Hilaire Belloc bought King's Land (in Shipley, Sussex), 5 acres and a working windmill for £1000 in 1907 and it was his home for the rest of his life. Belloc loved Sussex as few other writers have loved her: he lived there for most of his 83 years, he tramped the length and breadth of the county, slept under her hedgerows, drank in her inns, sailed her coast and her rivers and wrote several incomparable books about her. "He does not die that can bequeath Some influence to the land he knows, Or dares, persistent, interwreath Love permanent with the wild hedgerows; He does not die, but still remains Substantiate with his darling plains."

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Wednesday 10 April 2013

The Walk - Saturday the 18th of May.





This is advance notice of a walk in, and around, Gumber Corner on Saturday the 18th of May. We will be meeting at the George Inn, in Eartham, at 11. From there we will be walking to Gumber Corner. Gumber was Belloc's favourite walk and he mentions it in Sonnets and Verse (1923):

Lift up your hearts in Gumber, laugh the Weald
And you most ancient Valley of Arun sing.
Here am I homeward from my wandering,
Here am I homeward and my heart is healed.
If I was thirsty, I have heard a spring.
If I was dusty, I have found a field.

There will be picnic at Gumber Corner and the walk will resume down the old Roman Road of Stane Street. In the evening, from about 8, there will be a folk music session in the George which is a splendid establishment.

For those of you who would like to attend, and will be travelling down from London, there will be a mini-bus leaving from Clapham at 9 on Saturday morning. If you would like to book a space, on the bus, please e-mail me at:

thehilairebellocblog@gmail.com

We would also request that people e-mail us, if you intend to participate, so that we can make you aware of any last minute alterations. Please do, also, advise if you intend to eat at the pub later. If you are dining, please feel free to bring an instrument and, or, a voice for the folk session. 

For those of you who would prefer to travel by public transport the nearest station is Chichester where you could get the number 99 from Chichester Cathedral (15 minutes). 


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