15 



L.B. & S.C.R., the train service is, for a place of its size, exception- 

 ally frequent, and the former company having no stopping station 

 between London and Croydon, the time occupied on the journey is 

 considerably reduced. On the other hand, it is just two miles further 

 away from the chart, and two very uninteresting miles they are — first 

 along the high road, which is rapidly becoming bordered by more or 

 less desirable villa residences, and then over Limpsfield Common, a 

 none too attractive bit of furze covered land now used as a golf- 

 links, and uphill nearly the whole way, so that the prospect of any 

 collecting on this part of the route is very poor ; but once over the 

 common the half mile of lanes leading to the woods are pleasant 

 enough, and the hedges and broken ground at their sides no doubt 

 worth the attention of the collector. 



The accompanying map will no doubt enable any one desiring to 

 reach the district via Oxted to find their way without difficulty, but 

 I might mention that, should they not specially wish to visit the 

 " Hoskins Arms," a short distance may be saved by leaving the rail- 

 way station on the down-platform side and keeping to the main 

 road, instead of following the route indicated, to the P.O. wall-box. 



Any really fine days in the summer months of the year of grace 

 1903 are surely events to be recorded, and Saturday, June 27th, is 

 therefore worthy of special mention. The weather for some time 

 previous to the 20th had been very bad, barely fourteen hours sun- 

 shine was recorded for the week ending on that date, while for the 

 same period a rainfall of 373 inches was registered, bringing the 

 total for the first three weeks of the month to approximately 6^ 

 inches, thus easily beating any previous record for the whole month 

 of June. Temperature, too, had been low, the exposed thermo- 

 meter falling to within three degrees of freezing-point on one night 

 during the week above referred to, while one day maximum was 

 only 49°. But on the 21st the weather began to mend, and 

 although night temperatures were occasionally low, those of the day 

 rose steadily from 61° on Sunday, 21st, to 84° on Saturday, 27 th, 

 the day of the meeting. 



The sun was shining brightly when some fourteen members left 

 London Bridge Station (S.E.R.) in the carriages specially reserved 

 for them on the 2.13 train, and, being joined by others e?i route, the 

 total attendance, on arrival at Oxted Station about three o'clock, was 

 brought to twenty-two. Carriages were in readiness, and the party 

 thus conveyed over the uninteresting two miles of road already 

 referred to, to the cross-ways by " Briars Cross " at the top of the 

 common, where the journey on foot was commenced. 



Taking the lane on the left hand — many of the party at once com- 

 menced collecting, while others took the opportunity of securing 

 photographs of many of the picturesque bits of scenery that were 

 met with by the way — and continuing past Ridland's Farm on the 

 left and the hop-garden on the right to Whitemare Pond, the heather- 

 covered borders of the chart were reached. Some hundred yards or 



