Essex Man Does Walking

 Not too bad a nights sleep. Woke up to a fairly windy day but set about trying to make a cup of tea on the Trangia which I had put on a bench by the hedge to try and keep the wind out. Tea made I then set about cooking up the bacon we bought yesterday to go in some rolls.  With such a small cooker I had to do this in batches but it wasn’t long before Rob and I had some hot rolls in us. Packing up the tent and putting it all away in my rucksack we were ready to go.

I followed the trail I used on the way in to the camp and it wasn’t long before we were back at the

church saying goodbye to my relatives and heading back up the steep slope to Jack & Jill. We then arrived back at the point I had left the SDW the day before. Up the top on the downs it was quite clear how windy it was today and rain was threatening at any moment. I could see a band of it as we got to Ditchling Beacon hanging around just over Burgess Hill but it didn’t seem to want to move any closer yet. There is always an ice cream van up here on Ditchling Beacon, or there used to be, even on Boxing Day! However, not a sign today.

We crossed over the road aspying Plumpton on one side including the race course and the holy grail of the AMEX on the other. A sight we would be seeing quite a bit from every angle as the Down’s wound back and forth towards the coast. With Lewes appearing in the distance we turned right and headed down

towards Housedean Farm and the A27. There were signs for ice cream here so our hopes were up but then dashed as it wasn’t open. However, I did avail myself of the water tap by the farm. Going over the busy A27 we turned left and walked parallel to the railway. A large crack as we walked under some trees had us stop and look upwards. A second later a large branch crashed down just in front of us a mere 5-10 metres away. A close call but a sign of how windy it has been here.

Going under the railway we walked steeply up Newmarket Hill and Castle Hill with Kingston upon Lewes to our left and Woodingdean to our right. On this part of our trail we stopped to have a crisp sandwich and a protein bar, not the best meal to have. Continuing up slightly to Scarborough Hill the wind had us in full force again. Over the next mile or two we wondered whether camping on the exposed Stud Farm Campsite in this wind was really the best idea and we sort to find an alternative by turning off the SDW and heading to a pub in Rodmell.

We were tired at this point the beer not really helping and the lack of any proper food telling. We could not find any alternatives so would have to continue to Stud Farm and hope for the best. So we continued going down the main road and getting back on track by the Southease turn off. What followed was a never ending road heading upwards. I was on zero energy by this point and even a brief respite going down into Telscombe, a lovely village didn’t help as it was soon steeply up to the campsite.

We met the owner when deciding where to camp and she had reserved us a spot which would have been lovely in the summer overlooking the sea but in this wind was tantamount to disaster. So I moved us down a bit and towards the trees in an attempt to shield us from the wind. With the tent up I dragged myself inside and could have fallen asleep I was that tired.

In fact Rob was convinced I was. However, we had no food so had to walk over a mile down into Peacehaven to The Smugglers Rest which I used to know as The Badgers Watch. A couple of beers and a lasagne inside us we headed to the next pub and had a quick drink before walking back up to the campsite. I had noted a Tesco Express on the map and we made for that, stocking up on food and drink. Finally getting back to the tent I gobbled down some chocolate and got ready for sleep. Rob decided to drink wine and hung around by the toilets looking for conversation with anyone who didn’t think he was some sort of Wino.

Distance: 14.58 miles

Ascent: 1992 feet