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Adventures

The hunt for Big Billy

There were three reasons for launching this blog. To document family life, discover the delights of Surrey and showcase some photos.  It’s laughable I’ve lived in Surrey since 2010 and seen very little of it. I guess that’s what happens when you have a baby and damage your coccyx so badly you can’t drive. Only to break your wrist when your independence returns.

However, having re-gained mobility and addressed the work/life balance, now it’s the perfect time to explore what’s on our doorstep as a family. Whether it be Surrey Hills, the waterways, homes, gardens, animal attractions or theme parks. It’s amazing being back in the country after twenty years in London.

We’ve already fallen in love with Bocketts Farm and RHS Wisley. Visiting the latter for the first time last month, we vowed to return so POD could see the butterflies at the Glasshouse. A welcome change from the “girrels”, “backbirds” and “peegins” she sees in the garden.

We arrived at RHS Wisley on a beautifully sunny day. There was a queue at the Glasshouse but we joined it unperturbed, initially occupying POD with excitable butterfly speak. We were relieved to arrive at the entrance half an hour later. None more so than The POD Father who spent our wait chasing after a bored
toddler. To then be told “it’s an hour’s wait from here” was a stark reminder that we’d got our timings completely wrong. But it was midday on a Saturday so an epic fail on our part. We had no option but to cut our losses and leave. Butterflies were replaced with playground adventures, jumping in muddy puddles and chatting to ducks so a good time was still had by all.

A few days later we were back. Just shy of the 10am opening time, we hoped for a more leisurely visit. It was a another gorgeous day and RHS Wisley looked stunning. No dilly dallying around though, it was straight to the Glasshouse for us. The ten minute wait saw POD entertain herself by sitting on the floor and returning the butterfly guide we’d just purchased.

What a glorious sight met our eyes when we entered, it was like walking into a tropical paradise. A delicious feast for the eyeballs and a photographer’s dream. There were exotic butterflies everywhere. People stared with their mouths agog whilst simultaneously attempting to de-steam their cameras. It quickly became apparent attempting to take any photos before the camera had aclimatised was a fruitless task. I gave up trying.

POD wandered around pointing saying “buttfly” as if she couldn’t quite believe her eyes. It truly was a spectacular sight.

When the camera returned to life, there was no stopping my quest for the perfect butterfly shot. Their sheer speed made this a huge challenge. And just when you thought you had it, a fellow visitor would appear in the viewfinder. I was keen to get a picture of a huge Blue Morpho but it was too busy enjoying its own airborn party. And whilst I did see a red-bodied Big Billy, it was also too speedy for me.

But I took the most incredible photo of two Owl butterflies. If you’ve not seen it in the slideshow for this post, have a look. It’s stunning.

Once we’d left the hot confines of the Glasshouse, we basked in glorious sunshine, drank hot chocolate and ate cake. POD escaped at one point, sunglasses on head, to have a chat with some nearby ducks. Then we went for a leisurely wander around the gardens taking in everything RHS Wisley had to offer. It really is a wonderful place.

Butterflies at the Glasshouse is on at RHS Wisley until 24 February 2013 – open daily from 10am to 4pm.

 

Racing piggies

IMG_8075What is it about watching piggies race? Whatever the weather the prospect of witnessing them hurtle round competing against each other always generates a smile. Coupled with hearing POD shout “piiiiiigs” at the top of her two-year-old lungs.

Welcome to Bocketts Farm, the home of pig racing.

We discovered it initially when I was on maternity leave in 2011. Located near Leatherhead in Surrey it’s a working farm that enables you to get up close and personal with the animals. Having taken the obligatory antihistamines to ensure I didn’t feel like 84 cats had rampaged my nose, POD and I arrived at Bocketts Farm. Unusually there were just a few cars in the car park. POD looked at me as if she’d been sent to Iceland (the country not the supermarket). She quickly became accustomed to the freezing conditions by refusing to wear her monkey gloves or hat.

I’d brought POD here because some piglets had been born a couple of days earlier. POD hadn’t seen piglets before so I was looking forward to her face brimming with excitement when she saw them. She’d be thrilled.

POD shouted “I see ducks” (they were geese) near the entrance so she spent a few minutes saying “hello” and waving at them. Her knowledge of how to forge relationships with geese is somewhat limited. As is mine.

