An exhilarating walk along the South Downs Way with panoramic views inland and out to the sea.
Length: 18 km (11.2 miles)
Toughness : 4 out of 10
Trains: Take the 10.07 train from London Bridge (East Croydon 10.24) arriving Hassocks 11.08.
Or, take the 10.02 train from London Victoria (Clapham Junction 10.09, East Croydon 10.18) arriving Hassocks 11.01 and wait for LB train to arrive.
Return trains from Lewes are at xx.21 (fastest) to London Victoria or xx.24 and xx.46 to London Bridge.
Buy a return ticket to Lewes.
Lunch : The suggested lunchtime pub is the Half Moon (tel 01273 890 253) in Plumpton, some 9.3 km into the walk. Picnickers can shorten their walk slightly by staying up on the downs instead of going down to Plumpton.
Tea : Various options in Lewes, some of which are mentioned in the link L=1.29
9 comments:
If anyone’s interested in something different, Walk 407 has 2 alternative endings at Cooksbridge, see the last 2 sections. The first option descends steeply from Black Cap while the second option stays with the book walk to Offham, then turns left rather than right along the Ouse, passing close to the old church at Hamsey. Note too that when you cross the main road at Offham just to the left is the Blacksmith’s Arms, which might be a good ‘early tea’ option. Trains from Cooksbridge to Victoria are at 26 mins past each hour.
Is there nothing before Plumpton for food? I find 9 miles a long stretch before lunch.
@Kate: it's 9.3 km to Plumpton, not 9 miles. If you were thinking of booking I reckon you'd get there around 1.30pm.
Thanks Sean - I shall look at it again. 9.3k doesn't sound so bad!
I've reserved a table for 4 at the Half Moon in Plumpton at 130 on Sunday. So there are definitely 2 places to spare, and possibly 3. Roll up!
Can you include me in the lunch order please? Mike
Could you please add me to the lunch? Thanks
I have added David, Mike and Amran to my booked table for 4. See you tomorrow.
14 assembled at Lewes station and were joined by a 15th soon after starting the walk. We splashed through the muddy path next to the railway line as quickly as possible and encountered no further mud after that. It was misty as we started ascending the downs and on top there was w=dense-mist obscuring views on both sides which persisted for the whole length of the ridge making the walk a bit tedious. Six went for a pub lunch, the rest all stopped at the pink van with picnic tables to the right of the lane leading down to Plumpton. Here we were joined by a late arrival making a total of n=16 on the walk.The mist thinned a little when we descended to Offham. The walk along the river passed some cherry trees covered in blooms and from Lewes castle we had our first view of the day, still misty but a relief after the hours of nothingness.
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