Arlington Bluebell Walk

Sunday, 2 May 2021 10:00

By Robert Veitch @Gingerb0b

The sight of bluebells herald spring and the life enhancing feeling that those warmer, longer days of summer are just around the corner, as Robert Veitch discovered when he visited John McCutchan at Arlington Bluebell Walk

It was instigated by my wife, Carolyn,” revealed John McCutchan as he spoke warmly of her serendipitous idea of 1972. “We began as a spontaneous fundraiser for an open-air swimming pool at Park Mead Primary School in Upper Dicker.”

The response to that initial spontaneity was overwhelming and so the gesture was repeated for a second year, third year, and now into a forty-eighth year. Since 1972, over £1,100,000 pounds has been raised, helping fund over 75 different charities.

When I met John, his team was repainting the Bluebell Barn and creating a new terraced picnic area in preparation for the new season. His enthusiasm was beguiling for a man in his eighties as he showed me around.

“Each charity receives a guaranteed amount of income, but they have guidelines to follow so we can offer a consistent, high quality experience. Charities provide refreshments and man the ‘meet and greet area’ as well as The Gatehouse.”

John’s devotion to his wood was obvious as he showed me Beatons Wood, the area that sparked things off. It incorporates The Millennium Walk, Upper and Lower Ponds, and Memorial Glade. Beatons Wood undulates gently, offering enchanting vistas, captivating panoramas, and the chance to slow down to the speed of Mother Nature. Every four years an area is coppiced. Oaks in a recently coppiced area look majestic, stretching up to the heavens above.

Early season sees white anemones predominate, then the first bluebells flower and intersperse. As anemones fade, bluebells become sovereign. The bluebells are English native Common Bluebells (Hyacinthoides nonscripta), a protected species. They’ve grown in these woods for generations, for centuries.

Over time, seven coloured walks of varying lengths with different things to see have evolved. John recalled “They got their colours from the fertiliser bags we used to indicate each route in the early days.”

The first decade saw 58,000 visitors. Last year alone 25,000 visited and the 14 mobility scooters were used 500 times.

John’s father, Stanley, purchased Beatons Wood from the Michelham Priory Estate in 1925. It’s a 23-acre deciduous ancient woodland, consisting of oak, hornbeam, hazel and sweet chestnut.

John paused when asked if he could imagine things as they are today, back in 1972. “No”, he chuckled, “back then I had a lot of Turkeys, all year round. I was born in the house I still live in. I hope to take my last breath in the room I took my first. I walk around the woods and just think how lucky I am.”

John McCutchan is as impressive as the woods he maintains for all of us.

Please check the website before visiting for the latest news.

Pre-booking is essential.

Open until 19th May.

Website: www.bluebellwalk.co.uk

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Arlington Bluebell Walk

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