HTAG Guildford - HTAG Winter Walk Feb 04

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HTAG Winter Walk Feb 04

Saturday 7 February started well with a good forecast and a little sunshine. A dozen of us set off promptly at 10.00 am from The Moorhen Pub, Pirbright. We soon arrived at Pirbright Church where we paused to admire the huge rock brought from Africa to commemorate the life of Henry Morton Stanley. It was he who, in 1871, after many difficulties, found Livingstone in the village of Ujiji , quoting the now famous words "Dr Livingstone I presume?". The church and churchyard are well kept and the whole scene is quintessentially English with clumps of snowdrops showing.

Behind the church we crossed the millstream which at this point flows under the bridge and is dark and mysterious like the Nile. Obviously someone else had had the same impression as a fierce looking crocodile had set up home below the bridge. We all crossed quickly like the three little pigs. Chris was allocated as our crocodile wrestler; he was pleased not to have to defend us.

The Basingstoke Canal with a backdrop of woods looked really beautiful in the wintry sunshine. There are many locks, and it was interesting to see the backs of the houses. We knew where we were when we arrived at Brookwood crossways. A short walk along Cemetery Pales and we entered Brookwood Cemetery. The Zoroastrian Cemetery was an enigma as Zoroastrians consider the soil as symbol of the creativity of the Divine Being and hence cannot be defiled by the dead. Fire is a symbol of the fire of God which burns in the heart, hence cremation is not possible.

In fact the cemetery is full of interest, graves, memorials and columbarium give an air of decaying beauty. The well-kept plot for those of our county's heroes who had died in Chelsea Hospital was moving. We are sitting on the large white memorial in one of the photos.

We soon arrived at The Moorhen where a table had been set up for us near the roaring log fire. A varied menu catered for all tastes. We returned happy, tired and with a sense of achievement, having seen part of our environment we were previously unaware of. All this in very good company and having learnt something in the process.

If the Mayday walk is half as good count us all in, we will be watching this space for news of that. Christopher de Chazal