ASCOT AND GOODWOOD 79 



miles of wooded uplands. Range upon range of hills are 

 discernible on a clear day, as far as the eye can travel, but 

 the villages are hidden away in the hollows, and from the 

 top of the stand it is almost impossible to discern a human 

 habitation on this north side. At the back of the stands, 

 and over half of the lawn, venerable beeches spread their 

 shade, and immediately behind lies the famous " Birdless 

 Grove," a beech plantation where the feathered songster is 

 unknown. Why the birds of the district should forsake 

 this particular wood is a mystery which I have never been 

 able to penetrate. Plenty of them are to be seen and heard 

 lower down the park, but in all my journeys through the 

 Birdless Grove I have never seen a bird nor heard any note 

 beyond that of a carrion crow, and he was in full flight high 

 above the beeches. To the east of the stands the paddock 

 lies, and this paddock is situated right on the crown of 

 the hill, so that views are obtainable on either side. The 

 north view I have described. To the south a vast pano- 

 rama of open country lies, with the English Channel 

 beyond, and the hills of the Isle of Wight further away. 

 Of the two this is really the prettier peep, and it is seen 

 to advantage on the early part of the return journey to 

 Chichester. 



The one drawback to Goodwood is that it is so far away 

 from London, so that one either has to go through a great deal 

 of travelling during the week, or incur considerable expense 

 by taking up quarters for the meeting in the neighbourhood 

 of the course. The Brighton Railway Company run special 

 trains from London to Chichester on each day of the meet- 

 ing, and the railway journey occupies about two hours each 

 way. Then the drive from Chichester to the Grand Stand 

 takes more than an hour, being nearly all uphill, so that 

 should one elect to do the meeting from town each day, 

 about seven hours must be spent in travelling. The Brighton 

 Company issue a cheap ticket, available for a fortnight, be- 

 tween London, Chichester, Brighton and Lewes, and with 

 this it is possible to do the four days at Goodwood, three 

 at Brighton, and two at Lewes, for a very reasonable cost. 

 Still, the nine days of racing involve something like a 



