Firle beacon

 I always find September an odd month for painting . The Summer colours have passed and it's too early for those of  Autumn . 

But......the Hawthorn trees surpass themselves with their fiery red berries  standing  like beacons on the slopes of the South Downs  . 

I headed out to Firle beacon as  the access land from there to Beddingham hill has amazing views and the Hawthorns never disappoint  me . 

                                     Hawthorn trees on the South Downs near Firle beacon
 It was a good walk and the weather was on my side . Photos from my walk can be found on my Facebook page (see link below )

Photos  

It was the tree at the top of Beddingham hill that really caught my attention though with the distant views of the Ouse valley and the town of Lewes . 

I think it makes a wonderful painting 

                                                      "Hawthorn Blaze "  Acrylic on canvas 

 

 

My next walk took me to Firle beacon which gave me views north over the Sussex weald and south towards the sea. For painting inspiration I was rather spoilt for choice! 

Views from Firle beacon

I have walked here many times but today I wanted to spend some time exploring the access land.  

I started at the car park, making my way through the cows that didn't seem to be bothered about anything much, they were just chilling out in the sunshine.

Then as I approached the beacon I spotted a Kestrel . I sat and watched it hover in the air for what seemed like ages before it swooped off down into the long grass way below . It's moments like this that I love about the South downs.

Reaching  the access land I discovered just how steep it was . It wasn't an easy walk but the views made it all worth while. In fact it was so steep that I had to hold on to tufts of grass to help me climb back up ! The older I get the steeper the hills get !  😂😆

I was glad to reach the gate at the top of the path . It's obviously not walked very often as I then had to beat my way through overgrown Gorse bushes and Stining nettles . I felt like the Indiana Jones of Sussex ! Ha ha!
It was all good though and my walk down to Firle was edged with beautiful Orchids .

I have several views to paint from this walk,  but I thought the first would have to be the stile that I struggled to get back from . It just  seemed to perfectly  capture my day .

                                                "The Path Less Trodden"

Painting of the view from Firle beacon . Acrylic on canvas

 

Summer painting and The South Downs

 Summer has now sadly drawn to a close. It's been a strange one this year with so much uncertainty with the Covid virus still around. 

I wasn't able to get out very often so I had to make sure that I made the most of my walks and choose the places that I thought would be best for painting and give me a variety of views. This I decided would be The South Downs.

In the height of Summer I headed off  to Beddingham and Firle. It was a hot sunny day. The paths were filled with wild flowers and butterflies and the fields full of golden crops and sheep grazing at their leisure. Perfect!

I knew it would be busy on the South Downs Way  at Firle beacon so I walked up Beddingham Hill and set off  south towards Newhaven . I was greeted with stunning views towards the sea . From there I headed back north to Firle beacon .  I really couldn't have made a better choice for a walk !

Beddingham to Firle walk

It was an inspiring day and I returned home with plenty of wonderful views to paint ...

                                          "Downland to the Sea"

                                        "Golden to the Sea"

                                          "Summer Heights"

I am very happy to say that they have all found new homes.

                                                               ****************

My second main walk took to to Ditchling beacon and along to the windmills at Clayton  . The Summer was gradually fading away and the colours were more muted. I love this time of year as the Hawthorn bushes are ablaze with red berries like beacons on the slopes . 

Ditchling beacon to Clayton 

Once again it was a wonderful walk with stunning views over The South Downs and the Sussex Weald . I'm still happily painting and holding on to the memories of Summer for as long as I can ! 

                                                       

Windover Hill and The Long Man of Wilmington

Windover Hill and The Long Man of Wilmington

In the heat of the Summer I decided I would take a walk up and over Windover Hill in Wilmington. A walk that I have wanted to do for a long time.
I started at the base of the hill where the chalk image of The long Man of Wilmington stands proudly on the slopes over looking the Sussex landscape. It's almost as if he is guarding the territory.
My climb up the steep paths was a slow one , not only was it very hot but there were so many little blue butterflies that I was afraid I might step on one!

Ascending the hill was no mean feat ( I'm not the fittest of people)  so being passed by a cyclist made me smile at his determination.

Ascending Windover Hill

As you can see the views were magnificent!
The heatwave had turned the landscape into a sun scorched panorama .

Views of Windover Hill

As I reached the top I could see the unmistakeable rise of Firle Beacon in the distance along the route of The South Downs Way.
 This was the perfect view for a painting .....

                                                 "Sun Scorched to the Beacon" 
                                       Acrylic on canvas 24" x 18" 

"Sun Scorched to the Beacon" Acrylic on canvas