First, let me start by saying that I did not walk all the way from Lewes to Winchelsea (the breadth of East Sussex) in one go, but instead took a leisurely three days! In totality the whole shebang was about 77km (around 48 miles), although at times that felt a bit longer! As always I found some great little places to eat and stay along the way and continue to be astounded by the history and beauty on our very doorsteps. I'll split this post into three sections but will put all the maps together at the end for ease of reference.
Old Way day 7: Lewes to Willingdon
Lewes in October is a hive of activity in the run up to its world famous Bonfire Night festivities. I arrived onto a busy train platform to pick up where I left off in August. I picked up the Old Way as it passed through the town centre before heading up a steep hill, cresting at the golf club, before then descending into the green rolling valleys of the downlands. With nothing but sheep for company, I couldn't help feeling that the hard earned gains of the climb up were being lost as I traversed Oxteddle Bottom (just next to Bible Bottom), knowing that I was going to have to make them all over again. Sure enough, Mount Caburn loomed ahead of me; steep it was, but ample reward in the view back down towards Lewes and, of course, a hill fort!
The descent from Mount Caburn into the preserved-in-aspic village of Glynde was a tricky one; heavy rains had carved awkward runnels and made the chalk slippery. I was glad for my sticks! The Old Way passes Glynde Place, a 16th Century manor house of the Viscounts Hampden, and the church next door (18th century) is a fabulous little building which could have stepped straight out of the Italian Renaissance. Myself and the good-web-developer-him-indoors once went to a wedding there so I popped in for a quick reminisce and to marvel at the architecture....
From Glynde, my route took me south, then east down winding country lanes and across farmland to reach Firle, another downland village with a grand manor house (Firle Place) and a pretty church, this time a more typical Norman effort. I popped in for a look about and retired to a bench by the 'thank you tree' (covered in ribbons) in the churchyard for a cup of tea. I needed it because I knew that next up would be the climb up to the downs proper to rejoin the South Downs Way for a spell. And boy, was it a climb! A narrow, steep path, zig-zagging upward, with that slippy, rutted ground underfoot making it feel pretty treacherous. I was pleased to reach the dizzying 217m height of Firle Beacon.
I stuck with the South Downs Way down into Alfriston where I stopped for lunch at the George Inn, first licensed in 1397, before heading off to cross the Cuckmere River. Or so I thought; that pesky rain had flooded the path so I had to make a detour north along the levee to meet the road. This path had been the site of a previous unfortunate encounter with a frisky looking cow (who literally tried to play hide and seek with me) so I was relieved to see that the flooding meant I was well separated from the livestock!
I rejoined the South Downs Way for a little until reaching Wilmington Hill where I descended to see the famous Long Man of Wilmington on it's north east face. It's not known exactly what the Long Man's origins are, although there are legends of the site marking the resting place of a giant, slain by the hammer of his foe, the Firle Beacon giant. It's not hard to imagine the hills of the South Downs as giants!
Turning away from the Long Man, I headed north into Wilmington before turning eastwards and taking the footpaths that once would have led the people to church or to their labours over in Folkington. Beyond Folkington, its almost a shock how abruptly the rolling downland turns into urban concrete as you come into Willingdon, just below Polegate and part of the wider conurbation of Eastbourne. From this walker's perspective, this moment marked the end of the South Downs which have accompanied me for so long on this journey. From my warm and cosy AirBnB room that evening I could see the downs towering over the buildings and was under no illusion as to who would be in charge if the giants ever returned!
Old Way day 8: Willingdon to Battle
I awoke refreshed and ready to rock, and indeed roll, on a sunny Sunday morning ready to explore new landscapes. I had a hearty breakfast at a local cafe before heading north east out of Willingdon, cutting across farm and industrial land, crossing the railway, the A22 and the A27 before walking through the yard at Sharnfold Farm and heading across more sheep fields to reach Hankham, on the edge of the Pevensey Levels.
This was a marked change in landscape; interconnected waterways and ditches demarcate livestock and arable fields under a huge sky. The Romans would have seen this whole area flooded at high tide with small islands puncuating the view. I followed the path alongside Hurst Haven, which would have been navigable by boat once but is now crowded with aquatic plant life. I loved my hour or so on the Pevensey Levels; lapwings flew nearby buffeted by the wind and a small cloud of goldfinches twittered from blackthorn to blackthorn, keeping just ahead of me for almost a mile. It was peaceful, tranquil and such a change from gleaming white chalk of the South Downs Way, it was hard to imagine I had been looking out over Cuckmere Haven just 14 hours previously.
