Walk Church Sunday 22nd February 2026
| One of the precious aspects of Walk Church is, from time to time, walking through the countryside accompanied by those who possess a long history and acquaintance with the land you walk. That was particularly the case this last Sunday when we met at Challock. The walk took us past a prominent line of very large tree stumps. We have walked this route a couple of times in the past, and for me, there was always a haunting fascination with the history of these trees. Even as stumps, they still maintain a dominant presence. One of our party, who had grown up in the village, explained that these were the stumps from an avenue of huge, imposing Sweet Chestnut trees. The trees were a favoured spot for rooks and crows. The landowner, wanting to disrupt the birds’ habitat in an effort to protect the chicks he was rearing for shoots, ordered the trees to be felled. Local people led a passionate campaign to save them, but to no avail. All that is left are the stumps. They are now a monument for all who know the history, summarising so much of our arrogance and folly towards nature. Looking back at the photo of us walking past these stumps, it is poignant that at that particular moment we were walking as a group in silence. The quietness allowed the landscape to speak for itself. Our next walk meets on Sunday 22nd March 2026. Hope you can join us. |