Vanguard Way: day 3

There's something lovely about the start proper of the walking season. The clocks have gone forward, the ground is starting to dry out (mostly) and there is a sense of anticipation for the paths ahead and a seemingly endless amount of time to explore them in. I confess I hadn't done much in the way of long distance paths for some time, but with this sense of anticipation and a trip to bonny Scotland on the horizon I felt the season was upon me to get going on some of my projects. So, almost a year since my soggy Coronation Day efforts on the Vanguard Way, I once again sallied forth to the Ashdown Forest to pick up the path.

You may remember my previous day on the VGW ending in front of a very welcome fire at the Crow and Gate pub near Crowborough. I picked up the VGW close to this, parking the car in one of the many small car parks provided by the Conservators of Ashdown Forest (top tip: it costs a fiver to park all day and you can purchase this in advance rather than faff with a machine) and taking one of the smaller paths through Barnsgate Manor to meet the VGW.

As with the rest of the VGW so far, the route is characterised by being relatively remote; there is very little in the way of villages and so forth so be prepared with grub and liquid refreshment.

My path took me south through arable land and woodland, redolent with the scent of wild garlic. I grabbed a few handfuls to make my annual stash of wild garlic pesto- guaranteed vampire proofing. Just after Quarry Wood, the path joins up with the Sussex Diamond Way, a 60-ish mile route across the low Weald of Sussex, celebrating the Diamond jubilee of the Sussex Ramblers. We don't follow it for long though, it continues its merry way east to Heathfield whilst we keep going southwards.

Crossing Fowley lane and passing under the railway, the VGW skims the edge of Buxtedbefore picking up a bit of road walking and then crossing open fields of green crop and the odd sheep before reaching the poetically names Primrose Ghyll Farm. I bumped into the farmer, lovely chap. Being British we naturally chatted about the weather and he wished me 'luck' with it as I headed into a scrap of woodland, more fields and then into Tickerage Wood and onto Blackboys. The village's unusual name is probably derived from the old English for Black Wood, but the more romantic version, perhaps backed up by the nearby Kiln Wood, is that it derives from the state of the local charcoal burners when they came back from work!

Heading up into Kiln Wood I paused at the top of the hill to survey the landscape and have some lunch, perching on a bench at the local allotments. Plunging onwards I took in Hawkhurst Common Wood, zigzagged across open fields to Moat Farm and then directly south to Gray Wood on a small road with not a single bit of traffic on it!

At this point I diverted from the VGW to head west over to East Hoathly and very pretty, very Sussex village which had a pub, post office, nice looking tea room and ......a rural bus route! Taking this, and a quick change in Uckfield took me back to Barnsgate Manor and a short walk back to the car.

All in, just about 20km of very lovely, very peaceful walking with lots of mud but no drama!

I reckon that on a nice day I might manage the rest of the VGW in one go. It would be nice to finish something this year!