August 17, 2026 by ammcculloch49

These parched lands

As I write there is a hint of rain in the forecast. The Met Office has the ‘odds’ at 30%, yet the sun is once again blazing on this delightful Monday morning. I say delightful but of course many of us feel a bit torn about the whole thing. I love being able to nip down to Camber Sands or Hastings whenever I can, in the knowledge the weather will be great, but unlike the smarmy opinion writers in the Telegraph or Times, you can’t help but be extremely worried about the unpredictability of British weather in the age of global warming. Flooding is quite likely to follow drought and the effects of it all won’t just be felt on food prices and farmers’ livelihoods (as if that wasn’t enough) but on our houses, gardens, trees, wildlife. You know all this.

Sunflowers, Knockholt
Parched fields looking into the Holmesdale Vale from the North Downs escarpment near Brasted
An escarpment farmhouse high in the North Downs
Busy skies above Cudham in mid-August 2026

As for Kent walks, I like the usual late August ‘tiredness’ in the countryside, the quiet, the drowsy beer-thirsty wasps and the sense of being on the cusp of change (swallows gathering their forces to head to Africa etc). But this year the aridity, the colours, the mood has hugely exaggerated that normal late August vibe. On yesterday’s cycle from Downe to Knockholt and back via Green St Green and Cudham the sombre browns, dustiness and silence were at times wonderful, at others dispiriting. I supposed it depended whether I was going downhill or not.

I’ve taken to my bike with friends and family for North Downs rides of late, creating our own breeze is rather refreshing, and put actual walking a bit on the backburner (I quite often walk alone but lately I’ve preferred company – which isn’t always available). A ride from Sevenoaks to Penshurst via Tonbridge was particularly pleasurable. But yesterday, on the escarpment, the humidity felt suffocating in the unusually cloudy conditions. After a pint of Harvey’s at that excellent boozer the Three Horseshoes in Knockholt the remainder of the ride back to Downe passed in a blur of sweat and haziness. Should have drunk more water, deffo.

Nightjars in the Ashdown Forest

A memorable outing this weekend was to the Eastbourne air display. When the tide is in the stony beaches they are excellent for a swim, with the added frisson of aerobatics by Spitfires and so on. There are some good cafes amid the glorious Victorian white stucco in the side streets too. For a free event that attracts thousands, it really does work well because there is lots of space in the town and plenty of beachfront. And just a short walk to the west is spectacular Beachy Head and beyond that, the Seven Sisters, which in the late afternoon light are utterly magical. After a delightful pint at the Tiger Inn in East Dean, just up from Birling Gap, we set off for home via the Ashdown Forest.

At Gill’s Lap (Galleon’s Lap in Winnie the Poo), one of the highest points of the heath, we parked up and took a stroll among the heather and pine clumps, visiting the Heffalump trap, Kanga’s sandy pit and the Enchanted Wood (yes, they are real places – and just to the east is Eeyore’s Gloomy Place I kid you not). In the twilight the surrounding landscape and huge views turned pink and purple; it really did feel enchanted. As we headed back to the car we were suddenly surrounded by elegant, long-winged birds of a kind I had never seen before. I knew right away they were nightjars. There were four or five of these nocturnal creatures, gliding and side-slipping so beautifully in the dusk but totally invisible after they landed in the heather. My son managed to get video footage (see below).

July 18, 2026 by ammcculloch49

Evening sun walks – pick Shoreham!

Why didn’t I write this a month ago? Anyway, I am now. The heat is on. Obviously there are negatives to this extended dry, hot period for our water supplies, agriculture and some of our trees (I’ve been checking on our nearest street trees which are still pretty young and thirsty). But our countryside has taken on a drowsy, hazy quality that’s best enjoyed in the evening. My advice is this: take the Thameslink train out to Shoreham (in Kent, not -on-Sea in W Sussex!!!) from a station on the Denmark Hill-Bromley South-Sevenoaks line at between 5 and 6pm. Step out from the station and head up the track almost opposite on the Fackenden Down or Eastern Valley (take secateurs!) walks. Complete the walk in 2.5 hours and head to the Samuel Palmer pub for refreshment then catch the 9.32pm or 10.02pm train back to London.

