A day of fizz and fun in the Surrey Hills

There’s nothing quite like a glass of something sparkling to make an occasion feel special. As a former professional hot air balloon pilot, I have been used to opening a bottle of Champagne after every passenger flight as part of the ballooning experience. Words and pictures by Dani Maimone.

It is in part through ballooning that I have been fortunate enough to visit several well-known Champagne houses such as Moët & Chandon, Bollinger and the iconic Veuve Clicquot as well as several smaller artisan houses. So it was with great interest that I prepared to embark on a journey around some of Surrey’s vineyards where English sparkling wine is being produced and now winning international awards.

Mike Keeble, an accountant from Shere, recently returned from a trip to Champagne with a light bulb moment. Realising that our UK sparkling wines are gaining pride of place on the world stage and that some of the vineyards producing them were literally on his doorstep, he thought it would be a great idea to set up sparkling wine tours in Surrey. Why travel to France when some of the best vineyards are right here?

Mike said: “It’s only fairly recently that UK sparkling wines have been considered a true threat to the market place but now even the famous Champagne houses are taking notice. You know our wines are being taking seriously when famous French names such as Taittinger start buying land and planting up vineyards in the UK with a multi-million pound investment and a plan to produce high quality English sparkling wine“.

Of course, you can’t call it Champagne, unless it has been produced in that region and uisng their method. Having said that, the method, something that is explained to us at our first port of call, Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, is a carefully crafted science that has been used for several hundred years and many wineries outside the Champagne region are now using it to create fabulous effervescent varieties of their own.

Denbies, a former pig and cattle farm located in the Surrey Hills, within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), was set up by Sir Adrian White. It is now managed by his son Christopher and is currently the largest vineyard in the UK boasting 265 acres of vines. Denbies won a total of 29 medals at international awards this year including a gold from the International Wine Challenge for its sparkling Greenfields Cuvée NV. A poignant win, as not only was Greenfields the first sparkling wine to be made at Denbies (originally labelled as Classic Cuvée), but the vineyard is also celebrating its 30th anniversary.

On our arrival at Denbies we were greeted by a glass of their award-winning sparkling wine and welcomed by the knowledgeable Anne Denny, Front of House and Tours Manager. A brief video detailing the history of the vineyard sets the scene for a walking tour of the winery and a trip to the cellars. It was here that Anne produced the bottles for our tasting, all set on a large wooden table in front of beautifully carved oak caskets carefully crafted from trees that were blown down in the great storm of 1987.

It was fascinating to hear that when frost threatens the vines, a large industrial propane burner is used to heat the air around them. I tried to envisage 20 or so hot air balloons all lined up with their burners going as a possible alternative, but I digress. It was a great insight into how the largest vineyard in the UK operates and an education about the terroir, in other words the soil, climate geology and viticulture, that help to create the taste of the wines. It appears that parts of Surrey have the perfect chalk soil and geology similar to the Champagne region, hence the success with grape growing in the area.

From the largest vineyard we made our way to one of the smallest vineyards in Surrey, a tiny, one-acre plot of land with a view to die for that is High Clandon.

This tiny, Mike calls it ‘boutique’ vineyard, is managed by Bruce and Sibylla Tindale. They welcomed us into their home and proudly invited us to tour their delightful vineyard which is past a wildflower meadow, flanked by a bed of beautiful roses and set on a south-facing slope. Sibylla tells us that she can taste a hint of rose in the wine which is made from a special mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes, the classic combination for sparkling wines and Champagne. This charming couple delight in sharing their story and their passion for what they are doing shines through. They started planting the vines in 2004 and bottled their first wines four years later.

We tasted their delicious award celebration vintage and it was no surprise to learn that their 2009 Succession Cuvée won three international wine awards in 2015, two golds and a bronze. This is one of only seven English sparkling wines to achieve this, not bad for a one-acre plot and a man who went back to ‘school’ as a mature student to study the art of viticulture and oenology, gaining a BSc Hons degree in the process.

From the ‘Quintessence’ of High Clandon to a quintessential British pub, The Queens Head in West Clandon for a pleasant and relaxed lunch stop. Mike regales us with information about the future of sparkling wine in this country and how climate change is having a detrimental impact on the Champagne region. The future is certainly looking rosy or could that be rosé for the UK’s wine industry.

