Old Lodge, West Sussex

Old Lodge is a 20-minute drive from my house and one of my favourite places. If I need to clear my head and remind myself of the real world, this is where I go.

This nature reserve is part of Ashdown Forest but separated from it. Old Lodge has an atmosphere all its own. It’s wilder and isn’t managed in the same way. It feels more like a wilderness, more apart from the roads and houses of West Sussex. As you walk deeper into the reserve, the sounds of traffic diminish. It becomes just you, the birdsong and nature all around you.

I am so grateful for a refuge like this. The human world with its stupid complexity can be overwhelming. Here is just peace and the life of the planet. Underfoot, the vegetation is diverse and abundant. During the summer there are eruptions of floral colour. Stay late and you will likely hear a Nightjar.

This place is a blessing, a place where, for a while, I can return to being a small animal on a beautiful planet.

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