View across head of Darent Valley, July evening 2026
Sunset in the Darent Valley at Shoreham
Nearing the pub, in the Darent Valley
Scabious, Austin Spring
Nearing Romney St on the Fackenden walk summer evening July
Evening view from Fackenden Down, July 2026
Scabious flowers July 2026, Austin Spring, near Shoreham

What’s particularly wonderful about these walks just now is the spate of wildflowers. Namely, scabious, marjoram, oregano, wild carrot, knapweed, hawks-beard and so on. The extent of scabious coverage on the Fackenden route right now is amazing, particularly in meadows of Magpie Bottom and Austin Spring; no doubt it’s the same on the Eastern Valleys route. We were amazed. We also heard yellowhammer calling and watched a kestrel gliding and wheeling around. I usually do the Fackenden route in reverse, so starting with the steps, so only get to the second wonderful view at Point 4. The North Downs escarpment above Chevening appeared silvery in the dreamlike light, the meadows seemed to float like gossamer in the warm air. Beauty was everywhere. When we got to the pub 80s music was booming out – Whitney Houston, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper. It was great fun.

Allow 10 minutes to comfortably make the train from the Samuel Palmer; I’ve been caught out before if I try to cut it finer.

June 28, 2026 by ammcculloch49

A summer of Kent walks lies before us

Lazy days, slow walks, plenty of water (and pub stops), the quiet humming of bees and scuttle of lizards … it’s a great time for a Kent walk near London now the intense heat has been turned down.

For the first time in years I have failed to take a Kent walk of a weekend. The energy-sapping heat of the past week has left me enfeebled and lazy, though as I write I’m preparing to play tennis – something that feels a bit daunting just now. Sleep has been elusive, especially when the early hours are given over to thunder and lightning. The World Cup has been quite useful when looking for a way of drifting off – not really a comment on the football, which has been above par, but an expression of admiration for its ability to trigger sleep and keep your mind off just how sweaty you are.

On the other hand a trip into London on Friday night to meet old friends proved joyous despite the tropical heat. The atmosphere was infectious, the absence of jackets and jeans liberating, and the tube train from Charing Cross up to Warren St nothing like as overheated as feared.

Recent walks have included a longer take on the Down walk, taking in Darwin’s orchid meadows on the slopes east of Christmas Tree Farm; a lovely foray to Bough Beech in search of spotted flycatchers (birder Dave heavily implicated in that one); a trip to Knepp in West Sussex; and the aforementioned brush with the Long Distance Walking Association masochists in Oldbury. Each walk was magnificent, though do watch out for ticks now we’re all wearing shorts. My friend Steve found one on his lower leg after Downe. They are encouraged by deer apparently, with herds being particularly frequently spotted in the Downe, Cudham, Knockholt areas.

Knepp, West Sussex
Cirrus at Fackenden Down, June, 2019
Meadow near Hever, June
View from near Ide Hill looking over the Weald of Kent

The month has also seen me venture on a long weekend jaunt in Lisbon – one of my favourite cities anywhere. Such a bright, breezy, colourful, diverse, cultural and optimistic place, with great views, buildings, transport, museums etc. And beaches too, beyond Belem, which you can get to on the train easily enough.

Sorry not to keep the newsletters up. I had more than 1,500 subscribers, which was brilliant, but once the provider started exponentially increasing its fees I just sort of thought “sod this”.

With the heat you hardly need advising that shady walks are best, so once again I commend Hosey Hill, Cudham, Oldbury, One Tree Hill and Petts Wood as particularly woody walks (see links above) but to be fair you won’t encounter scorpions, mirages or get lost in the sand dunes as you gasp “water” on any of these walks.

June 3, 2026 by ammcculloch49

Oldbury’s trees make for a cool heatwave stroll

The recent heatwave was great for a short Kent walk – especially under a tree canopy. Last week I headed to Oldbury, near Sevenoaks for the Iron Age Fort walk. It is the shorter of the two Oldbury walks, at 4.2 miles; the longer one is more like 7 miles and takes in Ightham Mote and Stone Street. I didn’t have time for that, great though it is, having set off mid-afternoon.

