A January Walk on the Scotney Castle Estate

Posted on by Malin - Sensational Learning with Penguin

Just over a year ago, I wrote a post about Scotney Castle and how we’ve found it a lovely place to visit at all times of the year. And the other day, when we woke up to a relatively mild and mostly sunny day, I thought it could be nice to go back to Scotney, to see what might be flowering in their gardens this January.

However, as we arrived we spotted some friendly looking cows just outside the main property, and I suggested that we could go and explore the surrounding estate instead, as we’d never done that before. We went to the visitors desk first, to find out more about what possible routes there are to take, and we got ourselves a map as well. The shorter walk around, marked in blue on the map here, seemed very doable for us. We do enjoy a walk, but we’re certainly not long-distance hikers.

We went exploring on the estate around Scotney Castle in East Sussex. Even on a wet January day, it had plenty to offer, with Sussex Cattle and sheep grazing, woodland and parkland to explore, meaning many opportunities for hands-on and #multisensory #learning in the great #outdoors. Or just to relax and enjoy! #familydaysout

So, we set off on our walk, which started by stepping out into the field where the friendly-looking cows were. Penguin wasn’t keen to go right up to the cows (the breed of which we’ve since learnt is Sussex Cattle), but was happy to be around them as long as he could keep a comfortable distance.

1ca9f72f-79aa-488b-83ca-d3d39bb1b5a1

08eaaf7f-f9c6-4889-9714-c22f3cc5437c

A couple of the cows were ‘hiding’ behind trees, which reminded us of a scene in one of our favourite storybooks! (Book illustration below by Sven Nordqvist)

3016b93e-f582-4188-a750-4786b8300810

The sunny skies had an increasing amount of clouds in them by now, but we were still hopefull to avoid the light rain that had been forecasted for later that afternoon.

As we walked on, we found that the path had in parts become a mud pit, so we had to venture out in the field next to it for a bit. Not a problem for us really, but I don’t think I could recommend this walk for anyone using mobility aids, at least not in these conditions.3a09860b-2b87-49d1-aae9-81fdc250bf1a

We then spotted a large tree which had had severe damage to its bark, so you got a really good idea of how the bark functions as a protective outer layer, similar to our skin.

Soon after that we saw a dead tree which had none of it’s bark left at all. There were also young trees there, which they had put protective tubes and cages around, so that the grazing sheep wouldn’t be able to nibble on them, and further on we found a large trunk of a tree that had recently been felled. 8dde8383-fb1c-4c10-9cbc-bd0d4af85cca

So plenty of opportunities for learning about the anatomy and life cycle of a tree, in a hands-on and multisensory way (kinesthetic, tactile, visual, olfactory and auditory).

The fresh tree trunk was great for climbing and balancing on, and as a bonus it happened to be located at a spot where you have a nice view of the old castle ruins, as well as a good glimpse of the not quite as old manor house. So we lingered on that spot for a little while. As we continued our walk, a fine mist of rain started to fall. Luckily we were all in good spirits and didn’t really mind the rain.6a7cec2f-e8fc-4cf3-9a8c-50a64ce1d9e307bcb997-5275-4841-84ec-2efc2b26f3fa.jpeg6f80008a-8604-478b-8957-e360d2957562

Trodding across the fields on the estate gave us a good opportunity to check out footprints as well as excrement left buy first cows and then sheep. And at one point, lifting my eyes off the ground, I noticed a single oak leaf floating around in the sky. We stopped and watched as it danced around, very slowly making its way to the ground, almost as if we were watching it in slow motion…

0dc8b142-d35a-4807-b731-553a2f82bd1b

 

The blue path which we were following crosses the river Bewl in two places. The second bridge was quite a thin and somewhat temporary looking construction, but very sturdy. We went across it and then up a hill, and by now rain was more of a drizzle than a fine mist. Penguin was full of beans though, running uphill, then turning to run back down again, waving around and full of cheeky smiles.

3d73df96-e71c-4c74-82ed-b3421e4afeb5
Oy, your heading the wrong way now matey!

083ab95f-2dea-4b44-a469-8ef9f39dea83bcf1af53-f63b-4942-8076-3968307621be

For the final part of the walk, we decided to follow the country lane which runs between Scotney Castle and the Little Scotney Farm, rather than the blue path we’d been following before. This gave us an ever so slightly shorter route. Along the road we found two large ponds (or small reservoirs? I’m not sure what the correct definition would be?), which of course was a big plus for us as we (Penguin in particular) love watching water.

03a29c81-de21-42b6-a5d3-5976590cdf8fReaching the end of our walk, we considered going into the castle gardens as well, but all three of us were now muddy and wet, and starting to feel cold. So when Penguin seemed more keen on heading back home than doing any more exploring, that was absolutely fine by us.

We felt very happy and contented with our countryside walk, and I’m confident that the Scotney Castle estate will be a great site for further explorations in the future.

e880d3ed-653e-4532-ac07-fe862f4c8202

Thank you for reading! For more inspiration for days out, particularly in the South East of England, please take a look HERE x

Linking up with:

Country Kids linky
Keep Calm and Carry On Linking Sunday
Mix It Up Linky
The Helpful Hiker

 

45 thoughts on “A January Walk on the Scotney Castle Estate”

  4. What a beautiful place for a walk – even with the paths being very muddy in places! I can see why the cows hiding behind the trees reminded you of the storybook! Looking closer at tree trunks and bark was such a great learning opportunity. I’ve not yet done this with Sophie. Glad you enjoyed your walk and thank you for sharing it with #CountryKids

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. I love that you find outdoor learning opportunities on your adventures. I bet Penguin hardly realises he’s learning at all, just how education should be in my book! What’s the name of the cow book? The illustration made me chuckle, with your cows doing a great impression. Some great pics too, that lonely oak leaf on the breeze, and the catkins on the trees by the pond/reservoir look like decorations hung there. Thanks for sharing your lovely damp day with us at #CountryKids

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for your lovely comment!
      Yes, the catkins were really decorative I thought, glad you noticed them too 🙂
      The cow book sadly isn’t available in English as far as I’ve found (the original is in Swedish), though at least one other book from the same series is, and a film based on the books too. The series is about Mama Moo (the cow) and her friend Crow, and is written by Jujja Wieslander. The illustrator Sven Nordqvist is also a writer himself, and some of his books can be found in English as well. (At some point I may do a post some of our favourite Swedish children’s books that are available in English…)
      Thanks again for your wonderful feedback! X

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. What a beautiful account of your day out. I particularly love how you describe the oak leaf floating down, what a lovely moment for you all. I would probably like that length of walk too. Great to get a good January day.
    Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time.
    Mainy

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. what a beautiful walk. it sounds like a wonderful day with lots of different sensory aspects. I loved the photo next to the illustration 🙂 #kcacols

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  19. This looks like a lovely estate and walk. I love the floating leaf and the parallels between the hiding cow and a story book. It’s a great way to keep kids engaged by focusing on small but brilliant details like those. Thanks for linking up to #adventurecalling. We’re back open tomorrow for more new posts.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  20. It looks like a lovely walk, it’s always great to go back somewhere and try a new route. I love the photo of the cow behind the tree-just like the book. Finn loves a story, so I often use these to inspire him and keep him going when we’re on a walk. Thanks for linking up #adventurecalling

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  22. Pingback: An Early Autumn Walk On The Scotney Castle Estate – Sensational Learning with Penguin
  23. Pingback: #KCACOLS – 17th February 2019 • A Moment With Franca

Leave a comment