Our next stop was Albury Vineyard that uses a mixture of organic and biodynamic practices to produce their variety of still and sparkling wines. We all understood the organic aspect but the practice of burying cow horns stuffed with dung from lactating organic cows which later gets dug up and used to spray on to the vines, did seem a little, well, bonkers. It was when Nick Wenman, the owner, explained it further that it made more sense. He described it as “an holistic approach, which harmonises nature’s elemental forces of the earth (the soil), water (the vines), air (the weather) and fire (the sun) and also recognises that the phases of the moon have a significant influence on plants”.

Apparently some 500 vineyards around the world use biodymanics and have done for many years, so clearly what’s good enough for them is good enough for Albury and clearly hasn’t stopped Nick and his manager Alex Valescchi producing award winning wines. What I can add to this is that the resulting wines produced using these methods do taste delicious, as we found out on our tour.

We ended our trip with a whistle stop tour of Silent Pool Gin Distillery. Rude not to really as it is literally next-door to Albury Vineyard. This distillery is yet another success story, owned by Ian McCulloch and far exceeding its predictions of producing 4,000 bottles in its first year to 45,000 and that number is growing, such is its popularity.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Mike and English Sparkling Wine Tours for this thoroughly enjoyable day out. I got to meet some lovely people and learnt so much about the UK industry and the fascinating world of viticulture, too much to condense in to this article.

If you are looking for something that is that extra bit special for a small corporate group of say 10-15 people, life celebration or friends day out then at £145 per person this won’t break the bank. Tours can be tailor made to your requirements and take you on a journey that is educational, inspirational and most of all, full of fizz and fun!

To get in touch and book a tour, please call 07968 981915 or email enquiries@englishsparklingwinetours.co.uk. For more information, visit www.englishsparklingwinetours.co.uk



Weekend Walk: Peaslake Circular (4.5 miles)

This is a very charming walk, with some majestic views and lovely houses guaranteed to give you house envy! The walk takes you through woods and fields with hardly any ups or downs. It is dog friendly (although there are two stiles which a very big dog may struggle with) and only the final, short section was muddy when I walked it at the end of April 2016. The walk was submitted by Guildford Rambling Club (see guildfordramblingclub.org.uk. SR

1. Go up the path at the left-hand side of the Inn and into a field at the back.. Stay on its left-hand side until you are level with a large house off to the left. Here turn right and walk across the field and down to cross a stile into another field. Stay on its right-hand side until exiting, to the right, over a stile and onto a road. Jink left and turn right into the mouth of Burchetts Hollow. Immediately turn left through a gate and walk out across a very large field. The path exits in the far left-hand bottom corner through trees onto a road.

2. Turn right and walk along this road, passing Oak Farm. Take a footpath out left into and across a field, passing a small lake to reach a road. Go straight across and into another field. Stay on the right-hand side as you climb a rise and enter a fence/hedge corridor. Continue forward, dipping down then up and crossing another field to reach road opposite a large house. Go left for 20 yards and then take a footpath out right and into a field.

3. Go anti-clockwise around its edge to reach the far left-hand corner. A gate takes you into a wide grassy corridor where you turn right and follow the track down a dip and up. At the top, follow the path through a small gate into and across a field. You can see Dilton Farm away to your left. Go over a stile and along a short corridor to a T junction with a wide track. Turn left and walk along to turn left into the entrance to Dilton Farm.

4. Pass the wooden house and turn right on a footpath into a field. Walk clockwise around the edge of the field through into the next field. The path breaks off left, over a stile and along through an avenue of large trees. You can see Knowle Farm ahead. Near the house the path swings sharp left and you follow it, ignoring the footpath right. Pass a few houses and reach Hound House and a road. Cross (because of the blind bend) to go right for 100 yards to take a footpath left, into a field.

5. Follow the wide track half-right, out across the field until it turns right and goes through a gate at the edge of Wickham’s Copse. Just inside the gate the path forks left, into trees. Follow this path straight ahead until passing the huts of the Bentley Copse holiday centre, off to your right, and reaching a cross paths with a bridleway. Turn left and follow the bridleway through the trees and keep on until reaching a T junction with a road. Jink left and immediately take an unsigned path off right and down a slope into the large Walking Bottom car park at Peaslake.

6. Walk out of the entrance of this car park onto the road. Turn right and immediately take the footpath on the right running above and parallel to the road. This brings you around the back of the church to a T junction with the lane up to the main cemetery. Here you turn left and drop down onto the road by Inn and the starting car park.

