CYHA News

The location was Eastbourne, and the plan was to walk 15 miles, taking in the chalky heights of Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters en route. Quite a challenge, but just what we needed to get in training for Hadrians Wall.

It started off sunny and rather humid, which might have proved quite taxing if it had lasted all day. Luckily (!?) the wind picked up and it greyed over a little. This lost us the glowing white of the chalky cliffs, but at least the going was a little fresher.

We resisted the temptation for morning coffee at Beachy Head and headed out over the cliffs, past the lighthouse, past Belle Toute, pausing just before Birling Gap for a spot of lunch.

The tea room at Birling Gap was a revelation. I remember this being run by a grumpy bloke and stocking nothing more exotic than millionaires shortbread – how wrong! Come 2011 the café has been taken over by the National Trust and the shelves are heaving with moist slices of carrot cake, chunks of chocolate cake and possibly the biggest Victoria sponge I’ve ever seen. I think if you looked hard enough you might have still found a square of millionaires shortbread at the back of one of the shelves, but why would you! The tea was very welcome, sustaining us for the Seven Sisters to come (or eight, depending how you count).

Our next stopping point was Cuckmere Haven, where we had a superb view of the meanders of the River Cuckmere, leading us inland to the second teashop of the day. It took enormous self control to limit the snacking to a hot, buttered, toasted teacake (hmm, I’m drooling a little just remembering it).

At this point some of the party decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and that a trip back on the bus was the best option. Of the eleven who started out, only four walked the last 6 miles back to the hostel.

Dinner was, appropriately, fish and chips at a local restaurant and was just the thing to round off such an energetic day.

Sunday’s walk was a little more modest, but still had an impressive teashop count. We started with a walk from the hostel inland to the village of Jevington, where morning coffee was had in the charming tea garden of one of the residents. There were fewer hills today, but still fabulous views over the South Downs. More hard work got us down to Folkington for a spot of lunch before taking in the Long Man of Wilmington. Having not had a tea stop for some hours, the beautiful town of Alfriston was impossible to miss, as was the Sussex cream tea with extra thick yummy cream. Thus filled, we waddled back along the River Cuckmere to Exceat, but this time all of us caught the bus back!

Ali

Biking the Flitch

Just 5 of us met in the car park at Dunmow Co-op for a splendid 33 mile cycle ride, using part of the Flitch Way cycle path on the course of the former Braintree to Bishops Stortford railway. We started off on in Dunmow Cutting – a shady, overgrown hollow, rather muddy and with boardwalks in places, which made it a challenging start to the ride. Shorts were a dubious choice of leg wear as we got thrashed by nettles, but as the sun came out and the trail opened up, it got very pleasant indeed!

Leaving the Flitch trail, we headed off into the villages of north west Essex. The views from Little Easton were particularly fine with gorgeous, rolling green hills. There was also a rather nice pub lunch to be had at The Stag, washed down with a pint of Greene King. Pressing on through Great Easton, we paused briefly to lower the tone at the Rolls Royce showrooms, the on through Lindsell and Stebbing before re-joining the Flitch Way at Rayne Station.

The station originally shut when the railway line closed to passengers in the 1960s, but in recent years it has re-opened; doing a nice line in teas and home made cakes – a very welcome treat.

Now back on the Flitch, the route was very straight forward and the gradient gentle, as we completed the last leg back to Dunmow. Of the 6 hours on the trail, we spent nearly half of that eating – a pretty good balance, I’m sure you’ll agree.