At the entrance we loaded ourselves up with some animal fodder. POD had previously been too afraid to feed the animals but she came close when we visited last time. Worse case scenario she could just watch them slobber all over mummy.

First we hit ‘Little Hoppington’ which is a small animal village and home to goat milking. It’s also where various rabbits and guinea pigs are located. Each has its own house so it’s reminiscent of an animal Monopoly board. This is where I re-live my childhood dream of wanting a lop eared rabbit.

The rabbit request came after the Wombles scaring. The lady that lived in the house my parents bought told me the Wombles lived in an oak tree in the garden. There was a huge hole at the bottom of the tree and I spent much time poking a stick in it calling for Orinoco. I was only five. I didn’t know Wombles weren’t real.

POD thought the “babbits” were amazing until they hopped at which point she kept her distance. Little Hoppington was also home to a number of other small animals like chickens and mice amongst others. We also saw some budgies. Utterly amazed, POD spent a few minutes shouting “chicken” and “bird” before staring at another unidentified animal racing around its cage.

It was a promising start. POD was out of her buggy and raring to go. Until she saw a horse which scared the living daylights out of her. We quickly scurried to The Big Animal Barn spotting more geese (ducks) on the way in. Here we were totally spoilt. There were sheep, lambs, donkeys, goats, kids (as in baby goats), cows, calves and alpacas. Not forgetting a huge mummy pig and all her gorgeous little piglets.

The conditions were close to arctic at this point. We had made progress, POD did have her hat on even if the monkey gloves weren’t getting a look in. Having not warmed to the animals initially, POD loved watching the alpacas, goats and sheep eat from mummy’s hand. She came close to giving the goats some food herself, just getting a bit spooked when she held out her hand. Having shown POD the cows and the donkeys as well we headed over to see the piggies.

Just as we were about to see the mummy pig and her piglets, the sheep starting bleeting. POD’s not heard sheep bleet before so the noise took her by surprise. Once over the shock, we spent some time looking at the mummy pig and the piglets that were all huddled together. After patiently waiting, one of the piglets finally left the group in the hunt for milk. It took a few minutes to find a teat he could get a grip on but when he did there was no stopping him. There was then this amazing scene like a piggy free for all whereby all the piglets were clambering over each other trying to get to a teat. Lots of peeing followed accompanied by POD’s commentary “pig boob” and “pig go wee wee”.

Aside from the wobble, POD had a great time in The Big Animal Barn despite it being incredibly chilly. It wasn’t the day for revisiting the play areas and adventure trails. We did get so see the pigs race albeit from a distance and POD greeted the all the ponies with “hello horse”.

Before  we left we paid a visit to the Old Barn Tearooms where we had some lunch and checked we still had all our toes. We had to make a move when POD started rocking back and forth in her highchair. The area is great in the summer as there’s a large outdoor space and wooden play area. Anywhere that allows POD to be free and show off her climbing skills gets our vote. Bocketts Farm is a truly wonderful place though whatever the weather. More information about what’s on there can be found here.

Bocketts Farm Park 
Young Street 
Fetcham 
Leatherhead 
Surrey KT22 9BS
01372  363764 
info@bockettsfarm.co.uk
www.bockettsfarm.co.uk

Jumping in muddy puddles

IMG_8024When I was asked ‘”Do you know Alice Holt?” I honestly thought she was a person. An elegant middle class lady who lived on a farm and was into pottery.

Or a more likely scenario, it was someone I’d met in a baby massage group. POD loved those sessions. Quite possibly because taking her nappy off created an instant wee fountain and subsequently much hilarity.

I would remember anyone called Alice. This being the name my parents were going to give me until they realised Miss A Cornes (yes acorns) really didn’t work. Charlotte was a much better option. The name proved especially popular in the eighties thanks to an Iron Maiden song featuring the name in its title.

Alice HoltDoes anyone remember ‘Charlotte the Harlot’!?

Well as it turns out Alice Holt is not a person but a forest. A huge ancient forest that used to supply timber to the navy. It’s a beautiful woodland setting and a great place for outdoor activities. POD made a beeline for a wooden play area when we arrived.

At this juncture, it’s worth pointing out she’s a climber and she has No Fear. She’d dive head first off a table given the opportunity. Add to this a coat better suited to a child double her age (bought in the sale), some over-sized wellies and hey presto we’re onto a winner.

