John Nash - Cornfield at Wiston by Nyland

Yesterday I had a meeting down in Guildford. Since its an awkward journey and I had a free train ticket I thought I'd make a day of it and went for a long walk with camera and sketchbook down the banks of the Wey almost to Godalming, zigzaging across to the Hogs Back and then dropping off the ridge back to town.

It was nice to get back into proper downland in summer as once upon a time that was the kind of place I lived - rolling chalk hills instead of the clay flood plain and sandy heath you get round here.

You'll find out why I took that particular route in due course but overall, especially around Losely Park, the landscape put in the mind of the Nash brothers. You've seen a bit of Paul here and will see plenty more, but here is one of John's.

It's called Cornfield at Wiston by Nyland and is from the early 30's and its the long and the short of chalky arable farmland in Southern England at the moment. He did a far more famous - and indeed far more striking - one of cornfields earlier in his career but you'll either have to find it for yourself or wait until the harvest when it might pop up here.