On Sunday, we had more shopping to do and also got some wellington boots for Jonathan to wear when he comes walking with us.

The paths are getting quite muddy, and he was delighted because he could splash about in all the puddles without getting his feet wet.

We walked from Crockham Hill this time. I was going to redo one of my other walks, but wasn't organised in time, so did this one as I went along. It was a lovely walk, with lots of open areas and a wonderful finale on the ridge from Frogpool Manor to Crockham Hill. The views from there are magnificent. Louise forgot the camera, but actually it was wet or dull most of the time. Some interesting cloud formations though.

Autumn is clearly here. Lots of mushrooms (lepiota clypeolaria) in the farm fields. These are not really edible, although they are not poisonous either. Also some Giant Puffballs (langermannia gigantia), which some folk rate, but I find them bland in flavour.

There are a lot of shoots in the area and we saw many pheasants around. We were pleasantly surprised to find a lot of reasonably good blackberries still about. Rose-hips are also very abundant.

We crossed a small paddock with three ponies in it. They came over to investigate us and then tried to stop us leaving the field by heading us away from the next stile. I think they could smell the sweets in Louise's and Jonathan's pockets.

Altogether, we walked 11.27km (7 miles). Jonathan is only 7, but managed it easily. He was a bit tired, and his mum told us later that he ate like a horse that night. He was still talking about his friend Eeyore too. He thoroughly enjoyed himself and there was so much to see. A large flock of white doves settled with the wild pigeons in a vast field, with rabbits everywhere.

The Route

Cross over the B2026 and, opposite the Post Office shop in Crockham Hill, walk down Smith's Lane.

Continue past some small cottages on the right to a path called Dairy Lane. This becomes enclosed and after a while goes to the right to another enclosed section.

This takes you past a large green tin shed on your left before coming to a lane. Turn right along the lane, passing the "Old Dairy Farm" with it's pair of old milk churns at the entrance.

Soon after the farm and before Barnfield Cottage, take a footpath to your left, past a post office letterbox.

The path enters a field with a pond to your left. Turn right and head to the right of a woodland shaw, in a south-westerly direction. At the end of the field, cross a stile and head left along the Vanguard Way.

Where the field curves out to the left, cross a stile into a copse, still on the vanguard Way.

Cross another stile and turn left. After 20 paces, turn right and follow the edge of the copse.

Cross another stile and continue along the left side of the copse. When you reach the end of the fence with a green painted, metal gate on the right, cross the field ahead, slightly west of south, to another metal gate.

About 3 metres to the left of the metal gate, cross a stile into a lane and turn left.

After 20 metres, turn right across another stile into a field.

Keep to the left-hand boundary and continue ahead. Cross a stile in the corner of the field and continue ahead. At the end of this field, you are confronted with a fence. Turn left through a metal gate and follow the right boundary across the field.

Go through another metal gate into a drive with lean-to sheds on the left. This takes you to a lane.

Cross over the lane through a gate with a yellow post on one side and a rusty post on the other.

Just as the lane bends right by a lean-to greenhouse, take the enclosed path to the left of the brick wall the greenhouse leans against. This path takes you to a section of the B2026. Cross the road and turn left along the road.

After 20 paces, turn right through a gap in the hedge and go through two metal gates with long handles to open them. These gates are a common feature here and are favoured by horse riders, as it can save them dismounting at each gate.

Follow the enclosed path, then go through another gate. After this keep the fence to your left, heading for two isolated oak trees. When you reach these, the path bends right and 30 paces on, you come to a ditch and an old wooden fence. Turn left here and keep the hedge to your left.

At the end of this field, go through the gate, turn right and then left, following the fence on the right hand side.

At the far end, you pass a gate and stile on your right, and then the field curves to the left to a dilapidated sleeper bridge. Cross this and another stile by a metal bridge.

In this field, take a narrow path straight ahead, passing a pond and a line of oak trees on your right.

At the end of this field, go through a gate straight ahead, cross a stream by a wide footbridge.

Continue ahead across a woodland shaw and then head slightly to the right, to a gap in the far hedge.