PoppyPOD bounded off in a way only a two-year-old can. Clambering up giant steps, she was off while I desperately clung to her hand. Except it wasn’t her hand. Or her arm. It was an empty sleeve. Then we lost a welly. Then we slid on some ice. We were on the cusp of disaster so we left the play area to see what else Alice Holt had in store.

I’d recently promised POD she could jump in puddles if she had wellies on. Only to discover when we were in a muddy wood that they were too small. Cue massive tantrum and buggy style back arching. Today was different. POD had new wellies and there were puddles. Little puddles and great big muddy bogs. I’m not sure what possessed me to put POD in a dress that day. A cream dress and puddles. Gold star to mummy.

IMG_8049We were so keen to get going when we arrived at Alice Holt, we just started walking rather than planning a specific route or picking up a map. To be honest that’s how we like it. The POD Father in particular is not one to
ask for directions.

POD herself likes to follow her own path. After all we spent 9 months thinking she was a boy and with her due date being Christmas Day, were equally as surprised as the midwife as it happens, that “baby Jesus” turned out to be a beautiful baby girl.

Everyone at Alice Holt had a dog. We all love dogs. One day we will crumble and buy one especially now we’re Alice Holt P & Dworking from home. POD adores dogs from afar. Get close and the confident toddler clings to you like a little monkey. Throughout our stay at Alice Holt, every time POD saw a dog she pointed and shouted ‘Dog’ at the top of her voice. Dogs are far more exciting to POD than ‘Cats’ or ‘Babits’.

We stayed at Alice Holt less than two hours as it was so cold but it was simply stunning. There is an incredible amount to do there whether it be walking, exploring and cycling if like me you didn’t batter your coccyx in labour. There are also play areas, a popular Habitat Trail, Go Ape and nordic walking.

For children Alice Holt boasts a wide range of children’s holiday activities such as den building, pond dipping Poppy b&w 2and woodland craft sessions. Sessions for mums and toddlers are also available during term time.

Alice Holt Forest
Bucks Horn Oak
Farnham 
Surrey GU10 4LS 

 

 

Sheepleas

Sheepleas (or Shere woods as my husband called it for thirty years) is where “The PODfather” used to walk with his grandparents and their dogs when he was little. This is the only reason we know it exists. He has lots of  fond memories, including watching the elderly patriarch Springer Spaniel slowly sniffing out a particularly good place to do his business, only to have his hyper active son bound over and pee on his head. Hilarious stuff to a 10 year old boy. The offending dog in question was called Brek, as he refused to eat anything but Ready Brek as a puppy. Brek later survived leaping over a barbed wire fence in pursuit of a rabbit, returning  empty handed and ready for the next chase, unaware that he’d practically disemboweled himself. Thankfully he lived to a ripe old age.

Managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust, the Sheepleas Nature Reserve lies on the chalk slopes of the North Downs within the Surrey Hills area of outstanding natural beauty. The area is a myriad of ancient and recent woodland and grassland, it’s beautiful.

The beech woodlands were widely accepted as one of the best woodland areas in the county before they were partly destroyed in the storms of 1987. It seems the years since have seen the spread of naturally regenerated ash in the place of beech and an increase in grassland areas. The mixture of habitats supports so much wildlife that Sheepleas has been designated a site of specific scientific interest.

For those of you without a toddler in tow, there are two different trails you can follow – one passing through the downland areas and one passing through the woodland. The Grassland Trail starts at Shere Road or St Mary’s car parks and provides easy walking with some gentle slopes, no kissing gates or stiles. It takes about 1.5 hours and the route is waymarked by green arrows.

Alternatively the Woodland Trail starts from Green Dene car park and provides easy walking with some slopes and narrow tracks, no kissing gates or stiles. This trail takes about 1 1/4 hours and is waymarked by white arrows.

I’m afraid following a trail is not something I seem to particularly excel at. It started in the eighties when I failed to follow a path of flour on a school trip at Cuffley Camp. Although me and my giggling counterpart were rescued when we got lost and darkness fell, the experience has stayed with me.

Fast forward to 2008 and we’re in New Zealand. A recommendation from a couple of indigenous friends was the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, described by our (fit) chums as a ‘nice walk’. It’s actually a World-renowned trek in-between three active (yes I did say active) volcanic peaks and ranked as one of the top ten single day treks in the World.