Check out the interactive OS map of this walk here

Both Oldbury walks take in two wonderful, contrasting woods: Oldbury woods (and its adjoining Styants wood), on the iron age fort; and sandy Fishpond woods behind the steep cliff of Raspit Hill. The fort – one of the largest in Britain – is clearly defined. It has a deep ditch round it, a flat top and holloway paths through the sandstone. Its woodland is a site of special scientific interest and is mostly of oak, birch, rowan and beech. The ramparts of the 2,100-year-old fort – 2.5 miles long and enclosing an area of 124 acres – are really impressive and apparently built by the Celtic ‘Wealden’ people who spoke the common Brittonic language. The National Trust looks after the woodland and reckons it’s possible that the hill was the site of a battle against Roman invaders around 50BC. It may not have been Celts fighting against Romans but Belgae, the old foe of Julius Cesar in Gaul, who had displaced Celts in the region a few years earlier. Anyway, it’s easy to appreciate the strategic value of the fort as you look out across the Vale of Holmesdale and Heaverham/Kemsing on the chalk escarpment to the north and towards the Weald to the south. Saxons took over the area after the Romans left and began coppicing the trees – a practice that has continued to this day.

It’s natural attractions, away from the arboreal wonder, include plenty of orchids in the grassy wild meadows just north of the fort, wheeling buzzards and red kites, song thrushes, chaffinches and amphibians.

Fishpond wood
Orchids by the fort
Sand path through Fishpond Woods, Oldbury
North Downs escarpment view from Oldbury hill fort – Kemsing and Heaverham

My walk was made even more interesting by my encounter with Long Distance Walkers’ Association hikers on their annual 48-hour 100-Mile Challenge (a circular route via Meopham to Crowborough). One them told me they had to walk through the night and would just take a few minutes’ sleep by the path. They were complaining a bit about the heat, having walked 18 miles already. It didn’t look like fun or even particularly companionable with many walkers seeming to stagger slightly. I’m sure it will have felt good when they finished though – 82 miles later! Perhaps a good bath may be on the agenda … I’ll never know.

I left the brave LDWA walkers close to the picturesque school and church above Stone Street. I turned east, along the cliff top to Raspit Hill then down through Fishpond woods. There are more conifers here than at Oldbury, which make them popular with goldcrests and coal tits, I noticed. A small frog hopped out of my way on the sandy path, alerting me to the ponds themselves, shrouded in lily pads, reeds, irises and fallen logs. The first two, as you head north back to the Styants car park, are particularly beautiful, the final one more of a muddy pit. Overall, it’s a fantastic woody walk – up there with Chislehurst/Petts Wood, Ide Hill and the nearby One Tree Hill figure of eight route as my favourite tree strolls.

May 7, 2026 by ammcculloch49

Bluebells are over – what’s next?

The bluebells are truly finished. They won’t be mentioned again until next year. So what’s replacing them? Well, don’t expect such fantastic sheets of colour in the woods themselves, now they’re becoming increasingly shady but around the fringes and in the glades foxgloves will begin to bloom. Some of the best are on the Oldbury, Ide Hill, Hosey Hill, One Tree Hill and Underriver walks. Red campion, stitchword, wild garlic (brilliant on the One Tree Hill walks on the path to Ightham Mote) and soon orchids are the other main contenders. If you missed the bluebells, don’t worry – there are plenty of vivid hues to come on the walks but they’ll be more dotted about a bit. The orchids are my favourites – but we’ll talk about that later. Having said all that, we will need some rain …

Common spotted orchids on the Oldbury walk
Common spotted orchid, High Elms/Cuckoo Wood, Kent
Fragrant orchid Polhill
Foxgloves, Hosey Common
Iris at Bore Place on the Bough Beech walk
Poppies near Romney Street
Sainfoin, a very insect-friendly plant
Meadow brown butterfly on scabious flower on side of Fackenden Down
Knapweed and wild carrot – later in summer
Campions, Dunstall woods on Shoreham mk2
Mallow, Chevening.

April 23, 2026 by ammcculloch49

Best north-west Kent bluebells of 2026 – the results are in

It’s time for the big reveal. The bluebells are at their best as I write so if you want to see them, you’d better get on with it.

