Bashiru Kargbo.

(credit Pixabay)

A casual perusal through googles maps towards the southernmost part of England, right about 45 degrees to the right of Portsmouth harbour is a tiny town, situated right between Petersfield and Petworth. Midhurst. My first impression of the place was that it was creepy, eerie, and had too much forestry. After living next to a high-street all your life, the sound of crows waking you up in the morning will leave an impression to say the least.  And then there is the silence. It is not so much as silence but the absence of livelihood. I imagine that is what time standing still would sound like. And that would be an applicable statement to the buildings themselves. 

WHAT’S A PUB’S AGE GOTTA DO WITH WRITNG?

What an off-license shop is to Central London is what a pub is in Midhurst. The unique thing about the pubs is their history, more precisely their ages. The swan inn pub I sat in on a hot afternoon I found out to be over four hundred years old. The fire hearth next to one of the dining tables, the wooden beams, the ceiling. Even though these frameworks must have been changed over the years it felt like it contained enough stories to fill a library. At first sight it looks like a normal pub. But that revelation itself sent my mind reeling of what secrets this structure hides. Many other pubs in every corner in Midhurst would boast that uniqueness that I believe can inspire the creative mind towards wild imaginations. Especially a writer.

I’VE MET PEOPLE BUT THEN I MET PEOPLE IN MIDHURST

I met a man with no thumbs petting his dog and he offered me a room for rent. I met a man in a suit that offered me a spot in a football team, he said he wanted to be my friend. I met an old lady with juicy gossip, a bad hip, and much to say about young girls dressing inappropriately in public. I met a girl with twenty questions within the first minute I said hi. I met a boy in love and in need of my advice. I met a man who loved speed and taught me how to drive. I met a bartender who men and boys alike argued and fought over. I met a man who chased love all the way to Thailand based on a scam online. I met many people. Each their own main character of their own story.

I SEE WHY THE COUNTRY IS OFTEN SAID TO BE BEAUTIFUL

 The sound of nature is ever so present, birds chirping, squirrels, badgers, and other critters. To relieve my boredom, one afternoon I roamed about the forest and came by a place where the trees lined up horizontally like tall pillars in a monastery. Six on each side of the path with the sun filtering gold rays where the leaves were not swaying. It was an ethereal sight. The stars I can vouch is a remarkable sight at night. I felt like I could lasso the moon and befriend it. A writer’s block could easily be remedied in Midhurst. It disconnects you from the bustle of it all effectively while offering you content like hidden treasures around the town, waiting to be discovered. I won’t go in too deep about the old hidden railway station I and some friends found in the forest. The stories hidden within is something I will leave to your curiosity and interest in visiting Midhurst.

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