Tired puppies

I picked the poodles up from Frensham Kennels today. I caught the bus out to the ponds, walked to the kennels and then we started the long trek home. It took us over 3 hours! After a short wander around, to make sure everything was as it should be, they both crashed and refuse to move while I ate my lunch.

It was a lovely walk. We went along the edge of Frensham Little Pond and then through to Tilford where we stopped for a beer at the Barley Mow. How idyllic. Sitting in the beer garden, overlooking fields, poodles treading all over me as I sipped a pint of Old Hookey. The sun was out but every now and then would have clouds scuddering across it, cooling everything down.

We walked along the Moor Park Nature Reserve which was lovely. The path is part of the Greensand Way, which starts in Haslemere and is woodland on one side and open fields full of wildlife on the other.

We stopped and checked out Mother Ludlam’s Cave. Well, as far as you can. There’s a massive great locked iron gate in the front of it. She was, apparently, a witch who lived in the cave and doled out herbs and potions. She was a white witch but, clearly, mad. There are many legends associated with her. Interestingly, the name, Ludlam, could have a number of sources but the most common is that it is of Celtic origin. Either after Ludd, the founder of London, Lud a healing god or Ludwell which means ‘bubbling spring’. Whatever the history, the spring is still there, bubbling out of the cave. The poodles had a big drink from it. Anyway, here’s the cave as it looks now.

Mother Ludlam's Cave, Moor Park

Apparently in earlier, Victorian days, it was a big tourist spot. It had a little picket fence around it and was furnished. Going back to Mother Ludlam, one legend claims she would loan out cooking utensils (don’t ask me why) and one day she lent someone her biggest and bestest brass cauldron. It was never returned and eventually ended up in Frensham church. You can see it there today, though the church people claim it was a bowl used for brewing church ale.

The oddest part of our walk (ignoring the pig that looked dead) was when we reached the Shepherd and Flock roundabout. There are claims that it is the biggest settled roundabout in Europe. It has a big pub and a number of houses on it as well as a heavily wooded area. It’s like a little village. Well, the path I was following went under the road and straight into a little lane of, what looked like worker’s cottages (Victorian and possibly used by the original railway workers) and a Tudor farm house. The lane is quite low so any casual walker would have no idea they had suddenly set foot on a busy roundabout – if they were deaf. As you walk up the lane and the pub hoves into view, the traffic becomes visible and you realise, with horror, there are cars constantly whizzing by.

We finally reached the house and I made myself a late lunch and much needed coffee. I figured the poodles would just stay, flaked out on the floor. Silly me! They had a brief rest with me then ran around like idiots, playing with Day-z’s toys. They have a hell of a lot more energy than me! I stayed collapsed.