Length: 23.5 km (14.6 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 552m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness: 7 out of 10
Dropouts: at
Southease or Glynde stations; longer: via West Firle (29.7 km/18.4 mi)
Take the 08.56 Ore service
from London Bridge [!] (EC 09.13), arrives Lewes
09.58.
Return trains: xx.27 and
xx.57.
This walk is written up in either clockwise or
anti-clockwise direction. I am posting the clockwise one,
but you can of course do what you like… incl. walking a longer version via West
Firle.
Sunset is at 16.00 hours, so there’ll be well enough light for
walking until 16.30 hours.
“This is an energetic walk over three distinct
downland ridges, with magnificent views throughout. One of the pleasures of the
walk is that the entire route is in view for much of the walk, so you can look
back at the terrain you have already done or ahead to the delights to come.
Navigation is easy, the walking is over wide and distinct paths, and while
there are three substantial climbs, most of the walk is flat, gently undulating
or downhill.
As well as plenty of grand downland walking, the
route includes a start and finish in historic Lewes, quaint corners of which
you see both at the start and end of the walk, an optional detour to Mount
Caburn (Iron Age fort) with its dramatic viewpoint of the whole circuit, and
the pleasant small village of Glynde.
You also pass the remote station of Southease, with
its YHA cafe nearby. The walk passes 2 train stations on the way between the 3
hills, so if you want to drop out, it’s quite easy.”
Lunch: The Ram Inn
in West Firle on the long clockwise walk (lunch served to 15.00, then the bar
menu) or the…
Abergavenny
Arms in Rodmell on any anti-clockwise route (9.0 km/5.6 mi, food
all day) or even on the normal clockwise route.
Tea: A tea room in Glynde and the YHA Café in
Southease, then plenty of options in Lewes. For details see the webpage
or the pdf. T=swc.47
For summary, walk directions, map,
height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here.
4 comments:
Is anyone planning to eat at The Ram Inn, West Firle tomorrow?
I understand from discussions on the great Bermondsy mile, 9 breweries stacked in a row. We watched the England match with the sound 20 seconds ahead of the vision. Didnt change the result.
That no plans to go to West Firle, so I'll aim for the Abergavenny Arms.
My trains are cancelled, so homeworld today.
I was going to catch a slightly later train.
Indeed, the next two Lewes trains following the posted train were cancelled, so no one joined the group at Glynde. This left the original n=6 (5 off the train, awaited by a 6th) ploughing along. The weather was mildly overcast at first, then overcast but dry, always with a strong-ish wind.
Nothing much to report about the walk itself: we got to the Abergavenny Arms a few minutes after 1 and left half past 2. That's after 1 walker had bailed out at Southease Station to link up with a friend in Brighton. 4 lunchers plus 1 picnicker, plenty of conversation, cafetieres of coffee... Views were quite ok for the w=leaden-skies, especially out to sea.
Arriving in Lewes, we saw the 16.27 pull out and therefore had about 25 minutes to spend in the Lansdown Arms before the 16.57 (the next one along being cancelled). A very fine day out.
Special events/sights: a very large choir acting out songs in that pedestrianised main drag in Lewes (rockchoir.com), a large shooting party descending into Caburn Bottom (11 Land Rovers plus one tractor-with-charabanc for the 'guns'. Another smaller shooting party going up the track up Beddingham Hill (6 rovers with a handful of 'guns' and loads of kids acting as 'beaters'), all going for what's left of the pheasants. A swimmer about to jump into the Ouse at Southease for his daily 15 minutes swim. A mountain biker going up and down the same stretch of the SDW. A large-ish group of young walkers on a 'fast hike' (something between fast walking and slow jogging), they were the 1,000ft Club (their policy: no leaders, no liability, which sounds a bit familiar; and a minimum of 1000 ft of ascent within a minimum of 12 miles walking = not THAT ambitious). Today they were doing Hassocks to Lewes, which apparently is 27 km. And on the ridge we took the time to (finally) scan the QR Code on one of those South Downs National Park signposts, which leads you to a 'Meet the Farmer' video. Nice one.
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