星期五街 Friday Street walk

星期五街 Friday Street walk

13th September 2016 0 By livinguktaiwan

從來沒有人知道為什麼Friday Street名叫Friday Street,但我知道這位於倫敦西南部 Surrey的寧靜小村莊,很適合夏天散步之旅, 正如2010年六月某天一樣。

I don’t know why Friday Street is called Friday Street, but I do know that it is a quintessential little hamlet nestled at the bottom of Leith Hill in Surrey and was perfect for a summer walk back in June 2010.

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Friday Street 像一顆躲起來的小寶石,入口並不起眼,我們幾乎看不到路旁的指標, 差㸃把車駛過頭。

Friday Street is such a little gem tucked away in the woods that we almost drove right past the signpost in the middle of the road.

小村莊只有二十多間房屋,而中心就有一個人工湖。此湖有大約500到700多年歷史,是當年用來推動生產鐵的機器。現在真是很難想像這平靜小村莊也曾經有過繁榮的工業。

There are about 20 odd houses in the hamlet, and at the centre is the hammer pool.  The pool was crucial to producing iron back on the Tudor and Stuart times which is around 500 to 700 years ago. It’s hard to imagine that this idyllic hamlet once had a vibrant industrial past.SAMSUNG

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往裏邊再走一點,在古樹林中隱藏著一個瀑布。瀑布在Surrey並不常見而這一個也真的不容易找。瀑布只有四層, 並不算宏偉,加上當時附近完全沒有其他人,我們就在那裡停下來休息享受這像是世外桃源的寧靜。

A bit further along the walk, is a waterfall hidden amongst the ancient woods.  Waterfalls are not common in Surrey and this one was certainly well hidden.  It wasn’t dramatic and it only had four drops, but with hardly a soul nearby, it was an ideal spot to spend a few tranquil moments.

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我們繼續往古樹林裡走,高大的樹頂像簷篷般遮擋炎熱的太陽,清風徐來,十分涼快。身在古樹林中感覺離開了煩囂,而我也不知為什麼覺得隨時會看到一群古代武士在叢林中戰鬥!回想我當時的感覺其實也不是全沒道理,原來附近早在1882年考古發掘曾發現了大量的男性遺骨,所以歷史學家認為當地曾經是可能發生過一場大戰。

As we ventured deeper into the ancient woodlands, the trees started to tower over us providing a very welcome shade on the hot summer day. The surroundings felt so surreal that I half expected to see a group of ancient warriors fighting a battle in the distance.  In fact, archaeological excavations carried out nearby back in 1882 found a large number of male remains which supports a theory that a large battle could have taken place locally!

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Leith Hill是Friday Street附近有名的地標,它是一座海拔965英尺的山丘。 在18世紀時有一位當地居民因為他心愛的Leith Hill未夠一千英尺而不能被稱為一座山,所以他自資建立了一橦64英尺高的塔,使Leith Hill達到1029英尺高。如果你有機會到訪附近,務必要爬到塔頂欣賞這不知算是丘還是山的廣濶美景。

Leith Hill Tower is probably the most famous landmark near Friday Street. Leigh Hill itself is 965ft above sea level, and in the 18th century a local resident was rather disappointed that his beloved local hill fell short of the magical 1000ft mark, above which it could be called a mountain.  In order to rectify this problem he built a 64ft high tower to take the height to 1029ft.  If you ever get a chance to visit the area, don’t forget to stop by and climb to the top of the tower to admire the wonderful open view. DSCN0054

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