Botley Hill, the Greenwich Meridian & one of Surrey's highest hills - a country walk

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ต.ค. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 36

  • @deethomas8931
    @deethomas8931 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you for these videos and for educating the viewers about all the different areas you visit and the history . I was able to tell my son about Henry VIII visiting Seldon. Also about what was once a green space on seldon High Street. I don't miss a video. Thanks again for all your efforts to make these videos.

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Thank you so much, Dee - I really appreciate it! 😊

  • @tonyfriend7378
    @tonyfriend7378 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you Phil that was a lovely walk really enjoyable 👌🏻

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Thanks Tony!

  • @fluffybadger9832
    @fluffybadger9832 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I remember cycling on my mountain bike along the lane near those water tower & Wireless towers one day in the early 80s, a large American pickup truck with USAF markings & registration passed me on the lane & turned up towards the towers. Made me wonder what else was up there!

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Look up Tatsfield Receiving Station online - interesting reading!

  • @billwilson1320
    @billwilson1320 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Titsey was a good spot to see the Weald!
    1959 💛

  • @amandacann3401
    @amandacann3401 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thank you for sharing, i know this walk very well as i am very lucky to live in the area.

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Glad you enjoyed it, it’s a lovely area, I have more planned as there’s lots to see and various historical sites!

  • @paulgrommit
    @paulgrommit 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Great video as always Phil. Really enjoyed it !

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Cheers mate!

  • @andymcgarty3099
    @andymcgarty3099 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I remember cycling up Titsey Hill and on the B269. Problem with growing up in Warlingham is that you always had to cycle up a hill to get back home!
    Lots of GCHQ sites up on that part of the hill. I remember huge earth works and building which vanished under the hill a few weeks later. Wonder if its still there? And we had the peace camp in the 80s.
    I did a couple of Warlingham School sponsored walks, great excuse to get the day off. I don't remember being there for lunch. I do remember walking along Harrow road on the way home and popping home for a pee.
    Some of those oncoming cars seemed a bit close!
    Another cracking video, thanks yet again.

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Cheers Andy, I will certainly return and cover more sites/history in this area - hopefully in the better weather

  • @peterclark9677
    @peterclark9677 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I remember when I plane hit one of those aerials

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Roughly when was that, Peter? Id like to investigate further, thanks.

  • @davehannigan7446
    @davehannigan7446 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Very enjoyable Phil. Botley Hill Farmhouse has a special place in my heart. first went there when about 5 years old with my parents for morning coffees at the weekend. Also the odd Sunday lunch which i remember being fantastic. The place was run by 2 older ladies who did a roaring trade! 50 years on, it's always been a venue where i would take my Dad on my trips back from the US. Home away from home. The food is still very good. I've not done this walk, but if you drive along the Ridge towards Woldingham there is a little car park on the left with great views to the South beyond the M25 out to Gatwick and even the South Downs on a clear day.

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I remember the ladies well! I will incorporate the Ridge Viewpoint on another walk I think, I will be revisiting this area as it is growing on me!

    • @davehannigan7446
      @davehannigan7446 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@philswallow I thoroughly look forward to that! And yes you did me proud, felt like I was home watching this.

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@davehannigan7446 nice one, objective met!!

  • @chromiumphotography5138
    @chromiumphotography5138 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Can you remember when the tea rooms had a sign incorporating a yellow cartwheel in it? Before there eas anything like the set up they have now.

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      In the 80s certainly & probably some of the 90s?

  • @julieleverentz5846
    @julieleverentz5846 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Enjoyed that Phil. Shame about the annoying ads that keep jumping in but realise there’s nothing you can do about that! Really interesting, thank you.

  • @paulgrommit
    @paulgrommit 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Following on from you Biggin Hill walk last month, I went with my Dad to the Hurricane Hangar at the airport for his birthday and spent the day in the general area with a lunch at the Crown Inn and at coffee at The Landing cafe and a visit round the Memorial museum. All thanks to your inspiration to go out that way for the day. A video inside the airport (whatever you can capture) would be a great video.

