A bright frosty morning, the last day of November and a return to the High Weald with a walk from The Moor near Hawkhurst along the Sussex Border Path to St Nicolas Church near Sandhurst in Kent.
What inspired this walk over the High Weald was my drive back from Benedon in Kent and stopping along Coghurst lane to capture some iconic oast houses nestled in the high ground.
This was an area I wanted to scout on foot so researched a good walk on OS Maps online. There is free parking around the village green at The Moor and a good pub as well the eight bells.
From The Moor, Hawkhurst
I arrived an hour later than I wanted after dawn, again not setting my alarm. The early morning light was striking, what with the frozen autumn leaves on the ground.
Handholding, I composed a shot of St Laurence’s church just out of the Moor. The shot could have benefited from using a polariser with the sun low in the sky at a 45 degree angle, bringing out those golden hues.
Coach Hill, Coghurst Lane
The walk then takes you out of The Moor along the Sussex Border Path into countryside towards Coach Hill and Coghurst Lane.
The frozen grass becomes the subject and point of interest along the Sussex Border Path. The frost was quickly thawing where exposed to direct sunlight. It was here I wished I had arrived an hour earlier, at dawn and caught more interest in the sky.
Along Coghurst Lane and Coach Hill there were great views back towards the Moor and over the high weald but this time a frosty morning greeted me.
The oast house on the high weald again makes a good focal point in the background. A clear contrast in the foreground between the frost in the shade and the green grass in the sunshine in the midground.
Its clear to see the transition between autumn and winter with one day to go until winter officially kicks in.
St Nicolas Church Sandhurst
As the morning progressed, the light got more harsh and the frost all but thawed and disappeared. The final destination of my walk was St Nicolas church out on a limb at Sandhurst Cross.
The church was rich and powerful in times gone past and no doubt could build them in commanding positions on the landscape. This was a lovely peaceful place to sit on the park benches in the direct morning sunlight and catch some rays.