DISTANCE: 4.5 miles

OS MAPS: Explorer 145 Guildford & Farnham

STARTING POINT: The public car park in Pond Lane adjacent to the Hurtwood Inn car park. (There is another one 300 yards along Walking Bottom, the road in front of the Inn.)

REFRESHMENTS:  The Hurtwood Inn, Peaslake GU5 9RR. www.hurtwoodinn.com



How to stay independent in later life

Carol Martin talks to people making different choices about how they live as they get older

Eighty-year-old Keith Swindells leads a very full life. A keen walker, he can take the disused railway either way to Guildford or Cranleigh from his rented flat in Bramley. Books line his lounge so it is handy that the library is next door and he is an active member of the church a few hundred yards away.

“I am totally independent” Keith explains. “I’m in a safe place and if something happens and my condition deteriorates then I am not dependent on my family. I would have help to get the right services in.”

Keith lives in council run Blunden Court in Bramley High Street. There are 28 self-contained flats alongside resident facilities including lounges, laundry rooms and attractive gardens. Catering for those over 60 (or over 55 with a disability) this type of accommodation used to be called ‘sheltered housing’ . But it has been aptly renamed ‘independent living’ according to visiting manager Lucy Hunter.

Residents here are not all as physically active as Keith. That doesn’t matter as carers can come and go and assist them as required. The manager here will work on a support plan with a resident to assess risks and daily living needs and will check on residents every day. There are social activities organised every day of the week so nobody living here needs to feel isolated or lonely.

Lucy Hunter says that one of the best parts of her role as a manager is showing people around. Potential residents say they were expecting a clinical, residential home where they were told what to do. They are pleasantly surprised. Lucy says “Once here they say ‘it’s the best thing I ever did’ and ‘I wish I had done this sooner’. “
It seems paradoxical that by accepting help you can keep your independence in later life for as long as possible. You might choose to move into a different type of accommodation so that you no longer have to climb the stairs or tackle maintenance and gardening. Or you might decide to stay in your own home and organise some sort of care to help with daily living. There is a lot of choice now to enable you to keep in control of how you live your life.

Between 2006 and 2026 it is estimated that the number of people aged 60 and over will increase by 29%. Figures in the 85+ age group show an increase of 60%. So there are a lot of us who will need to find out about the options available and make decisions as we age and our needs change.

Mr and Mrs Bell chose to move to a purpose-built retirement village, see below. Others like Keith have some on-site support from a manager and a domestic.

Retirement Village – The choice of Mr and Mrs Bell
On the first of October we moved into a two bedroom Villa in Richmond Village at Painswick, Gloucestershire. My wife Noni had seen an advertisement in a local magazine.

We felt it was time to leave our four bedroom house in Chipping Campden and its garden and take advantage of the amenities available in some form of retirement home. At our age, 87 and 84, it was time to do some serious planning before nature forced our hand.

Richmond Painswick appealed to me particularly as it has a Spa and I like swimming. It seemed appropriate for Noni too as she had just spent almost two months in hospital with a broken hip and had lost mobility. This had resulted in our having to curtail our social activity very considerably.

While our family did their best to help us we didn’t want to become a burden, and Richmond Painswick could offer a solution. They had a care home next door and a restaurant.

Our accommodation is ideal. We were fortunate to be offered a villa just as our house in Campden was sold. Taking on a lease as opposed to full ownership means we don’t need to worry about the building, either maintenance or insurance. We were able to refurbish to our specification under the terms of the lease, enjoying the support of Richmond Painswick management at the same time.

Having lived in our villa for five months, we are convinced we made a wise choice. Richmond management has been very helpful when needed, and we have met several other owners who are becoming our friends. The restaurant chef has gone out of his way to accommodate Noni’s vegetarian preferences. The swimming pool and sauna are as good as it gets!

Looking back, we were wise to make our move while we both felt totally in control. Being 80 doesn’t necessarily focus the mind, but it should. A move at this stage in life is manageable and procrastination can steal the best from the last decades.

We would seriously recommend choosing a retirement village. Don’t wait till fortune forces the move. You might wind up somewhere else!

Homeshare is another option. This is where someone is at home and needs help with daily living and is matched with a person who needs housing and will offer practical support in return for a roof over their head. Assisted living is one step up from sheltered housing with additional support in place. This might include help with meals and personal care. Close care is good for couples who live next to a care home and can have outreach support.

