20.3km (12.6 miles) 9/10
Starts off flat but it doesn't stay that way. No sirree.. After an early lunch at a 17th century pub in Icklesham, the afternoon goes up, down, up, down, through 3 steep seaside glens, eventually descending into Hastings old town. Said to be one of our hardest walks, but Mr Tiger's done it a few times without complaining. So don't expect no medals or nothing.
An unofficial diversion (at your own risk) would take you down to the naturist beach at Fairlight Glen.
T=1.25
Trains Take the 9:40 Highspeed from St Pancras to Ashford International arriving 10:18.
Change to Platform 1 for the 10:24 arriving Winchelsea 10:53
Return from Hastings at xx:25 for St Pancras (via Ashford) or the xx:00 and 30 to London Bridge or xx:19 to Victoria (longest journey).
Get a return to Hastings.
Lunch: Queens Head (tel 01424 814 552), Parsonage Lane, Icklesham.
Or later in the village of Pett, the Royal Oak Inn (tel 01424 812 515)
There is the C-Side cafe on the sea wall in Pett Level and a restaurant, Cockles and Dreams, a little further on.
Tea: At least two good pubs in the old town, as well as cafes and fish and chip places.
Directions: here.
Sunday, 18 August 2024
Sunday Walk: Winchelsea to Hastings
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Talking of walks going up and down, on a recent walk I was suprised to find fellow walkers were not familiar with this 1927 poem by G K Chesterton (which I wrongly attributed to Kipling...). So here is the text,
The Rolling English Road
By G. K. Chesterton
Before the Roman came to Rye or out to Severn strode,
The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road.
A reeling road, a rolling road, that rambles round the shire,
And after him the parson ran, the sexton and the squire;
A merry road, a mazy road, and such as we did tread
The night we went to Birmingham by way of Beachy Head.
I knew no harm of Bonaparte and plenty of the Squire,
And for to fight the Frenchman I did not much desire;
But I did bash their baggonets because they came arrayed
To straighten out the crooked road an English drunkard made,
Where you and I went down the lane with ale-mugs in our hands,
The night we went to Glastonbury by way of Goodwin Sands.
His sins they were forgiven him; or why do flowers run
Behind him; and the hedges all strengthening in the sun?
The wild thing went from left to right and knew not which was which,
But the wild rose was above him when they found him in the ditch.
God pardon us, nor harden us; we did not see so clear
The night we went to Bannockburn by way of Brighton Pier.
My friends, we will not go again or ape an ancient rage,
Or stretch the folly of our youth to be the shame of age,
But walk with clearer eyes and ears this path that wandereth,
And see undrugged in evening light the decent inn of death;
For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen,
Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green.
Source: The Collected Poems of G. K. Chesterton (1927)
n=7 walkers off the train from Ashford, who were met by 2 unbeknownst-to-each-other walkers at the station, who had travelled up via Hastings. n=9 therefore set off on this SWC Classic, for some of us for the first time in many a year in a dry month, considering the penchant of the undersigned to post this walk in winter when the marshes can be muddy and will be waterlogged in places.
So, a very enjoyable flat, then mildly undulating walk ensued all the way past the first pub in Micklesham to the second one in Pett.
One walker had kindly offered to phone the pub to reserve a table for an almost complete group taking lunch (8 out of 9) and we sat outside at the front of the pub.
The Royal Oak fell into the self-created trap of taking all food orders onto the same ticket, despite our assurances that we did not need everything to arrive at the same time. So, a longish wait it was, and second drinks were got while waiting. The food was very satisfying though, the service 10 out of 10 and the sun was shining. Suddenly a 'sphere' ghosted past and one of us (not me) immediately said "That's An****", and so it was: the rarely-spotted SWC Webmaster Extraordinaire had driven in from his abode in Outer SW London and started along the alternative start route through Winchelsea village.
Just as we were finishing, walker n=11 turned up: she had missed the train and had walked an hour behind. We gave her a few minutes to replenish liquids and then set off together.
Group cohesion suffered from the moment we started the ascent out of Pett Level and it never recovered. Some may have gone swimming (please report), or walking along the exposed shore (it was outgoing tide), or later trying to avoid some of the deep drops and re-ascents in the glens and/or had F & C in Hastings, or a drink or two, but I just do not know.
All I know is that I got to Hastings Station at 16.50, where the delayed 16.30 to Tonbridge was still waiting for custom (it set off 10 minutes later). The 17.00 had been cancelled (staff shortages) and so were others. At Tonbridge, a decent non-stop connection to LBG via Redhill meant arriving home at 7.
A very fine day in very fine company.
w=sunny-warm-hazy-with-some-clouds-and-a-breeze
Micklesham = Icklesham
Well the view from the back of the group is that two branched off at Firehills to do a glen-avoiding route to Hastings; I lost track of our webmaster there too; maybe he went to the cafe? The remaining three went down to Fairlight beach - 4 o'clock by this time - and met two of our group who were climbing back up. We carried on down and met walker #12 on the beach - he had got an earlier train in the morning. The four of us plunged into the waves - it was low tide so easy to get into the sea and nice and warm but very windy.
After our invigorating dip we got to Hastings around 6; two went in search of fish and chips and I got the 1819 Victoria train which was marginally the best for me to get home but over 2 hours in a cramped seat after a long walk was not much fun. A good day out though, many thanks for posting it Mr T
Filling in some gaps, my walk post group cohesion disbandment. Being at the front of the group I and 2 other walkers were planning a swim at Fairlight. However on the descent, I could see the tide was low. Not wishing to face the ascent back to the coastal path and still a way from Hastings I abandoned the beach visit. The rest of the walk via the remaining glens was solo until 1 beach goer caught up with me close into Hastings. There having planned to take one of 2 trains back to London I had an hour to explore Hastings (not having visited before). The old town and a heritage miniature railway were personal favourites. Walking back to the station and stopping for a drink at the Ye Olde Pumphouse (one of a few places mentioned in the text). A surprise spot for dinner options was a busy artisan pizzeria (Monellis) near the West Cliff lift. Before Hastings station I also saw The Seadog pub (not in the text) is very convenient to pass time if waiting for your train. 18:25 back to Kings X as the 18:30 London Bridge service was cancelled. A pleasant walk with variations looked into for future trips. Thanks M T for posting.
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