The judging is over. The woods of north-west Kent have been perused and dreamy drifts of deep or light blue flowers (it all depends on the light, you see) assessed. The criteria, as ever was distinctly arbitrary – much depending on how I felt at the time. The judging panel (me, again) did not use any clever techniques such as cross-tabulation, quantitative and qualitative analysis, but simply looked around and gauged my immediate emotional response. I did peer into the distance to see how far the bluebells went – I think that’s the key to this; each of the shortlisted entries have bluebell vistas that stretch as far as the eye can see in the woods. The rest is down to something indefinable – the angle of the sun, whether there’s a glade to offset the tangle of trees. But I will lay down the law down on one aspect of all this: there must not be more than the absolute bare minimum of brambles. Sadly I wasn’t able to check out the bluebells at Petts Wood this year, or Oldbury, Heaversham, Kemsing, High Elms, Downe Bank. Apols for that! And I ought to remind readers that photographing bluebells isn’t easy – they are usually in tangled ancient woodland with little in the way of a view. They are strangely unphotogenic you could say, however beautiful they are in person.

So here is the top 5 this year – all of which could easily be visited in a single day (less than five miles separate the shortlisted drifts):

5 Piece Wood, Single’s Cross Lane, Knockholt Pound

bluebells Piece Wood — Piece Wood, April, 2026

OK so this gem isn’t actually on one of the walks though it is quite near to the Knockholt Pound-Chevening route and is on my cycle route 3 on Single’s Cross Lane. The wood – part of the same continuous woodland that starts at Newyears Wood to the west – runs along the tiny lane and is an untidy but excellent tangle of hazel, beech, oak and so on. No one can walk in this fenced-off tract, the best you can do is stand by the barbed wire fence and gaze open-mouthed at the unbroken swathe of blue. Round the corner on Blueberry Lane (what a great name for a country road) is the bluebell field of Elgin House, also spectacular (and the inaugural winner in 2024). Kirsty tells me: “Its garden was open to the public at peak bluebell time in 2022 and we visited it then. We were able to walk in the bluebell field. It is truly amazing, I think because of the lack of understorey and the spacing of the trees.” The whole area is full of little woods flooded with bluebells. Maybe bicycle is the best way to get around it.

4 Andrew’s Wood, between Halstead and Shoreham

bluebells in Kent woods — Early bluebells in Andrews Wood, April 2026

This wood, close to Polhill Nursery and on the Polhill/Pluto walking route has a useful car park. The rushing traffic noise of the M25 detracts slightly. But once you’ve crossed over the motorway and heading east things start to align nicely. The best bluebells are on the east facing slopes bordering the nicely secluded dry valley. Some recent timbering work has probably enhanced the wildflowers, giving them more space. Maybe. It’s a lovely spot in any case though I’m pretty sure the bluebells used to extend further west where brambles seem to have spread.

3 Newyears Wood/Birches Croft, east of Cudham

bluebells near Cudham, Kent — Newyears Wood, April 2026

Last year’s winner. On the delightful but understated Cudham chalk paths walk this one. I think the Birches Croft segment are best… real long-distance swathes of cobalt beneath stately oaks. And quiet; unlike Andrew’s Wood and Meenfield Wood you don’t see many people here. So why only 3rd this year if they are so good? Great question you ask there, Adam. The answer may be because I visited them on a Sunday rather than a Saturday. The latter is a happier day.

2 Meenfield Wood, Shoreham

Bluebell wood beech trees — Early bluebells, Meenfield Wood, April, 2026

High on the ridge west of Shoreham, this wood is on four walks: Shoreham and Polhill Bank; the classic Shoreham circular (with extension); Shoreham circular via Otford; and Polhill/Pluto (sort of). The judge visited on a breezy, bright mid-April day; superb conditions for walking. I particularly like how the bluebells slope east and west on either side of the ridgetop path – so you could catch glimpses of the valleys, the sky and distant countryside beyond. Timber work has let in more light than in previous years so the bluebells have flourished and there are brilliant drifts that seem to go on forever. I had it down to win, until …

1 Home Wood, Lullingstone

Like Meenfield Wood, a Saturday visit in late afternoon light showed off this tract at its best. Home Wood is on the southern edge of Lullingstone country park, where it butts up to Redmans Lane. It is encountered on the Full Lullingstone 4-mile walk, not the Eynsford-Lullingstone one. The feeling of the “secret wood” is at its most powerful here – and the path goes obligingly around the perimeter of the bluebells before rejoining the main route through Beechen Wood and eventually down to the Lullingstone visitors’ centre. It wins because of its tranquillity and obscurity – it’s like an exquisite work of art left in a forgotten room in a vast crumbling stately home. Few make it there, but nobody who does is left unmoved.

