South Downs B&B, Midhurst, England

Environment

Living in The Downs being in touch with nature is part and parcel of everyday life. We put tremendous effort into maintaining our garden so we and our guests can enjoy its serenity. We are surrounded by a three or four foot well trimmed hedge and other plants so the manicured lawn feels like a real haven. With the hose-pipe ban water conservation is integral for the upkeep of the garden and I collect water from a rain butt positioned on the shed. My hanging baskets are beautiful. They are arranged by the experts at the Rotherhill Nursey who each year provide me with a lovely selection of bulbs that bloom into stunning flowers. We have also introduced all the modern necessary amenities into the business to make our negative environmental impact decrease – we have half-flush facilities on all our toilets, recycle all waste and compost natural materials into compost for use on in the garden.

As we welcome a lot of walkers it is important to note that you do not need to travel here via car. We are on the bus route from Chichester and many people like to get off at Cocking – just under 3 miles away – and enjoy a relaxing amble to Midhurst. On this route if you take a left off the main road onto Pitsham Lane you are suddenly onto winding country-lanes surrounded by woodland. This is always a perfect start to a trip to the countryside.

Community

My wife runs a local woman’s fashion shop, Stepping Out. It has been described as an Aladdin’s Cave as it is quite small but manages to stock a lot of very unique and bespoke attire. In this way she buys clothes from and supports many local artisan designers. Via the shop we endeavour to support some local charities and we collect in a money box and sponsor people doing events for charity. Recently we have been supporting Dreams come true – a charity that allows ill children to experience some joy in their life and go on a trip of a life-time (swimming with dolphins for example).

Any visitors to Midhurst should of course experience the atmosphere (and sample the ales and food) at one of our many local pubs. Our favourite is the Wheatsheaf. As we effectively offer self-catering accommodation we also recommend our local butchers, Edwards, so guests can cook themselves a tasty lunch and dinner/support our local businesses (obviously the butchers source their meat from local farmers so it really does do a lot of good).

Landscape

The lovely South Downs are right on our doorstep and what I find surprises many people is how changeable this ancient landscape is. Rightly, The Downs are known for their gentle undulating hills and valleys, formed by the eroding chalk surface, but there is even more. From our cottage if one turns left and crosses Bepton Common over the fields of heather, you will spot a pine-tree forest. Inside, in the vast shady undergrowth is a very different landscape of the South Downs, one that many do not expect. Adders, viviparous lizards and much more live in amongst in this undisturbed woodland and are well worth a perusal. I feel the majesty of the Downs breathes expression into one’s veins as it gives you the inspiration to think. The Downs has this amazing way of feeling remarkably familiar, maybe because so many of the views have been replicated and made iconic by artists etc over the years. To appreciate this we recommend visiting the nearby National Trust’s Petworth House. It has the largest collection of artwork in the UK (outside of galleries) and most pertinently, has many of Turner’s masterpieces. Turner’s fame of becoming Britain’s most highly revered Romantic landscape artist was built on his love and appreciation of the South Downs. He painted a lot of the grounds surrounding Petworth and perhaps, most memorably, a view of the Chichester Canal. Seeing your immediate surroundings captured so wonderfully is a remarkable thing.