Book 2, Walk 29 - Hastings to Rye
Length: 19 km (11.8 miles)
Toughness: 8 out of 10
Either
London St Pancras: 09-37 hrs Margate service
Arrive Ashford International: 10-14 hrs change trains
Leave Ashford International: 10-24 hrs Eastbourne service
Arrive Hastings: 11-06 hrs
Or
London Charing Cross: 09-45 hrs Hastings service
Arrive Hastings : 11-17 hrs
Return
Rye to St Pancras, changing at Ashford International: 16-48, 17-28, 17-48, 18-48 and 19-26 hrs. Journey length: 1 hr 30 mins
Rye to Charing Cross: as above, changing at Ashford International. Journey length: 2 hrs
Rail ticket: a day return to Rye usually suffices
We usually post this walk or its Book 1 equivalent (Winchelsea to Hastings) once every summer for SWC mid-week walkers. The Book 2 walk is marginally easier (less exhausting) as this way round you tackle the steep glens early in the walk. Up to Pett Level the route is the same for both walks: the glens, Hastings Country Park, Firehills and Fairlight. At Pett Level you have a choice of route. The Book's directions take you beside the Military Canal over water meadows to the outskirts of Winchelsea. Alternatively you can reverse the Book 1 walk for lunch in Pett at the Royal Oak Inn. The lunch options on the main route are the Coastguards Tearooms at Firehills (if open) or one of the cafes on the beach at Pett Level. The Smugglers pub is now closed.
From Winchelsea, your route to Rye is over vast, flat agricultural fields, which will be in crop but - hopefully - the farmers will have kept clear the footpaths for you.. If you have time at walk-end do take a look around Rye.
T=2.29
Walk Directions are here: L=2.29
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14 comments:
Might go an hour later and catch you up at lunchtime
Perfect scheduling. Thank you, Marcus.
Intend getting the 11:17 train - I should catch up with you quickly but can you text me which route/pub you take if not? Thks. Rich
Did anyone do this walk?
N = at least one
W = sunshine and cloud, warm
I got the 10.15 service from Charing Cross. Initial thoughts about trying to catch the group (numbers?) were abandoned in favour of regular blackberry picking and eating. I recommend the chocolate and orange cake at the Coastguards Tearoom. Later a functional haddock and chips was had at the Greek chipper in Rye. I don't especially enjoy walking on my own, but this is not a bad one to do solo, aside from the wretchedly dull, and currently overgrown, Royal Military Canal stretch. Thanks for scheduling an interesting walk. Hastings is a delight once you hit the backstreets.
N=1
Plus 3 off the 9.45 Charing Cross train. So that makes a likely total of n=4 in w=warm-sunshine-with-a-lovely-following-breeze
I’m assuming nobody came on the high speed from St.Pancras. (It was rather expensive)
Southeastern has the Summer Offer on: Hastings rtn for £20, incl. High Speed, from 9.30 weekdays. This was the perfect walk posting for that. But mysteriously that was not mentioned.
I have now been told that there were indeed 5 on the posted St. Pancras train (expensive or not), and that they got overtaken by 1 or 2 of the three mentioned in the earlier comment. I make it n=9 in total. As told today by one of the overtakers, who was on the Salisbury walk...
There is no mystery about the train fare special offer not being mentioned. My guess is the poster was simply unaware of it. Walk posters are not omniscient. We are just mortals like you.
To be fair, it is mentioned in the box atop the This Week's Walks postings.
So it is, but I had not noticed that till you pointed it out. If you argue that the walk poster should have noticed it, then so should those going on the walk.
Just to add that Faye(?spelling) and I had a good walk and tried out the Beach Club at Petts Level for lunch. They were friendly and charged around £4 for a sandwich lunch - although they do sur-charge non-members £1 for drinks... Rich
The 'If you argue' point:I was defending the walk poster! Most of us don't need to be led like Ramblers, though there are a few veteran exceptions.
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