Of course, when I visited the Weald & Downland Musuem, I did it in a lot less time that advertised. The website says it takes four hours to go through. I did it in two. Perhaps it was because it was April, and there were scarcely any volunteers there to explain Weald & Downland to the curious visitor.
Managing to find an empty parking lot where I could park the car easily (quite an achievement in Britain), I looked at my watch. It was just after ten, almost exactly when they opened, so I went in, purchasedt my ticket, and started on my journey.
First of all, I walked past various Medieval buildings—the Bakehouse, the Dairy—until I got down to the Mill. I wanted to find out how to get to the Cafe, where I intended to have some lunch, but my way was blocked as that end of Weald & Downland is used for Repair Shop, a very popular program on the telly. And so I went back to the ticket office, and they told me how to get to the Cafe.
Next, I went to the Market Square, and popped in for a chat about Stained Glass. I was the only person there as it was very quiet generally. Then I continued walking. By this time, it was eleven o’clock and I was hungry. And so, I decided that before seeing the rest of Weald & Downland I really should get something to eat. So I went back to the Cafe. Unfortunately, they were still doing their breakfast menu. And no-one told me that the lunch menu would start at 11:10 (when a crowd of people arrived for elevenses and were allowed to order lunch),, even though, miinutes before, I’d ordered a lunch item, only to be told I couldn’t have it. And so, I got the Weald & Downland breakfast muffin, which consisted of a sausage patty, 2 rashers of bacon, cheese and egg. It was unexpectedly good, and had the additional benefit of not being too carby. I was still hungry, so went back to the counter to get a slice of fruit cake and a chai latte. Then I went on my way.
I found a mowed path that took me into the heart of Weald & Downland, to the Bayleaf Manor House (Tudor) and to various other buildings. Checking my map, I opted for the very steep walk up to the top of the land. It was steep. And unfortunately there were no views to reward you when you got to the top, as everything was masked by trees. But it did have some “sculptures,” evocations of various trees such as Ash, Hawthorn, and Hazel.
On my way down, I passed an 11th-century Anglo-Saxon Hall that had been reconstructed. What a pity there was no-one there to explain it all to me. Shortly after that, I found myself not far to the entrance of Weald & Downland. Checking my watch, I found it to be about 1:30.
What to do? I really didn’t feel like going back to the B & B just then. And I had heard someone talking about Chanctonbury Ring, a Prehistoric Hill Fort. And so I decided to drive over there to take a look at it, promising myself I would have a good walk.
Of course, it was 27 miles away and took some time to get there. My GPS led me up one of those muddy one-lane country roads. Eventually, the road gave out into a web of bridle paths and I had to come to a stop. I got out and took a couple of shots of Chanctonbury Ring. It was close enough to get decent pictures, but too far away to get to by foot. And I had no idea of how to drive up there to get in the walk I’d promised myself. I suppose I could have tried, but I was now tired, and decided to save my energy for going home. The traffic going the other way had been horrendous, but somehow my GPS knew that and gave me a route that avoided all the traffic.And so I made it back to the B & B, by 3 pm, tired out and ready for a relaxing evening.
I have to say I was disappointed by Weald & Downland. Like Fishbourne Palace, it was too silent, with no-one there to lead you through it. I have no idea what it is like in high season, but I would recommend any of you thinking of visiting these places to call ahead and see if you can get on a tour.
