Western Weald is in the New National Park

I'm still pinching myself to make sure it's true. Last week the decision to create the South Downs National Park was finally announced, a mere 60years after it was first recommended and 9 years after the current process started.

The delay gives you some idea of the strength of the arguments on both sides, both for and against, that have waxed and waned through the years. Not surprising, creating a National Park in amongset the rat race that is the South East is going to be contentious. As you'd expect, the arguments look set to continue, but the decision has been taken and the boundaries set bar a few additional inclusions which have yet to be consulted upon.

Until it was announced last week, the shape that the National Park would take remained unclear. One of the major concerns was that areas currently protected as a part of the South Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) would be excluded from the National Park, and thereby possibly losing their protected status.

This was particularly true for the Western Weald, an area of essentially undeveloped and characteristic woodland and heathlands on the greensand hills of the Sussex/Hampshire borders which provides much of the setting for the chalk hills of the south downs. The Western Weald could be said to be a forgotten corner, especially Lynchmere, as its often hard to get people in Chichester to believe that we are in West Sussex at all. It's hard to find books or articles on the Western Weald, but those that do exist are often quite special. Gilbert White's 'A natural History of Selbourne' for example. As the preface to the New Naturalist 'The Weald' says in 1953, 'It is no accident that Gilbert White's parish lies in a part of the Weald where the most diverse types of land come together.'

But in the event the Western Weald is in the National Park and I am delighted. I'm biased of course. The park boundary comes down our road, so the woods on the other side of the road are in the park. Which means that I can get up in the morning and say 'My doesn't the National Park look good today!' I hope these photos show just a hint of some of the magic that is the Western Weald.


The announcement was made at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, which is where I am off to on Friday for a long 4 days of demonstrating over the Easter Weekend. The weather is not looking too good for Friday, but improving for Saturday and Sunday.