A stout wooden post on it's left side has a yellow arrow pointing the way ahead. Keep to the left hedge.

Pass through another gap some 20 paces to the right of the corner of the field and continue ahead.

At the far end, you come to a metal gate with a low horse jump to the right of it. Turn left before the gate to cross a stile into a paddock.

Keep ahead and cross over the far stile onto a gravel drive. Turn right and follow the drive through the buildings of Broxham Manor. Where the drive bends right by a semi-circular garden, continue ahead, through a green gate. Keep the woodland shaw to your left.

Go through the next gate and bear left along the field to a gap with a line of trees to the right.

The right of way then heads diagonally right, but it may be easier to follow the field boundary to the far right hand corner. You can either climb over the gate, if it is still padlocked, or look for a stile opposite the road junction.

Over the gate, turn right on Pootings Road, and then after 20 paces turn left into Mapleton Rd, with a lovely brick cottage to the right and a sign to Chartwell.

After approximately 240 metres, turn right into a footpath just before the road bends right. Go through a rusty gate and on ahead, passing a couple of barns and a greenhouse to your right.

Passing a Wellingtonia fir and a tennis court you reach an old metal gate. Cross over the stile on it's right, slightly hidden behind an oak tree. Turn left after the stile.

Keeping to the left fence, go through an untidy gap in the next fence and continue ahead.

At the end of the field look about 30 metres to the right. There you will see a wooden footbridge with a handrail, which you go over.

Cross this narrow meadow to pass through a metal gate. Next head slightly left, to a point across the field, between a hedge and a line of trees. You should just be able to see a gate at that point.

Go past the gate into a grassy ride passing a large pond to your left and following the right hand boundary of the wood. At the end of the ride, cross over a stile onto a track, which you cross to another stile opposite.

Over this stile, aim diagonally left to the far corner of the field, just west of north.

The next stile has been damaged, but is still useable. Continue after the stile and keep to the left hand fence.

When you come to a stile standing on it's own, with no fence, look for a black barn to it's left. Go through the metal gate to the right of the barn and follow the farm drive downhill. This is Obriss Farm.

Keep to the drive after it becomes metalled for some distance. Eventually you reach a wooden gate and go past this to reach the Mapleton Road again. Turn left along the road.

About 25 paces on, turn right into a drive with a sign for Pollards. This is about the only really muddy track on the whole walk.

Keep on this track, ignoring two gateways on your right. The track meanders a bit, first bending left and then as it bends to the right, look for a small gap in the hedge to your right. Go through that and over a stile into a field.

Follow the line of the stile ahead. When you reach a large depression in the middle of the field, head to the right corner of the field, where a line of trees joins the woodland shaw.

Go over a stile and walk a few metres across the shaw. When you emerge from the shaw, turn left and follow it to the end, crossing another shaw to a stile. After this stile, head right downhill.

In the distance above, you can see a brown and white medieval style house.

At the bottom of the field, the path crosses a stream just right of an Ash tree. Next bear left over a stile and then right, going uphill.

Near the top, a discernible path takes you to a wooden gate. Go through this into a broad grassy path.

At the very top, take the enclosed path to the left, then after emerging via a white gate, turn right onto a narrow metalled drive.

At the bottom of this drive, cross over to a rocky track heading uphill past a cottage on the right. The path is an enclosed woodland track, rather like a tiny ravine bed.

Near the top, the path joins a metalled driveway. Continue upwards to the lane junction. Turn left and follow this lane, with it's magnificent panoramic views to the left.

As the lane bends to the right, look for a footpath sign on the left to Crockham Hill Church.      This path goes down a series of steps past a house called Spark Haw.

These steps pass through some lovely houses and nicely understated landscaped gardens. At the bottom, the path goes through a slightly wild bog garden.

Cross over the stile and head to the right hand corner of the field.

Go over a wooden footbridge and a weighted kissing gate. Continue ahead through the pastureland.

At the end of the field, go through a gap with a redundant stile on it’s right. You will see the churchyard on your right. Head for the right corner of the field.

Go though the kissing gate to a metalled drive and turn left, passing the school. At the end of the drive, you are back at the B2026. Turn left to the Post Office.