What about the others?

Andrews Wood bluebells April 2026 on the Polhill walk
Wilmot Hill bluebells 2026
Home Wood, Lullingstone
Ide Hill, April 2026
Elgin House bluebell field, April 2026

Apologies to the bluebells that didn’t make it to the shortlist. Emmetts Garden and Scords Wood on the Ide Hill route will once again snort with derision at being left off, while Hever, Oldbury and Petts Wood will understandably feel cold-shouldered. I just can’t get around all of them in time. One Tree Hill and Wilmot Hill had some nice bluebell patches last weekend but here they adorn the walk rather than saturate it. The same can be said for Hosey/Westerham and Chartwell routes although their advocates will be fuming. They may note that I’ve favoured the chalky North Downs bluebells over the sandy Greensand Ridge ones. It does seem a bit unfair but that’s life in the woods I’m afraid.

See the 2025 and 2024 winners.

April 19, 2026 by ammcculloch49

Stunning spring scenes on the Kent walks

Conditions for Kent Walks near London this weekend have been ideal. The countryside looks amazing, all dressed in a cobalt carpet of bluebells. Meanwhile, wild garlic is beginning to bloom along with primrose, stitchwort, cuckoo flower and campion adding further brilliance to the colour palette. On the One Tree Hill figure of eight yesterday the scenery was sensational, and the hues of green, blue and white, dazzling. Birdsong was vibrant – goldcrest, nuthatch, blackcaps, whitethroats, ravens were all heard along with the more regular chiffchaffs, robins, song thrushes, wrens and blackbirds. No finches though, which was weird.

It was great to see so many people out on the walks yesterday; particularly groups of young people, many of whom were using this website (I took a sneaky peek at the pdfs being held). I absolutely love to see that.

I’m collecting evidence for my annual bluebells of the year competition, a far from complete and completely absurd awards process. But at least there won’t be bow ties, chortling chumps, cheesy speeches and mercenary celebrity hosts at the ceremony. Well, there won’t be a ceremony at all! Pictured below are some of the contenders along with some images from yesterday’s strolling. The results will be announced this week.

Once again, apologies for lack of newsletter – I have done none at all this year. Time has been the biggest problem, but also the service provider has moved the goalposts and now wants too much money. I will have to find a solution because I have more than 1,000 subscribers. But when?

Wilmots Hill view on the One Tree Hill figure of eight walk. Looking towards Ashdown Forest
Beech trees growing out the Greensand Ridge, Wilmots Hill, on on the One Tree Hill figure of eight
Meenfield Wood, April 2026
Home Wood, Lullingstone country park
Foliage and cloud under the greensand escarpment on the One Tree Hill walk
Emmetts bluebells April 2026
Centuries old yew tree growing out of the Greensand Ridge at Wilmots Hill, Sevenoaks
Andrews Wood bluebells April 2026 on the Polhill walk
Wild garlic alongside the One Tree Hill path at Rooks Hill, Sevenoaks
Meenfield Woods bluebells, April 2026

April 4, 2026 by ammcculloch49

Bluebell season is here – perfect for Easter walks

Bluebell season is upon us and it’s only Easter! ‘We’re not ready’, you say, ‘they’re too early’. It’s true – as I discovered last week at Ide Hill, they are a bit too keen this year. No idea why; wet February, dryish March, not too cold? Who knows, but usually they peak around 20-25 April in these west Kent parts. This year the peak looks like being around 10-20 April. They are already fairly spectacular, though not yet at full bloom.

The new contender for Best Bluebells of Kent Walks Near London is Home Wood in the Lullingstone Country Park. This is an obscure corner of the park just south of Lower Beechen Wood. It’s a less frequented neck of the woods and little known to me but the bluebells are great. Check out the map here to locate Home Wood. It’s kind of on the Full Lullingstone route I describe on this page – but use the map to find Home Wood.

Swathes of bluebells can be found on most of the Kent Walks near London – but One Tree Hill, Ide Hill, Meenfield wood on the Polhill walks, Cudham, Lullingstone (not the Eynsford route but the above mentioned full circuit) stand out in particular.

