Downland Poddle Part Two

Continuing on from yesterday's ramble......Coates is a tiny village only a mile or so away. It too has a little gem of a Downland church called St Agatha's. This type has a charm of its own- an unadorned elegance with white washed walls and clear glass lancet windows. There are a couple of patches of medieval wall paintings left in situ.

More unusually the church has its door on the North side. I'm not sure that this applies in this particular case but there are a few medieval Sussex churches which have bricked up doors in the North wall. These are known as devil's doors and the belief was that because unbaptised children brought the devil in with them he needed his own portal to make good his escape. Some are far too small to have been of any practical use.

Coates itself enjoys a SSI status as it has the only non introduced cluster of the very rare Field Cricket. The skies were full of birds collecting nesting material. I never cease to be joyful when spotting a Buzzard circling overheard. Rarely seen here twenty years ago they are thankfully now a much more common sight. The very fuzzy photo is an Egret....just as well H was with us as I'd have assumed that it was just another seagull I was looking at. It was a long way off in the distance.

Spring is definitely beginning to peek out from all corners- both the Magnolia and Pussy Willow are just coming out.

To round off some of the slightly more eclectic things which made me smile en route.

Another lovely walk spent exploring my beautiful county.

Arilx