An Amble to Amberley to Gaze at Gardens
10 people attending
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'Dear Amberley', as the village's website represents it and visitors fondly remember it, is a pleasing hodge-podge of architectural styles and building materials perched on a ridge above the River Arun. Flowers cascade down its ancient walls, the modern age passes it by, the traditional rhythms of rural life beat on, and long, loose, pretty perspectives of cottages line a quadrilateral of lanes, one of which goes to the 12th-Century church and the 14th-Century castle. These quiet lanes will be busier on Sunday 14th June when the biennial opening of the village's gardens occurs (see the event's website here). £10 gains entry to gardens of different sizes and styles with the proceeds going to charity.
The plan:
There will be no set plan for visiting the gardens and we won't go round in a big group: you're welcome to go wherever and with whomever you choose. You're also welcome to leave when you want, but there will be an agreed meeting place and time should you wish to depart as part of a group. You don't even need to book on to this event to see the gardens of course; we'll just happily just bump into you in the village! If you do come by train (or car but want a little more exercise), Amberley Railway Station is some way outside of the village, so we'll have a pleasant short walk along the River Arun to get there. Please see the route here.
Dogs:
This event is less suitable for dogs as they are not permitted in the gardens, but the walk to the village along the river would be highly suitable if they could be looked after by someone at each of the gardens.
(Image credits: View Across the River Arun Flood Plain, Sussex: Photo © Peter Trimming (cc-by-sa/2.0); School Road: Photo © Josie Campbell (cc-by-sa/2.0); Amberley Church Street: Photo © Michael Garlick (cc-by-sa/2.0); Cottage on Church Street, Amberley: Photo © Chris Heaton (cc-by-sa/2.0). These photos are licensed for reuse under Creative Commons license CC BY-SA 2.0 or CC BY-NC 2.0. All the photos of Amberley Open Gardens 2014 by Mark Wordy are sourced from Flickr and are licensed for reuse under cc-by/2.0.)
Walk lead #290
What to bring
The walk to the village along the River Arun and back and the route around the gardens about 6 km (4 miles), so please wear walking boots or shoes (or well-fitting trainers if the weather has been dry).
Consider bringing a sunhat and suncream if sun is forecast, or a coat or jacket if rain is.
Please be prepared to pay £8 cash to enter all the gardens and to pay for refreshments or plants from the plant stalls.
Food & drink
Bring a packed lunch and drinks or buy lunch there. Light lunches will be available in the village hall until 14:00. Cream teas and cake will be available all afternoon until 16:00 in the village hall and village school. If you fancy a pint, there is The Black Horse pub, or there is The Bridge Inn next to the railway station before you go home.