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I’ll definitely do a follow-up, Paul. I have a present of a voucher for the Technical Tour of the Spitfire Hangar which I will book for this summer. It’s a great place there

    • @paulgrommit
      @paulgrommit 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@philswallow we were really lucky as they hadn’t been able to send up the Spitfires for a few days, due to the weather, so they sent up 2 on the day we were there (last Saturday) and was up close when they started up, taxied out and took off. Amazing experience and didn’t realise how many Spitfires were over there now. The museum is also so informative and well worth a visit.

  • @TheMycal246
    @TheMycal246 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    When you got to Chalk pit Lane if you turned left and went towards the ridge. There used to be a firing range which your great aunt Laura and great uncle Albert used to live on. The range was where Fort cottages are. They were the accommodation for the riflemen who worked on the range. I believe there is still a large concrete block near the Fort cottages.

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  6 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Thanks mate, I remember Nan talking about that so will look into it further 👍🏻

  • @rogerdodger61
    @rogerdodger61 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Phil, here's something for you to research, based on Botley hill.........back in the 70's (before we got served in the local pubs) my old dad used to drink in the Hare & Hounds, next to Chelsham bus garage.
    Every so often, there would be a visit from a couple of USAF personnel, who inevitably arrived in a USAF logo'd left hand drive pick-up of typical US design. They were friendly guys, and my dad would often chat to them. Now, here's the question........where, within reasonable driving distance to warrant going to the Hare & Hounds, was there a USAF facility in the SE anywhere near us? (Biggin Hill was already a commercial field I believe and no military personnel, especially US personnel, were based there).
    Second part to this (and leading into the main question)........the radio masts you caught on video in this walk, well, there have been masts there on Botley Hill/Titsey since as long as I can remember, and way before the advent of mobile phones. General consensus in the day was that they were then part of the 'Cold War' early warning system.......and this brings me to the killer part (of sorts).......there was a rumour, that somewhere beneath the Botley/Titsey hills area, was a full blown, US army subterranean city, and that is where these occasional USAF guys appeared from for a crafty pint.
    Now, as unlikely as this seems, I do recall a story of a guy in our road (a few years older than me) driving down a very rough, out of the way track somewhere around Tatsfield, late one night with girlfriend in tow, goodness knows why, and suddenly being confronted by armed soldiers and made to immediately turn round and get the hell away. I'm sure this is just old folklore rubbish, but hey, worth a think!!!
    I look forward to your next video examining these claims, and consequently visiting you in jail :) All the best.....Roger

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Roger, I know all the answers but sadly can’t show them here for fear of being rounded up! Actually there are some facts that surround some of this that I have found when researching. I may cover them in a podcast that will end up as a video anyway - stay tuned!

  • @LoremIpsum1970
    @LoremIpsum1970 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Lovely, if slipper walk. Have you ever gone down to Titsey Place on video? I'm not very good at searching...

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Not yet, although I will use it as a base for a walk this summer. You are not allowed to use cameras inside the house so I completely respect that. But there are some Roman sites nearby . . .

    • @LoremIpsum1970
      @LoremIpsum1970 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@philswallow Probably going these soon myself. As posted on the Limps vid, Titsey Place reopens tomorrow. Are you going to do any of the walks?

  • @peterclark9677
    @peterclark9677 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I think it was in the ninetees i was working for Croydon Council then it was a wet and low cloud day and the aircraft was circling for some time i think it came down from Blackpool with six people on board, if that is any help.

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I’ll take a look, thanks.

  • @chromiumphotography5138
    @chromiumphotography5138 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

    An interesting walk centred around Botley Hill. Have a bit of a soft spot for the pub, as they used to serve a good selection of Shepherd Neame beers.
    Look at the slippy slidy footpaths in a positive way - it means that people are using the .
    As I think there may be a follow up to this, won't mention other notable sites of interest nearby.
    With your interests in the water infrastructure, there is a pretty big elephant in the room (really area) that you never mention. Will ask on the next podcast.
    Don't go running for anything, it's a fool's errand!

    • @philswallow
      @philswallow  8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I’m intrigued! There will be at least two more in that area I think. There are references to water in many locations but I haven’t investigated them yet. All in good time and on Monday in the live podcast!