The path I was following here was the 1066 Country Walk (1066CW) a 31 mile long path that runs from Pevensey to Rye. For this is Battle of Hastings country and the sights and places of this area is, to a greater or lesser extent, defined by that battle and the profound changes in the country that it heralded. Heaven for a history nerd.
Leaving the Levels, I climbed up a little to Herstmonceaux, famous for its castle but also its observatory. The Royal Greenwich Observatory was based here until the 1990s, relocated from the growing light pollution of London in the 1950s. The copper domes of the observatory are still a sight to be seen. The site is now a science centre, and a good day out!
Just opposite the observatory I spotted a wooden sculpture bearing the inscription "Isti Mirant Stellar" (they wonder at the stars); apparently one of ten sculptures along the 1066CW, inspired by the Bayeaux Tapestry. I saw a few more of these on my subsequent travels and have popped them all in a gallery below.
From Herstmonceaux I cut through Wartling Wood and up Boreham Lane to reach Boreham Street where I lunched at the Bull's Head (best. chips. ever.) before heading north west, following the 1066CW to the wonderfully named Brownbread Street. This is a tiny hamlet but features a 400 year old ale house and a pony sanctuary. Heading east to Steven's Crouch, the path takes in beautiful views of the Weald and then heads into ancient woodland as it heads south east into Catsfield. From Catsfield I turned north west again to head into Battle, passing the famous Abbey and site of the Battle of Hastings before reaching the high street and another George (this time a hotel) where I was staying the night.
Old Way day 9: Battle to Winchelsea
A glorious autumnal morning to start the final push to Winchelsea. With half an eye on the weather which did not look quite as kind as it had on previous days. But this time I was not alone! Him-indoors, or Mr C as we shall call him, had brought his bike and was headed from Winchelsea back to meet me along the trail.
Walking out of Battle (after an excellent breakfast of course) was a wonder of autumnal smells and sights, swiftly accompanied by that of ancient woodland in the Great Wood. Formerly the source of timber for ships, and charcoal for Sussex ironworks, the Great Wood is now managed by Forestry England and is a wonderfully evocative place to roam. The 1066CW sculpture here was of a wooden crown decorated with curlicues and looking very regal; when you peep between the panels of the crown, the terrible human cost of gaining that crown becomes visible.
From the Great Wood, 1066CW passes over farmland and crosses the A21 (Kent Street); here is where the weather turned and a deluge swept in. S'ok, I was well prepared. I continued east, managing to ford streams that had become rivers and generally avoiding getting irretrievably wet, until reaching Westfield. I had originally planned to drop down into Westfield proper, but instead, given the weather conditions, skirted the top of the village and made for Icklesham, traversing farmland, more railways and some very marshy ground before climbing up to Snailham where Mr C caught up with me on his bike.
From here we tracked over some stiles and into Icklesham, at which point the sun was out and we paused to dry off and have some lunch! Out of Icklesham we followed farm tracks until we crested the hill at Elms Farm and got to look out over Rye Bay and see the sea!
We picked up Wicham Rock Lane and followed the road through New Gate into Winchelsea, marvelling anew at the medieval town and its sense of history.
I really enjoyed this whole three days. I felt a sense of change, enhanced by the season and the shifting landscape under my feet. Having done the last few sections solo, I remembered how lovely it is to have company and Mr C remarked on all the fab cycling options. Maybe opportunities for whole family Old-Way-ing......?? The history of the area, embedded in the landscape and the very excellent curation of the 1066CW (hands down the best waymarked long distance path I have ever found!), adds hugely to the experience and the feeling of following fellow travellers from generations past.
From this point I'm a skip and a jump from the Kent border and the final stages of the whole Old Way endeavour. As I approach my (former) home town I'll probably mess with the route some more to take in some old haunts and places of personal pilgrimage. But probably not until 2022!
1066 Country Walk sculptures
That one of the crowned king?....... looks just like the Witch King of Angmar
Maps
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