Our June weekend in Eastbourne was the sort that convinces you that you may have somehow wandered into southern Europe rather than southern England. Our arrival on Friday night was greeted with a beautiful sunset and extended twilight as we were only just over 24 hours away from the longest day. It was with some surprise that we awoke on Saturday morning to a thick fog.
Convinced that the fog would soon burn off given the heat of the sun, we pressed ahead with our planned walk from Cuckmere Haven over the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head and back to the hostel. This plan involved hopping on the bus for the outward leg all the way to Exceat and the Seven Sisters Country Park visitors’ centre. From here we headed up onto the chalk on the South Downs Way whilst serenaded by skylarks. The higher we got the mistier it got, so we missed out on some of the classic views, but it was tremendously atmospheric and it made it a wee bit cooler for walking.
Whilst it was quite busy at Exceat, that was nothing to the pop concert numbers we saw at Birling Gap. Lots of people, often in large groups and closer together the nearer we got to Birling Gap. The pressure was too much for the National Trust toilets and the result was a lengthy queue. Luckily it was hot enough to be sweaty, which reduced your need for a wee!
After a tea and pasty break, we could see that outside the mist had at last started to rise. There were tempting glimpses of glowing white cliffs as the green downs rose up in front of us. It’s a stiff pull up to Belle Tout lighthouse, so once we got there, we decided to pause for lunch and enjoy the sunshine. This was bliss, but eventually we had to move before we got burnt to a crisp.
Beachy Head is the highest point of the walk, so also the last place to be clear of the mist. At one point we had a stunningly clear view of the red stripes of Beachy Head lighthouse whilst Belle Tout was still in mist. I guess it’s not that surprising given that we the main reason Belle Tout was made redundant.
By the time we made the top we were very ready for some hydration therapy at the pub to sustain us for the last leg of the walk. The high humidity meant that we got back to the hostel feeling pretty rung out. After a round of tea and a reviving shower we felt human again. It was a beautiful evening and Jim fired up the barbecue whilst we laid out the table under the spreading branches of a shady tree. With salad, wine and beer, it was a meal worthy of a mediterranean villa as we relaxed in the twilight.
Sunday had no mist, so was a good deal hotter. We planned a shortish walk through the shade of the Friston Forest to Jevington before an exposed uphill climb to gain the ridge behind the hostel. It was hard work but softened by a timely pause at the pub in Jevington. It was a lovely end to a great weekend.
Ali
Britain’s 24th Oldest Business
Our Castle Hedingham walk was another sticky one, so the beckoning of The Bell at the end of the walk proved irresistible. It’s probably the only pub I’ve ever been to that has its own ballroom, upstairs above the bar area. They filled the space in "The Long Room" with a nice little museum on their history as a coaching inn going back all the way to 1592. This makes it Britain’s 24th oldest business that’s still running. Nice to help uphold such a strong tradition!