Options from 15.2km (9.4 miles) to 21.3km (13.3 miles): see text below - no need to choose which you do until the end of the walk
9.58 train from London Bridge - not Victoria as usual - (10.12 East Croydon) to Lewes, arrive 10.57, changing there for the 11.14 to Berwick, arriving 11.25. T=swc.129
Buy a day return to Eastbourne
Summer is nearly over, so let's take this last chance to have a walk across the downs to the sea….
This is a lovely walk, and not over-strenuous: mostly flat apart from two climbs onto the downs. You start with a walk across fields to Wilmington. It is just three miles into the walk, but the lunch menu at the Long Man Inn (which replaced the Giant's Rest) looks nice.
You then pop into Wilmington churchyard to see the fabulous old yew and up to and over the Long Man of Wilmington chalk figure - your biggest ascent of the day. After that it is flat or downhill to Jevington, 6 miles into the walk, where the Eight Bells serves food until 3pm.
After this, another climb onto the downs, but a relatively gentle one, and a nice long walk along a flat ridge, with fine views, to Friston, reached in 9.4 miles. The very regular (4-5 an hour) 12, 12a, and 12X buses pass this way, taking you to Eastbourne station eastbound and Seaford station westbound, so you can finish the walk here, but it is only an extra mile (so 10.4 miles) to walk down the hill to the lovely Tiger Inn in East Dean: the same buses go from the village bus stop nearby.
Alternatively, the main walk route takes you down onto Flagstaff Point, where you turn left to walk over three of the Seven Sisters and arrive at Birling Gap (11.8 miles). The National Trust cafe here closes at 5pm.
A swim in the sea is not impossible. It will be at or near low tide (5.36pm), which means the sea will have retreated across the rocks. But the area opposite the steps is mostly free of rocks, and the sea beyond will be nice and shallow, with a (mostly) sandy bottom
Since we are still on the summer timetable (it ends next weekend!!) you can get the 13X bus from Birling Gap: it goes at 16.06, 17.06, 18.05 and 19.05 to Eastbourne and 16.21, 17.21, 18.20 and 19.17 to Seaford.
Alternatively, you can walk the 1.5 miles inland to East Dean and the Tiger Inn, making a total 13.3 mile walk.
Buses from East Dean - 12, 12A, 12X - are very regular - four or five an hour up to 9pm: a bit less frequent after that. It is quicker to go to Eastbourne, but in extremis Seaford is not that far. In both directions the bus stops right outside the railway station.
Trains back from Eastbourne are at 05 and 33 past until 22.05, then 22.30
Trains back from Seaford are at 25 and 53 past to 21.53, changing at Lewes
This walk is posted by Walker Stand-In Services on behalf of Stargazer Overseas Enterprises Inc
1 comment:
Hmm. Not so much a last slice of summer: more a first taste of autumn. Weather-wise we had w=a-bit-of-everything: sun in the morning, some rain after lunch, howling gales at the end. At one point in the afternoon the walk directions promised a panoramic view of the coast from Hastings to Brighton: we could see none of it.
Still, a super day out. Fine downland views are still fine downland views even under cloud. I shouldn’t say this as the author, but this is a grand walk, with excellent scenery throughout, and should be done more often.
N=12 assembled at the start. We got a bit strung out on the first section to Wilmington, but I think most of the group, apart from two sandwichers, reconvened at the Long Man Inn. It was the first time the SWC has tried out this replacement for the Giant’s Rest but we were favourably impressed. The food was interesting and tasty, the decor much as before (lots of wood). Six of us ate outside in the sunshine and others had drinks.
After lunch a look at the amazing churchyard yew and the steep climb up past the Long Man. Lots of swallows here (possibly some house martins too) and indeed in other places on the walk. On migration from further north probably.
By now it was cloudy. In Jevington we (meaning a group of six of us: not sure what happened to the rest as we did not see them again) had a quick look at the church and carried on, not stopping at the Eight Bells. On the climb up onto the downs and while walking along the top there was some rain: not that heavy, but a bit disappointing.
Things did not look promising for swimming, but at Friston all six of us carried on to do the very lovely walk down to Flagstaff Point and across three of the Seven Sisters to Birling Gap. There was a fierce wind on the cliffs, but we descended to the beach, which was merely breezy. The sea was far out and the recent storms seemed to have ripped away lots of the sand opposite the steps, revealing a rocky bottom. It was 5.30pm and all agreed a swim was not a good idea….
….But then the sun came out and one idiot (me) could not resist trying. I set off through the rocks and out onto what I expected from past experience to be sand beyond, shallowly covered by sea. But in fact the milky water concealed jagged rocks. Being of a stubborn disposition I ploughed on and finally got to the edge of the sea proper, but found the waves there quite big and close packed. I had a nervous little frolic there, the low golden sun and the pounding surf making an exhilarating scene, but clearly not one in which one could really swim.
So I headed back. Unfortunately my example had tempted one other walker to try for a dip: she only got as far as the maze of underwater rocks before seeing me returning and turning back herself. I felt guilty about this.
The Tiger Inn then beckoned. There was the most incredible gale blowing off the sea as we walked to East Dean, but the village was sheltered from it. Getting to the pub at 7pm, four of us ordered food and two had only drinks, all which we consumed at an outside table until cold drove us inside. We got an 8.15 bus to Eastbourne and the 8.33 train. Favourite books and upcoming sailing trips were two of the many topics on the journey home.
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