for lunch and a walk around Heath Pond / Lake.
We enjoyed our lunch in the Red Lion Hotel, a key stop for coaches in the 19th century and before.
We did spot a 1954 Riley RME 1.5 Litre classic car
Petersfield is situated in the valley of the Western Rother, on the Lower Greensand at the northern edge of the South Downs. The town lies at the western end of the Greensand Ridge, a sandstone ridge running through Hampshire, Surrey and Kent.
The town is surrounded on all sides by farmed countryside, with the South Downs south of the town, the Hampshire Downs to the west, and forested hills (Durford Wood) to the north east.
The town is a centre for exploring the South Downs National Park.
Close to the town and situated on the South Downs is Queen Elizabeth Country Park, which incorporates Butser Hill (270 metres), and has a variety of scenery including chalk hills, beech woodland and pine forest. The Hangers Way footpath starts from the country park, goes to Buriton, through Petersfield and in to Alton.
On the south east side of the town is Petersfield Heath, 95 acres of heathland including woodland, grassland, a pond, and a picnic and recreation area. Petersfield Heath is a Site of Nature Conservation Interest. It also contains 21 Bronze Age barrows which have resulted in the site being given Scheduled Ancient Monument status.
The Heath is just a short walk from the Town Centre and is the site of the annual Taro Fair, which is held on 6 October every year (unless a Sunday). This was originally a horse fair but is now a large fun fair with many sideshows and is enjoyed by many in the area every year.
Boats are available for hire during the summer and you can purchase light snacks, beverages and ice cream from the Heath Kiosk (The Plump Duck). The Pond also provides a home for many species of wildfowl.
Heathland is very rare throughout Europe and Petersfield Heath is a typical heathland mosaic of micro habitats. Across the site are sandy heath and acid heath areas, grassland and scrub which gives the area diverse zones for insects, reptiles, birds and small mammals.
#wanderlust #wanderer #wander #walking #walkingtour #petersfield #wetherspoons #heathpond #heath #hikingculture #pond #lake
31 дек 2022
