Backup Only

This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Saturday 27 November 2021

Saturday Walk - Lewes to Seaford (via Rodmell and Bishopstone), or from Southease

Length: 23.7 km (14.7 mi) [Shorter: finish at Bishopstone station (cuts 2.0 km)]
Ascent/Descent: 498/493m
Net Walking Time: 5 ¾ hours
Toughness: 6/10 
           or         
Length: 18.4 km (11.4 mi) [Shorter: finish at Bishopstone station (cuts 2.0 km)]
Ascent/Descent: 305/296m 
Net Walking Time: 4 ¼ hours
Toughness: 4/10 
 
Take the 08.56 Ore train from London Bridge (09.12 East Croydon), arrives Lewes 09.57. 
From Victoria, well…take the tube to Blackfriars and the 08.44 to East Croydon from there… 
For a start from Southease, take a train an hour later and change at Lewes (with a 4-minute connection). 
Return trains: xx.25 and xx.53 (change at Lewes). 
 
Up the South Downs, down to Rodmell, across the River Ouse, up the South Downs, down to Bishopstone and along the seafront promenade to Seaford. [Long Version of Southease to Seaford]
 
Lunch: The Abergavenny Arms in Rodmell (9.3 km/5.8 mi, food to 14.30); The Courtyard Cafe in Southease (11.3 km/7.0 mi, open to 16.00); Hampden Arms or The Flying Fish in South Heighton/Denton (off route and map-led, 17.7 km/18.3 km resp., food to 15.00/14.30 resp.; the first one is marked on the OS map, the 2nd one not). 
Tea: plenty of options in Seaford, see the webpage or the pdf for details. 
 
For summary, map, height profile, photos, walk directions pdf and gpx/kml files click here. T=2.26.a

5 comments:

Mike P said...

I know how to get to both these pubs and hope to be on the walk (probably from Southease), so could guide people there or possibly produce some summary directions. Any takers?

Thomas G said...

Hi Mike, aiming for the late lunch pubs myself, yes. With "feels like -5" temperatures, a steady pace seems to be advised just to avoid freezing to the ground! Should get to the pubs before 2, I would think, ie in time for food service.

Thomas G said...

...from Lewes...

Thomas G said...

2 off the train, met by 2 others by the barriers, all fast-ish walkers. We were up on the Downs in no time, and were treated to a weather as windy as, but quite a bit sunnier than forecast. Stunning views and fantastic fast moving cloudscapes were our reward for the 'risk' of going on this walk, with the wind coming mostly from behind. It never felt like the forecast "feels like minus 5". Hardly any other walker was encountered though. We bypassed Rodmell village and pub, as we were too early for its opening and it wasn't our lunch stop anyway, so we just stayed on the SDW for longer before turning down into the Ouse Valley. Southease Station we reached just as the stopping services in both directions arrived, and we then decided that we deserved a late elenvenses break at the YHA Courtyard Cafe.
Sitting by the window, we noticed some rain hitting it. That turned out to be the one proper shower of the day, with some very occasional spray (not) bothering us in the afternoon.
Back on up the Downs, and then diverting from the scripted route to descend (quite scenically) to Heighton and Denton [even Newhaven looked great below the atmospheric skies], where the Flying Fish was the chosen lunch pub destination. We arrived at just after 2. A very cosy pub, with two fireplaces and - admittedly - average food, but it was good enough and friendly enough to hang on for a coffee after the food.
Back up Denton Hill and across Norton Hill towards Bishopstone, while the fast moving clouds were now breaking again in places, revealing some blue sky or some pinkish clouds at higher levels. Now the sea dominated the views, in its stunning milky grey choppiness, with some giant container ships in the distance.
At the end, there was just enough time at Seaford Station for a swift half pint in the station cafe/tap room and to fetch some takeaway teas before the 16.53 departure.
w=sunny-to-halfway-then-overcast-with-some-spray-always-with-a-fierce-wind-from-behind-or-sideways n=4

sylvia said...

n=7
3 more did the version starting from Southease, starting about 11.10am ish, one from London, one from Brighton and one from Bishopstone. It was a great day to be on the downs, invigorating and the wind behind us. The views towards the sea opened up beautifully with changing skyscape and the sun rays picking out highlights on the water. Two of us ate our picnic inside St Andrews church at Bishopstone while being entertained by a talk about the history of the church - it's ancient! Saxon,750AD apparently in parts and the newer bits Norman, and intriguing ancient grafitti on a column inside. Third walker had carried on, sorry to have lost you. We went on to have tea in what you might call a quirky cafe that thinks it's in world war two except for the prices. Then on the Steamworks bar on Seaford station, full of football fans but we got a space there with time for a drink and a carry on for one back to London on the 15.53 and the other lefting drinking before Brighton bound.
teacup