All of these are alternatives to residential homes that most of us think of when we imagine care in later life. Care homes still suit many and despite perceptions need not mean a complete loss of independence.

At charity run Abbeyfield Wey Valley Society residential homes in Farnham, staff work hard to provide person-centred care. With close links to the local community they have a large group of volunteers who visit, organise outings and help with hospital trips. They also have an open door policy within the homes for friends and family.

Mr Nicholson (above right) who lives in the residential wing of Hatch Mill says of his experience: ”The environment, medical and daily care provided by Abbeyfield Wey Valley Society, along with the social activities are all very positive. This allows me to be in reasonable control of my life with further assistance from my family who are always welcome when they visit.” Life must be good for Mr Nicholson – he is regularly seen in the sun lounge enjoying a glass of lager while doing the crossword, see left!

Not everyone wants to move in later life. Many people prefer to stay in their own homes with their treasured possessions or pets and where precious memories have been made.

The answer can be live-in care. Rosamond Lomax and her brother organised live-in care for their mother after she was widowed, approaching 90 and suffering from poor mobility. Rosamond’s mother had spent her career in the visual arts and as a fashion designer and was anxious to get back to her own beautiful home environment after a recuperative spell in a nursing home.

With a sharp mind and an keen interest in politics and current affairs Rosamond’s mother needed the right carer to provide the social interaction she was looking for. Rosamond went to specialist live-in care agency Loga Care in Bentley, Farnham to get help. With 250 carers on their books Loga Care is able to match the personalities of the carer to the client, mindful that they will be sharing the same home.

Abbeyfield Wey Valley – 01252 735507
www.abbeyfieldweyvalley.co.uk

Loga Care – 01252 852100, www.logacare.com

Hexagon Healthcare – 01252 350095, www.hexagonhealthcare.co.uk



Craftsman in Iron

Phil Kemp talks to one of our local blacksmiths at his forge in Forest Green

The ancient art of transforming hard metal into practical, tactile and beautiful objects has its origins through the far distant mists of time. And indeed this almost mysterious art has remained largely unchanged over many hundreds of years – almost as though in blatant rebellion against the tireless march of technological advancement that has enveloped the modern world.

Tucked away in the picturesque Surrey Hills countryside is a forge that has for over thirty years crafted iron into all manner of amazing things, and all by hand proving that the blacksmith’s hammer will never rest regardless.

James Davies describes himself as an artist in iron, and there is no doubt that it is a perfect description. Working from his Forest Green Forge, adjacent to the village green and with The Parrot Inn close by, James wields his hammer with measured skill and boundless energy. All around him scattered across workbenches are the tools of his trade – with of course the forge at its heart, its flames roaring to the tune of the bellows pumping air to ensure the metal to be beaten glows almost white hot.

James’ story of how he came to be a blacksmith is fascinating, as much by its novelty as it is for his love of iron.

“Although I initially started working with iron when I left school, I actually spent my early years in the aircraft industry making precision panels for instruments in Harrier jump jets,” said James, with a smile on his face as he saw my surprised reaction. “Seems strange I know, but my experience there of having to work with materials accurate to thousandths of an inch taught me how to craft with amazing accuracy.”

His lucky break was being recruited by one of the country’s most celebrated blacksmiths who helped forge James’ future. “I joined the Richard Quinnell Forge in Leatherhead at a time when blacksmithing for art was really taking off. I was working alongside top-class artists doing ironwork, and was part of the industry at its peak when Richard launched the British Artist Blacksmith Association. The Association quickly raised the profile of ironwork art to the public.”

Forest Green Forge has a gallery where visitors can see examples of the enormous range of metal items they have created over the years. “I used to do a lot of interior design work like tables and chairs made from iron, the tables with glass tops,” said James as he showed me around the gallery, where he also has a bench covered in black albums each containing photos of work past and present. “However, the market has changed with people wanting minimalist things, empty rooms not being really artistic. I have got my own niche market now making special commissions, things that you just can’t buy off the shelf. Customers can pop-in and ask me to sketch the ideas they have so we can visualise what they want, or they bring their own sketches. And that’s where the albums also come into their own, stimulating ideas.”

