The Southdowns Way

 Whilst it was a stormy night, I was quite sheltered where I was and didn’t suffer any damage. I slept reasonably, considering the noise.  I was awoken by giggly D of E students at 6:15, despite the fact they were camped 100m away from me!  I broke camp and set off just before 8am.  Initially, the trail took me alongside the River Cuckmere. There were then some steep climbs through Friston Forest up steep flights of steps , 82  the first time then 112 then next! All that hard work made me hungry, so it was fortunate that there was a delightful cafe at Exceat, that made me a huge cooked breakfast!  I managed to eat most of it and it was just as well that I did, because immediately upon leaving Exceat I was entering Seven Sisters Country Park.  For those of you that don’t know, the seven “sisters” are chalk cliffs, with steep valleys in between.  Initially there was some undulating walking to the coast with views down into Cuckmere Haven.  The ...

 I set off at 8am and immediately had a long steady climb up Castle Hill. It was a sunny start but the cloud drew in at 9am. There were some great nice views from the hill, looking down on Lewes.  There were a few other walkers/runners/cyclists on the downs, but nothing too busy. The escarpment had some lovely views across the Ouse Valley.  After dropping down into the valley and crossing the river/railway I came across the Lewes Youth Hostel, which thankfully had a cafe.  I had a 50 minute break, giving me time to eat a breakfast bap and drink two cups of coffee!  After that pick-me-up, there was a stiff climb up Itford Hill, but that gave you views over Newhaven.  After that ascent, there was a lot of walking on undulating downs, but no serious climbs.  The breeze began to pick up and I decided to make haste to Alfriston before the rain arrived.  Alfriston is easily the prettiest village on the South Downs Way.  Due to the forecasted strong...

 I had a rubbish night’s sleep. From about 9pm through to 2am, we had heavy showers. I had earplugs in, but the sound of the rain hammering on the tent was so loud, it kept me awake. Then when I finally did drop off, I dropped off the edge of my inflatable mattress, because the camping field was on a slope!  I was wide awake at 7am, so got up. I had a cooked breakfast in the Youth Hostel, but just as I was finishing that, torrential rain set in for an hour or so.  I set off just before 10am, and had quite a few ups and downs before I reached Devils Dyke.  The views north were pretty spectacular.  Devils Dyke used to be quite a tourist attraction in the late 1800’s with a cable car across the valley, but that has long since gone.  After that it was a gentle descent to Saddlescombe, where I stumbled across a rustic cafe, which was welcome relief just as the heavens opened. I had a cup of coffee and rested my feet for 10 minutes, before a beastly climb up West...

 After a break of 10 weeks, I’ve decided to have another attempt to complete the South Downs Way.  I got up at 5am and after a bus ride and 3 trains, I reached Amberley Station at 9:20 (the place where I abandoned last time).  I immediately set off on the path and had a stiff climb up Rackham Hill (190m climb / 620ft), with views back down to Amberley village.  The first couple of hours walking were very pleasant. There was a gentle breeze and sunny spells. The path ran on a fairly level elevation and was very quiet. I only had the odd cow for company!  However, just after I dropped down to cross the A24 dual carriageway at Washington, I had my first soaking when a heavy shower snuck up on me!  To compensate, I came across a ‘burger van’ with covered seating, so I stopped and had a coffee and burger. It wasn’t top cuisine, but gave me the calories that I needed, to climb the steep hill up to Chanctonbury Ring. I timed it perfectly, because the next heavy sh...