Here is last year’s Bluebell guide… very much applicable to this year I’d imagine! More on this soon, when I’ve decided on the results this year…

Emmett Gardens
Near Downe. April 24
Wilmott Hill bluebells
Meenfield Wood, April 2022
Early bluebells, Cudham
Meenfield wood
Mariners Hill, Hosey walk
New Years Wood bluebells, just starting to bloom

March 29, 2026 by ammcculloch49

Early bluebells and owl on a British Summer Time stroll at Ide Hill

The clocks have gone forward, the hurly-burly months are upon us. Hibernation is over. I marked this momentous day with a stroll on the Ide Hill route on the Greensand Ridge. The promise of early sun had vanished as altocumulus set in with scudding lower clouds driven by a decidedly sharp, brisk westerly. I was later than I hoped because I had overslept and then, after chores, decided to put on some music – mostly jazz, predictably enough. I drove out past Hayes and Keston listening to an interview with Miranda Hart on Radio 3. All very interesting; the programme was called Private Passions and Miranda discussed her various TV shows, where she was at and so forth. Her musical choices were interesting; there was some Grieg – as featured in a famous Morecambe and Wise sketch with Andre Previn – a haunting choral piece called O Magnum Mysterium by Morten Lauridsen and Stephane Grapelli’s take on Sweet Georgia Brown featuring Yehudi Menuhin. What a good set-up for a walk I thought, better than the usual football commentary.

I decided to park by the Ide Hill Community Store, just round the corner from the village (Kent’s highest allegedly) – it’s a fantastic spot with a great view of the weald and Bough Beech reservoir. I walked up through the woods to the Octavia Hill seat amazed at the number of bluebells in bloom considering we were still in March. A nuthatch called stridently and seemed to dart at me, while tits tittered and greater spotted woodpeckers thrummed away in the background. What with the slightly odd weather and the clocks going forward it all seemed strangely out of synch; an impression reinforced by the sudden woo-wooing of a tawny owl – at 2pm for heaven’s sake.

Early bluebells in March at Emmetts Garden/Scord’s Wood
Weald view on a dull day, near Ide Hill
Wet woodland, Scord’s
Celandine, anemone, bluebells in March
Emmetts early azaleas
Early bluebells at Scord’s wood, late March 2026

Later, in Scord’s, a wonderful wet woodland with lots of mossy old alder trees, my Merlin app picked up the sound of a marsh tit, quite unusual and another first for me. More nuthatches zoomed around purposefully and a pheasant joined in the tumult of bird song with its ridiculous rasping call that must alert every fox for miles around. I was hoping for a redpoll, a siskin or a treecreeper – all of which I’d seen here previously, but didn’t see any. The bluebells should be out in full within 10 days or so… they seem earlier this year than ever before. Is that just me? The National Trust’s Emmetts Garden was superb as ever with its cafe serving great coffee and cake.

All in all a memorable walk despite dull weather and not particularly muddy at all. No sheep or cattle encountered unlike last week at Fackenden Down when the highlanders surrounded the stile at the top of the Down itself. It just lacked a pint at the end; I was on my own so felt like heading off sharpish when back to the car.

March 24, 2026 by ammcculloch49

Early spring flowers on Kent walks near London

I write this on a dark Tuesday night with rain, driven by an angry, unpredictable wind, lashing down on to the roof of my conservatory. My little electric radiator is working overtime as I listen to the elements filling the sky above me. But I’m here to write about the onset of spring, about how the Kent walks near London have largely dried out rather well and how early bluebells, wood anemones, primroses and celandine are spangling woods and meadows with vivid colours. I also want to mention how great the blackthorn bushes and trees look this year. The snow-white flowers of blackthorn, the stalwart of early spring blossom, are a vital source of nectar and pollen for bees in spring. The Woodland Trust website says its foliage is a food plant for the caterpillars of many moths, including the lackey, magpie, swallow-tailed and yellow-tailed and that it’s also used by the black and brown hairstreak butterflies. Its thorny, dense thickets are great for birds to nest in too and of course its gorgeous sloe berries in autumn are a rich source of sustenance for a variety of creatures.

Blackthorn is seen on all the walks; take a close look, it’s definitely one of those sights we take for granted but the more you look, the more you are rewarded.

Yes, all this happens every year but it seems so miraculous each time, as long as you don’t forget to look. And right now we need to look, given the gloom visited on us by the horror of unwanted wars and fears over our livelihoods.