The longer I was in the forge the more I appreciated just how skilled blacksmiths are with their ability not just at heating and shaping metal, but also in understanding how different metals will react in terms of colour and finish. “The craft of metal is so involved and is something you learn over many years. In my office I have got endless files with notes I have made of technology and technique. Metal is always trying to fight. Imagine shaping a piece of plasticine, how easy it is to shape. Take a piece of metal and it will always try to do the opposite of what you want. You have to learn how to beat it into shape; it’s like a battle really.”

James pointed out different objects in the gallery, and you could sense the pride he holds for his work. There are particular items he enjoys making. “I have made so many dragons over the years. They work so well in iron. But I also love making flowers out of metal,” he said pointing out some remarkably life-like metal blooms. “Those lilies look so delicate. And of course they are.”

I asked for a layman’s explanation on the process of taking a rod of iron through all of the stages needed before it ends up as a fragile-looking flower petal. “I can take a six metre long half-an-inch thick strip of metal and forge that into a three millimetre thin strip and shape it into a flower petal,” James explained. “I can get the forge fire up to temperatures around 800 degrees, obviously very hot and hot enough to make iron soft so it behaves a bit like cheese. I have a power hammer with 25 tonnes of pressure to do the initial work, and then do the final shaping using a hand-held hammer. The real skill is getting the metal to exactly the right temperature. Too hot and it will fizzle, spark and burn so that the piece is ruined. Too cold and it won’t be workable.”

The story of the forge buildings is as fascinating as that of what is hidden within its walls. “In 1996 there were only sheds here, all falling apart. I heard about an old 16th century brick-built barn that was threatened with demolition. I had it dismantled and shipped here literally in kit form to be erected as the forge buildings you see now. In 1996 it won the South of England Best Development Award.”

Surreally dominating the centre of the forge gallery is a large free-standing sculpture of an alien flying saucer, seemingly completely out of place until you take time to feel the smoothness of the intricate panel beating, admire the sculpting, and wonder at the subtle variations in colour of the copper patination. This work of art is perhaps the perfect advertisement for James Davies, Craftsman in Iron.

James Davies is at Forest Green Forge, Ewhurst Road, Forest Green, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 5SF
Tel: 01306 621 222
www.forgeanddragon.com



Weekend Walk: Petworth Park: A Landscape of Capabilites (3 miles)

Start the walk from the National Trust, Petworth Park north car park (parking cost £3, free to NT members), located off the A283. From the car park, take the track leading to the west (with the wall on your right) to the view at the top of the hill.

1. Capability Brown laid out the trees bordering the park wall to obscure the road, making the parkland seem more extensive. The herd of fallow deer can often be seen here as they favour the quieter end of the park. Continue along the grassy track, keeping the wall on your right side until you see a little cottage, called Shepherds Lodge.

2. Take the grassy track which rises up to Monument Hill. As you climb the hill you pass a very old sweet chestnut, approximately 500 years old. Continue climbing the hill until you reach a path on the left with a bench in view. Stop for a breather and take in the highest views of the park at 125m above sea level.

3. Follow the path that contours around a bowl giving extensive views over the park and then descend the steep hill back to the stone road and turn right walking towards the mansion. Capability Brown designed the stone track to give an impressive view for guests travelling by horse and carriage from the north.

4. Once you reach the top of the hill, cross onto the grassy path to take you towards the boathouse. Capability Brown swept away the formal gardens at the front of the mansion and created the Upper Pond to make a naturalistic landscape. As you walk down the slope note how the Upper Pond looks like a wide meandering river. This was one of Capability Brown’s trademarks and can be spotted at other Capability Brown landscapes around the country. Walk down the hill, turn left at the cross in the path. Follow the grass track around the railings enclosing the Upper Pond and take the track leading to the top of the hill.

5. From here there are excellent views over the parkland to the surrounding countryside. Looking north towards Blackdown and south to the downs. Proceed down the track towards the Lower Pond to return the car park.

6. Capability Brown built the lower pond between 1756- 1757 to act as a focal point from around the Park which is now an excellent habitat for dragonflies and toads. As you reach the Lower Pond, walk around the pond and along the track towards the car park to finish your walk. See if you can spot the Beelzebub Oak, which dates back to 1779 on your return.

DISTANCE: 3 miles

STARTING POINT: Petworth Park north car park, located off the A283 towards Guildford if travelling from Petworth itself

REFRESHMENTS: Petworth House has a restaurant, coffee shop and a vintage ice-cream and coffee outlet. There are many places in Petworth itself.

Images: David Levenson NT