I’m not ruling out a fungi-spotting world tour one day, but for now I’ll just share a couple of photos from a beautiful day in the forest at Bury Hill last Friday. I’ve included the Latin names of the few that I think, I recognise. Please do correct me, if I’m wrong and if you know the names of the others, feel free to leave a comment.

OK, so I might be the only one who bursts out laughing at the sight of some of these beauties, but if their shapes don’t  tickle you, their common names might: Above, amongst others, we have a Stinkhorn, a White False Deathcap, a Magpie Inkcap, a Yellow Stagshorn and a Collared Earthstar.

To help me identify the fungi, I used the Wild About Britain web site, which has thousands of photos of weird and wonderful fungi.

Note: originally published in July 2008, updated in July 2010.

If you’re looking for a day trip out of London, Arundel with its castle, quiant little streets and swans on the river is hard to resist. Even more so if you can time your visit to the historic town to coincide with the famous Arundel Festival held late August.

The 2010 Arundel Festival runs from 20 – 30 August and includes a number of outdoor concerts and plays. This year also includes open air cinema at Swanbourne Lake. As it’s held in August the festival has in the past been plagued by the temperamental British summer weather, so it’s worth mentioning that tickets are non-refundable.

For international guests who rely on public transport back to London, the evening concerts can be a bit tricky, as the last train from Arundel station to London leaves at 22:57.

However, day time events are in abundance during the festival as well, including the Arundel Festival Theatre Trail and the Arundel Gallery Trail.

The Arundel Festival Theatre Trail is a series of plays by Drip Action Theatre Company staged at different venues in Arundel during the festival. 8 plays are performed every day this year including “The Inner Soprano” and “The Visitor”.

While I have yet to experience the Theatre Trail, I have enjoyed some amazing pieces of art on the Arundel Gallery Trail. I felt a bit awkward entering someone’s home to view art, but the artists were very welcoming. The Arundel Gallery Trail runs from 20-30 August this year and features the work of more than 100 artists. All Arundel Gallery Trail venues have free entrance.

Arundel is worth a visit at any time of the year, but if you can fit in a bit of art, music, theatre and fireworks, come visit from 20 – 30 August. I know, I will.

External Links:

- Arundel Festival: http://www.arundelfestival.co.uk/

- Arundel Festival Theatre Trail: http://www.dripaction.co.uk/

- Arundel Gallery Trail: http://www.arundelgallerytrail.co.uk/

- National Rail Enquiries: http://nationalrail.co.uk/

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Arundel, West Sussex – View of Sussex

I don’t know the official stats for this pollen season, but for me it’s been one of the worst seasons, I can remember. So if you’re planning a visit, my advice, for what it is worth, is to check the pollen forecasts and bring your medications.

I went out with my camera on Wednesday to take some autumn photos. Surprisingly I came back a lot more cheerful than I’d expected. Who would have thought that West Sussex can be this colourful in mid-September and that weed can be this pretty. Some of the photos would have turned out a lot better if they’d been shot with a macro lense, which I don’t own. But hopefully you’ll still enjoy some of them.