Had I known this I would have stayed in front of the fire with a nice cold lager rather than spending an entire day walking twenty kilometres with two broken toes. That said the views were simply incredible.

So back to Sheepleas. If you don’t fancy taking one of the trails at Sheepleas just do what we did, have a wander. It’s beautifully unspoiled, incredibly peaceful and, considering it’s in Surrey Hills, it’s not especially hilly.

Sheepleas (The)
Shere Road
West Horsley
Surrey 
KT24 6EP
 

Bye bye ducks, see you later

You’d think after two years living in Guildford we would have visited RHS Wisley on many occasions.  It’s the RHS flagship garden, only 15 minutes drive away and everyone raves about it. Shamefully, we’d not visited to see what all the fuss is about. It’s not that we didn’t want to go, we really did, we’d just hadn’t found time.

The Doves spent the entire festive period entertaining, over indulging and watching television. Once our visitors had left and we were a three person family again, we were definitely overdue a day out. Even though it had rained solidly for days. And yes it was STILL raining.

We looked at suitable places to take POD that offered some kind of shelter. Then it hit us. We’d still not visited RHS Wisley. And RHS Wisley had a glasshouse. We left the house with such enthusiasm that we forgot our wellies, hats and an umbrella but it really didn’t matter. We even saw a glimmer of brightness in-between the black grey clouds. In typical British fashion though the rain re-appeared when we got out of the car!

But the Doves were at RHS Wisley. For the very first time. Today was RHS Wisley day.

On arrival we were provided with a map and advised which route to take. At this point the rain was like a tropical monsoon so we speedily made our way to the confines of The Glasshouse.

The Glasshouse looked pretty impressive. Tranquility greeted us at the entrance and POD was duly released from her buggy. The Glasshouse has three climatic zones, recreating tropical, moist temperature and dry temperature habitats. It also features a special interactive Root Zone, the Clore Learning Centre and the Horticultural Theatre. It really had been built to the highest specification, using the most up-to-date technological advances with tempered glass allowing maximum light transmission, greater strength, wind resistance and thermal efficiency.

RHS Wisley describes The Glasshouse as ‘The World under Glass’. And it truly is a world tour of plants from every corner of the globe. Not only that it was fascinating and felt rather magical somehow. The Glasshouse definitely takes you on a journey of discovery while you pass rocky outcrops, waterfalls, still pools and sloping gradients.

Raised viewing platforms were also located at various points so you could experience what you were seeing from unusual vantage points. If you look closely in the waterfall photograph, you’ll see POD with Daddy behind the water.

The Dry temperature zone appears sparsely planted but it contains a rich diversity of tough, slowing growing and often prickly plants growing amongst the scree and rocks. This included desert cacti and succulents from
countries including Chile, South Africa, Madagascar and Australia.

The Moist temperature zone is kept humid and houses native plants of the forests from South America and Australasia as well as parts of Cornwall and Scotland. A groundcover of ferns  and other plants grows beneath the understorey of shrubs and epiphytes, which are in turn shaded by a canopy of trees and tree ferns.

The Tropical zone contained lush foliage and dramatic flowers that flourish in heat and humidity. The combination of heat and moisture promotes fast growth, immense leaf size and extravagant, brightly coloured flowers.

Look out for banana, bromeliads, palm trees and fast-growing climbers, as well as familiar houseplants growing here to their natural sizes, such as the Swiss cheese plant and giant Maidenhair fern. This was our favourite zone in The Glasshouse, not least because it reminded me of times gone by when I lived in Australia (albeit not in a rain forest).

Whilst in The Glasshouse, we also visited the UK’s first root zone. This is an interactive area where you can learn about the interrelation between plant, plant health and what takes place underground. POD thoroughly enjoyed pressing every available button.

On leaving The Glasshouse, we were delighted to find the rain had eased slightly. Although a shorter walk than we would have liked, we did get to see a bit more of what RHS Wisley had to offer. And POD absolutely loved the ducks. There was much excitement when she spotted them initially. When we said goodbye, POD waved at them and said ‘bye bye ducks, see you later’ in a way only a two-year-old can.

So ‘bye bye, see you later’ summed up our visit to RHS Wisley. It was utterly fabulous and we’ll be back very soon because we are now RHS members. And because we are desperate to see those butterflies in The Glasshouse.

 

 

 

 

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