Kingley Vale is a National Nature Reserve, established since 1954, and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is managed by Natural England and it is nestled in the chalklands of Sussex in the South of England, it is also one of my favourite walks.

This countryside jewel is located 5 miles from the historic Roman cathedral town of Chichester and rises up; steeply in places; to over 200 metres above sea level at its highest point across one of the south downs many chalk ridges.

The walk can be accessed from West Stoke where there is a free car park, with a gated fence. The gate leads to a gravel path; flanked on both sides by fields. Then after some 10 minutes or so, the path leads to an unmanned information hut preceded by a beautiful wooden sculpture called The Spirit of Kingley Vale. This beautiful piece of art was apparently sculpted from a yew tree trunk that had been a victim of the great storm of 1987. The name of the sculptor is Walter Bailey.

In my opinion, this is where the walk really begins. The path becomes a little wilder, the trees thicken into woodland on both sides and the magic emanating from this mystical yew forest is tangible.

As the canopy thickens, the light dims and in this low light the ancient yew trees; with their giant trunks, gnarled bark and twisted limbs, look menacing even on the brightest of days. However, these trees although strange, are quite beautiful. Their barks have green, brown and purple hues, the knots and gnarled bark that cover the trunks and branches merge in places to create the appearance of ancient faces that have strained to push their way out of the tree but have become frozen in place and time forever.

These trees have an aesthetic quality about them and I found myself stroking the bark and encircling the trunks with my arms, aware that I was in contact with some of the oldest organisms in Great Britain. It is believed that some of the trees in this enchanting forest are between 800 and 2000 years old so it is no surprise to find that pagan rituals are still performed in these mystical parts today.

In fact as I followed the meandering path through the forest, I was excited to find that people had been here very recently and had left offerings in some of the niches of the Yews. Among these objects were apples and corn dollies and I could only guess at the purpose of these ritual offerings. I'd like to think it was related to fertility.

I have recently learned that all parts of the yew tree are poisonous apart from the red flesh of their berries. Apparently even Julius Caesar considered Yew tree juice as an alternative to hemlock! However, English Yew tree leaves are harvested today and used in the manufacture of a powerful anti cancer drug. Science meets magic.

It took me about 45 minutes to walk slowly through the forest which rises gently up the downland slopes of the valley. The time trickled by as I stopped many times to marvel at all of the magnificent specimens this forest has to offer, and of course to take some photos.

Eventually, the forest opens out into a meadow teeming with butterflies, hoverflies and many other pollinating insects. This meadow is also the foot of bow hill that rises up to meet the heights of the south downs and the resting place of a handful of ancient kings.

There are two ways to get up to Bow hiil, the easy way through another grove of younger yew trees, or straight up goats path. I chose to go up through the woods. The slope is steep but manageable, and I'll admit to a couple of stops to get my breath, but also to take in the views that stretch over Hampshire and West Sussex.

It takes about 30 minutes at a steady pace to get to the top of the hill. There are numerous breaks in the trees where brambles grow and as a lot of the fruit was ripe, it was a lovely refreshment to punctuate the walk.

Once at the top, the hill sweeps around and arrives at the site of six bronze age burial mounds that are known as the Devils Humps or the Kings Graves. There are some legends that state that this cemetery is the final resting place of Viking kings and warriors that defeated the Saxons, and their ghosts haunt the hill to this day, however the barrows have been dated back to the bronze age which pre-dates the Vikings by a few thousand years.

I have heard another legend that suggests that if you want to make a deal with the devil then you should run around one of the bell barrows seven times to make him appear! I personally have no intention of remaining on the hill after dark or of running around the barrows even once.

As well as the archaeological artefacts, another reward is the amazing views that cover more than two counties and stretch out to sea. On a clear day, Chichester cathedral is easy to see and the Isle of Wight is visible in the distance.

I would recommend this adventure to anyone with an appreciation for history, and a love of mystery and beauty.