Butser Hill
Petersfield
Liphook
South Downs
hills
|
previous
When I left Weston, my intention was, to go from Hambledon to Up
Park, thence to Arundel, ... but, when I got to Botley, and
particularly when I got to Hambledon, I found my horse's back so
much hurt by the saddle, that I was afraid to take so long a
stretch, ... Our way, therefore, this morning, was over
Butser-hill to Petersfield, in the first place; then to Lyphook
and then to this place [Thursley], in all about twenty-four
miles. Butser-hill belongs to the back chain of the South-downs;
and, indeed, it terminates that chain to the westward. It is the
highest hill in the whole country. Some think that Hindhead,
which is the famous sand-hill over which the Portsmouth road goes
at sixteen miles to the north of this great chalk-hill; some
think that Hindhead is the highest hill of the two. Be this as
it may, Butser-hill, which is the right-hand hill of the two
between which you go at three miles from Petersfield going
towards Portsmouth; this Butser-hill is, I say, quite high
enough; and was more than high enough for us, for it took us up
amongst clouds that wet us very nearly to the skin. In going
from Mr. Goldsmith's to the hill, it is all up hill for five
miles. Now and then a little stoop; not much; but regularly with
these little exceptions, up hill for these five miles. The hill
appears, at a distance, to be a sharp ridge on its top. It is,
however, not so. It is, in some parts, half a mile wide or more.
|
hills
South Downs
mist
cloud
downs
woods
Butser Hill
Petersfield
|
The road lies right along the middle of it from west to east,
and, just when you are at the highest part of the hill, it is
very narrow from north to south; not more, I think, than about
a hundred or a hundred and thirty yards. This is as interesting
a spot, I think, as the foot of man ever was placed upon. Here
are two valleys, one to your right and the other to your left,
very little less than half a mile down to the bottom of them, and
much steeper than a tiled roof of a house. These valleys may be,
where they join the hill, three or four hundred yards broad.
They get wider as they get farther from the hill. Of a clear day
you see all the north of Hampshire; nay, the whole county,
together with a great part of Surrey and of Sussex. You see the
whole of the South-Downs to the eastward as far as your eye can
carry you; and, lastly, you see over Portsdown Hill, which lies
before you to the south; and there are spread open to your view
the isle of Portsea, Portchester, Wimmering, Fareham, Gosport,
Portsmouth, the harbour, Spithead, the Isle of Wight and the
ocean. ... ... We frequently talk of clouds coming from dews;
and we actually see the heavy fogs become clouds. We see them
go up to the tops of hills, and, taking a swim round, actually
come and drop down upon us and wet us through; but, I am now
going to speak of clouds coming out of the sides of hills in
exactly the same manner that you see smoke come out of a
tobacco-pipe, and, rising up, with a wider and wider head, like
the smoke from a tobacco-pipe, go to the top of the hill, or over
the hill, or very much above it, and then come over the valleys
in rain. ... These appearances take place, especially in warm and
sultry weather. It was very warm yesterday morning: it had
thundered violently the evening before: we felt it hot even
while the rain fell upon us at Butser-hill. Petersfield lies in
a pretty broad and very beautiful valley. On three sides of it
are very lofty hills, partly downs and partly covered with trees;
and, as we proceeded on our way from the bottom of Butser-hill
to Petersfield, we saw thousands upon thousands of clouds,
continually coming puffing out from different parts of these
hills and towering up to the top of them. I stopped George
several times to make him look at them; to see then come puffing
out of the chalk downs as well as out of the woodland hills; ...
This is a really curious matter. I have never read, in any book,
any thing to lead me to suppose that the observation has ever
found its way into print before. ...
|
