Length: 22.3 km/13.9 mi [shorter options available,
see below]
Ascent/Descent: 511/507m
Net Walking Time: ca. 5 ¾ hours
Toughness: 6 out of 10
Take
the 09.54 Eastbourne train from Victoria (Clapham 10.01,
EC 10.10), arrives Lewes at 10.56.
From
London Bridge,
the latest connecting train is the 09.51
Thameslink to 3 Bridges: change at East Croydon (10.06/10.10).
Return
trains are on xx.25 and xx.53 (change at
Lewes).
Buy
a Seaford (Sussex) return.
From Lewes, the route takes a variation of the
familiar south easterly route out of Lewes: cross the River Ouse in the town
centre and climb a lane to a golf club car park. You then follow a circular
ridge route, with glorious views throughout followed by a long descent into Glynde.
From Glynde station, go through the village to cross over the A24 and pass
Preston Court Farm. You go through the entrance to Firle Park, cross a field
and enter the village of West Firle for lunch and drinks at the Ram Inn.
Continue through West Firle to start a long climb up
to a spot near Firle Beacon. Head westerly to the transmission masts on
Beddingham Hill and descend with glorious views to the seafront promenade in
Bishopstone and on along the coast to Seaford.
You have four options for shortening the walk:
Lewes to Seaford omitting West Firle 18.6 km (11.6
m);
Glynde to Seaford via West Firle 16.8 km (10.5m);
Glynde to Seaford omitting West Firle 12.5 km
(7.8m);
Finish at Bishopstone station (cuts 2.0 km).
Lunch: The Ram Inn in West Firle
(9.0 km/5.6 mi, food to 15.00, bar menu all day). A (small) table is booked
for 12.45.
Tea: Salts Café. Stronger stuff
can be at The Old Boot Inn, The Old Plough and The Wellington. There is also Steamworks, the lovely pub in the station waiting room.
For walk directions, maps, height profiles, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.181
1 comment:
n=6 on this walk, initially under overcast skies, then from Mount Caburn (at noon) onwards under sunny blue skies. The wind was always strong. Always. Even in the valleys. Some day for walking it was...
Seeing that we had a 'tourist' amongst us, who'd never been to or near Lewes, we added an out-and-back onto The Caburn to the route, and therefore arrived 15 mins late for the lunch booking. Which was lovely. The lunch, the table in one of the never-before-seen indoor rooms, the food, and the drink and all. On onto the VERY windy Downs, where (that tourist interest again) we added the tiny out-and-back to the Firle Beacon to the route. From there to the beach at Bishopstone we were into the wind, which did not please everyone. Naturally, I found it quite exhilarating and par for the course.
The walk has recently been taken over by a new 'maintainer' from the original author, and he has modified the descent route from the SDW. It worked quite well: tarmac to Blackcap Farm, then descending into the very scenic Stump Bottom and on into Poverty Bottom. But the old route was fine as well, and different from this iteration, so maybe it should be kept as an alternative?
There was then a short stretch of blackberries in an edibly ripe state. First of the year?
At the beach, we talked one walker out of shortcutting the walk at Bishopstone, and she and some others then walked the shingle or sandy stretches. The sea was WILD, the water a teaming grey-brown-blue maelstrom of house-height waves (I am only slightly exaggerating here) with only one daredevil kite surfer braving the elements. It was some sight.
Salts Cafe got our vote for a brief ice cream and coffee stop, then the tourist paid for drinks at Steamworks. Great day out, certainly in my book.
Oh: we passed 4 games of cricket. A record for any walk?
w=overcast-to-noon-then-sunny-and-always-very-windy
Post a Comment