A heavy frost, but little wind, with spells of sunshine. Today had a couple of big downs & ups. In the second part of the day: lots of woodland, quite the best section so far.
The reason there are so many pheasants was explained by my host last night: “it’s still very early in the shooting season”. Presumably far fewer by the end of today: I passed some men, one who explained they were driving the birds towards the shooters downhill. The echoing volleys could be heard for several hours.
One treat for the day: The Devil’s Jumps: a line of six (?) Bronze Age barrows aligned to the setting midsummer solstice. It didn’t photograph well close-up
Boulder on Cocking Down, looking East. The pole is 105cm highInscription reads “In Memoriam Hauptmann Jospeh Oeste{r?}mann. 1915-1940”
Started the day with a great view from bedroom window looking out over the flat Weald with nearby deer. After yesterday’s cold, I put on an extra layer before stepping out into the morning chill. Shortly afterwards, the sunshine laughed at me. A brighter day, some of the overnight & morning rain clearly fell as snow.
A bit of mud for a change, but still lots of flint-hard ground to cover. A lot more trees in late afternoon, and many pheasants. One rather splendid specimen ran up to me and accompanied me for a good 50 metres, chirruping along as he went. A very wide-ranging talk with my hosts tonight from DNA variants, human species, to their breeding & showing of “quarter horses”, ancient and recent history of the downs (Roman to modern iron ore mining), user-requirements gathering for party-supplies ( how many at a hog roast?) and the project to create a community pub.
Crossing the river to Bury a tad difficult without a bridgeThe standard ‘ distant hills on the route’ ahead viewSnow!Trees, a rare delightReeves pheasant
Bramber castle turned out to be an extraordinary flint-tower/narrow slab of wall. Like a pencil on-end it looks about to fall over. In a grand setting of deep ditches and the hills.
Chilliest day yet, the wind less-strong but still NE-ly. Light rain on & off and the Weald below disappearing into a misty haze.
The over-farmed down-tops are a wildlife desert (thought rabbits & pheasants wander). Such hedges as exist by the bridleway small, isolated.
Chanctonbury Ring today’s high spot of ancient fort to explore.
Occasionally a stretch of woodland close by the escarpment where there is a noticeable bustle of bird life: blackbirds & robins at least, and capped by 3 kites tumbling and chasing just before Amberley. Not a day for hanging about, it was cold, I arrived Amberley 14:35: so many huge stone houses and squat cottages, a large number thatched in various states. If it wasn’t for the cars I might have thought I had stepped back in time. A wander to the church & then the village shop. I had to wait a while for my b&b hosts to return home at 4.15, the nearby pub having closed at 3pm.
Bramber Castle sliverAscending Steyning Bowl on The Monarch’s Way looking EastChanctonbury RingHow to hide a house with wisteriaNote gardener
Many Ditchling houses have placed an A4 sheet outside describing the history of people who lived at that address during the 1914-18 war. They include the story of a conscientious objector (who later became a Red-Cross volunteer), several who came back from the war, those killed, those who were exempted war service, the disciplinarian vicars’ daughters who ran their own hospital, one became highly honoured. A very decent way of showing the many personal experiences of war.
A cloudy day, with some sunny spells made a complete change from the harsh sunlight of the past two days. I wondered, first thing, if the Downs looked better from a distance than from above. Maybe it was the light, or maybe this section: more trees than previously, and long-distance panoramas of the escarpment ahead.
I was grateful that the insistent Easterly or North-Easterly wind was at my back for most of the day, and that my waterproof jacket did its windproof-job.
A few ups & downs today. Seeing the ups was disheartening until I realised that I found them much easier going than the previous two days.
A few light showers between 3 & 4 pm, then a heavy one about 2 minutes before I made it to the shelter of a the Castle Inn in Bramber and a warming hot chocolate.
Ditchling Down in the morning: the first ascentAn early view of the day ahead (distant towers on Truleigh Hill)Jill & Jack windmillsPycombe Church -850 years old. Had a kitchen offering help-yourself tea etc and toilet facilities.Blackberry bramble in flower!The view from The Devils Dyke. A sign nearby tells you that Constable declared it to be the finest view in the world. I think he never got to Scotland then …A 1.5 mile detour from the route into Bramber began here
An overnight frost melted quickly in the sunshine that lasted all day with blue skies. The brisk North-Easterly wind kept my hat & gloves on all day and seeking small patches of shelter for rest-stops.
The escarpment-top route of yesterday was visible all day, through a mild haze. The flatlands below seemed to go on forever, disappearing into a dark haze. Southwards: the silhouettes of dozens of distant wind turbines wading out to sea. Not many good pictures: the shading (the closest down hill views mostly faced Northwards, so in shadow against a low sun) or flatness of contours not being particularly photogenic.
Southease church – “a Saxon round-tower”I hear you sayFrost-rimed nettles
Mount Harry from Black Cap. Yesterday’s ridges on the horizon beyond A bucolic* view above Ditchling, looking West
“Bucolic” became a term of insult during my last days at my former workplace, and this view reminded me
Walking down into Ditchling, a view Northwards to the escarpmentToday’s route
Watched the sun rise at breakfast from the Langham Hotel. Away 8:15, with sunshine all day. Cold enough for hat & gloves with a moderate breeze on the exposed tops, but felt hot at midday dropping down towards Alfriston. A lunch of quiche, then the afternoon sun sinking slowly back towards the sea. I stopped to watch its last minutes from the hillside. Hostel 16.30, perfectly timed as the light faded.
The official route is all bridleway, and there were many cyclists riding the flint-hard and mud-free highway. Softer, grassy, ground for feet was available. I didn’t follow the Way precisely- heading up to Wilmington Hill and along the Long Barrow for example. The Long Man remained out of sight from my vantage point, but I could see people on the hill walking up to it.
Sunrise over the sea at EastbourneWalking on the promenadeThe Tally Ho Inn – distinctively faded gloryJevington church with a “rare weeping elm” planted in 1918 adorned with poppies made by local schoolchildrenView from Windover hill looking West to Firle BeaconWest of Alfriston looking East towards Windover HillLooking West towards Beddingham Hill from Firle BeaconWest of Beddingham Hill looking West towards the coast near NewhavenSunset from Itford HillRoute of South Downs Way between Eastbourne & Itford (Cross & circle in centre is Alfriston)
The rail trip to Euston, then Victoria to Eastbourne gave vistas of autumnal mists all the way. Eastbourne wasn’t looking its best with street renovations. The pier looked a little sad out of season, despite jolly piped music (“Cherry baby”, “Tie a yellow ribbon”), that blurred into jingling the further you walked along the promenade. The Victorian Tea room looked cosy, with big crystal chandeliers and cake displays: all the charm veiled by steamed-up windows.
An Excuse to Eat More Cake was my first exploration of using a blog. Since then I have created separate blogs each time I went on an expedition. Time to settle down now, be less organised & just post stuff when I feel like it.
For starters: the South Downs Way in November 2018, from Eastbourne to Winchester. Forecast looks dryish, and I have a pantomime to look forward to in Basingstoke: “Cinderella and the Merry Men”, just a few miles North of the finish.
Rambling on 