Length: 18.6km (11.5 miles) or 12.3km (7.6 miles) T=2.26
Toughness: 6 out of 10
Toughness: 6 out of 10
Is it possible to swim in October?
Trains: 9.54 train from Victoria (10.01 Clapham Junction, 10.10 East Croydon) to Lewes, changing there (be quick! - arrive 10.56, depart 11.00) for the Seaford train to Southease, arriving 11.07. For a more relaxed journey, get the 0924 and have a coffee at Lewes.
From both the Cuckmere and the main road outside the Saltmarsh buses number 12/12a/13X go every ten to fifteen minutes (every half hour after 7pm or so) to Seaford, taking 10–15 minutes.
Trains back from Seaford are at xx25 and xx53, connecting for London at Lewes.
Trains back from Seaford are at xx25 and xx53, connecting for London at Lewes.
try to get off the middle of the train at Lewes to get across the footbridge to platform 3 to make the connection. It is shown as a connecting train and has worked in the past.
Buy a day return to Seaford (Sussex)
For the morning: Directions, GPX, map
The idea of this walk is to do the shorter version of Book 2 Walk 26 Southease to Seaford - ie, omitting the river loop to Rodmell - as a 7.6 mile morning walk across the downs to the sea, arriving at Seaford for a swim(??) and lunch. Low tide at Seaford is 11.37, but apparently this shingle beach is swimmable at all tides.
Lunch: Cafe or picnic on the beach just where you arrive at the beach after the car park.
Those that wish could, of course, terminate the walk here. Otherwise an afternoon walk over Seaford Head and up the Cuckmere River to Exceat (3.9 miles). Directions/GPX are not really necessary for this: follow the seafront and then the cliff top path to Cuckmere Haven and then turn left up the Cuckmere River to the road bridge.
Tea at Exceat is possible either at the Cuckmere Inn or - by turning right over Exceat Bridge and walking 400 metres up the road - at the Saltmarsh Cafe, open to 5pm, in the Seven Sisters Country Park Visitor Centre complex.
Those that wish could, of course, terminate the walk here. Otherwise an afternoon walk over Seaford Head and up the Cuckmere River to Exceat (3.9 miles). Directions/GPX are not really necessary for this: follow the seafront and then the cliff top path to Cuckmere Haven and then turn left up the Cuckmere River to the road bridge.
Tea at Exceat is possible either at the Cuckmere Inn or - by turning right over Exceat Bridge and walking 400 metres up the road - at the Saltmarsh Cafe, open to 5pm, in the Seven Sisters Country Park Visitor Centre complex.
3 comments:
It has to be said that the sea remains weirdly warm - still at August temperatures - so should be swimmable, yes. The main issue at Seaford is how big the waves are. At time of writing (Tuesday) this does not look like it will be an issue, but things can change. The state of the tide does not matter at Seaford: at Cuckmere Haven it will be good for swimming after 2.30pm or so (and for the rest of the afternoon).
The 9.54 from Victoria is currently advertised as arriving at Lewes at 10:56 so 4 minutes to connect with the 11:00 Seaford service
The train from Victoria was busy: some who got on later had to stand. We then had a tight connection at Lewes. But 21 emerged blinking into the W=sunshine on Southease station. Later on the downs another materialised, having apparently got the earlier train. So n=22.
It was windy up on top and I wondered about the state of the sea. Larks were singing - fledgling males practising, I guess, as one was trying a wobbling hover. At one point we had to push through a posse of horses by a kissing gate. They didn’t mind being pushed through but made no attempt to move out of the way either.
Getting to Bishopstone we disagreed about the sea state. Some of the waves looked huge to me. Our walk poster got knocked down by a breaker when trying to get into the sea. One person later described the swim as “terrifying”: others said exhilarating. I think 6 or 7 swam in all. I trekked all the way down to the Newhaven end of the beach where the harbour breakwater softened the waves and had a gorgeous 13 minute swim on a sea of liquid silver.
The others went to the beachfront cafe for lunch (Being too late for this, I went to Tesco for a sandwich). Eight (?) of us carried on over Seaford Head to Cuckmere Haven. Three of us swam there in an autumnal sea of towering brown waves, lit by silver light spilling between clouds. (There was some cloud in the afternoon.)
We then walked to the Cuckmere Inn for drinks (and one meal) and set off to walk to the Seven Sisters Visitor Centre bus stop. About 40 people were waiting here and the first bus let about six on. Luckily three buses turned up 15 minutes later, and though fairly full, one of them deigned to let us on, after some pleading.
At Trawlers in Seaford we split into eat-ins (two) and take-outs (the rest of us). The train contingent also bought suitable quantities of wine from Tesco (just as much as was needed, no more, no less) and had a trouble-free ride home, both trains yielding up a pair of tables for us to sit at and annoy the rest of the carriage with our nattering.
A great day out. Almost certainly the last swimming walk of the year. Only five months to spring….
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