Length: 20.3 km (12.6 miles) Starting in Rye: 23 km (14.3 miles)
Toughness: 9 plus out of 10
Either
London St Pancras: 09-34 hrs Southeastern High Speed service to Dover Priory
Arrive Ashford International: 10-11 hrs Change trains
Leave Ashford International: 10-25 hrs Southern service from Ashford Int. to Eastbourne
Arrive Rye: 10-47 hrs
Arrive Winchelsea: 10-50 hrs
Or
London Charing Cross: 08-40 hrs Southeastern stopping service to Ramsgate London Bridge 08-49 hrs. Sevenoaks 09-13 hrs
Arrive Ashford International: 10-00 hrs Change trains
Leave Ashford International: 10-25 hrs Southern service from Ashford Int. to Eastbourne (as above)
Arrive Rye: 10-47 hrs
Arrive Winchelsea: 10-50 hrs
Return
Hastings to St Pancras via Ashford Int. Southern service at 26 mins past the hour
Hastings to London Bridge and Charing Cross: Southeastern services at 31 & 50 mins past the hour
Hastings to Victoria: Southern service at 23 mins past the hour
Rail ticket: Suggest a day return to Hastings any route permitted. Make sure your ticket includes the High Speed leg from St Pancras to Ashford International if travelling on HS1.
This is a tough walk, not for the faint hearted, as all the hard work comes towards the end of the walk, when you climb up and descend 3 steep glens. But the rewards for your effort are considerable, with fine views for much of the day. Note: The path though Ecclesbourne Glen (one of the 3 glens) has been repaired and has reopened after years of closure.
You have a choice of walk start: you can set off from Rye, soon along the 1066 path, which takes you to Winchelsea railway station. Or you can start your walk from the latter railway station. From here you soon head over the River Brede's water meadows and agricultural fields as you make your way to the village of Icklesham. Here you have the option of an early lunch (recommended for Rye starters) at the popular Queens Head pub, with its large beer garden. But Winchelsea starters might prefer to wait a bit longer until you reach the village of Pett (having descended open fields and crossed the Pannel Sewer - a large open ditch). In Pett your pub stop is the Royal Oak Inn, much improved in recent years.
After Pett Village you drop down over fields to Pett Level, crossing another large open ditch (Marsham Sewer). You now head along an attractive cliff path - the Saxon Shore Way - to Fairlight, where you soon make your way past cliffs suffering from erosion. On then to Firehills to enter Hastings Country Park, which takes you on to the glens, with stunning sea views. In order - its up and down steep paths through Warren Glen, then Fairlight Glen - with its beach below for swimmers - and finally Ecclesbourne Glen now reopened. At the top you catch your breath before heading over a grassy plateau above Hastings all the way into town. You enter the historic old town first where you find some good pubs and places for refreshments. Continuing into the new town afterwards is not so pleasant but keep going and you are soon in the town's pedestrian precinct from where it is a short walk uphill to Hastings Railway station.
Recommended - particularly for those doing this walk for the first time.
T=1.25
Walk Directions are here: L=1.25
2 comments:
Just #3 on this walk, a shame as the early rain had gone and it was a #sunny-day-with-a-gentle-breeze. The sea looked quite choppy though.
We picnicked by the cricket ground at Pett, watching a local game starting up. I got separated from the others on the way up to Fairlight village where I got lost in the side streets and cul de sacs - please remind me always to bring the written directions for this walk. I did catch up later though. Two of us got on different delayed trains back at around 4.30.
I forgot to add that the path through the landslip area has been beautifully restored with new (steep!) steps and there are lots of helpful new signs around the country park, though still a couple of junctions where the way is not 100% clear.
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