9.54 train from Victoria (10.01 Clapham Junction, 10.10 East Croydon), to Lewes, changing there (arrive 10.56, depart 11.14 ) for an Eastbourne-bound train to Berwick, arriving 11.25
The train to Lewes might be busy. An quieter alternative for two thirds of the journey to Lewes is to take the 9.46 Littlehampton/Shoreham train from Victoria (9.53 Clapham Junction, 10.04 East Croydon) to Haywards Heath, arriving 10.32, CHANGING THERE (usually on the same or adjacent platform) to the Lewes train specified above at 10.38
Buy a day return to Berwick (Sussex)
For walk directions, GPX and map click here.
I am slightly nervous about heat and crowded trains in posting this lovely downland walk, but is worth pointing out that it is usually 4-5 degrees cooler on the coast, and at the time of posting the forecast is fairly breezy. I have also suggested a less busy train option (see italics above) that allows you to join the Lewes train after the Gatwick Airport crowd have got off.
For lunch you have an early option after 3 miles at the very excellent Long Man Inn in Willmington, but there are a lot more options 2.8 miles later in Alfriston, including the iconic George Inn with its nice garden.
In the afternoon you walk along a tranquil section of the Cuckmere River, then climb High and Over Hill. with its magnificent views. You can skip the hill by staying on the river path. If it is hot, switching at Alfriston to the Glynde to Seaford walk route adds some shade, but also includes some hill climbing.
A mid afternoon tea stop is the Cuckmere Inn. To take the 12/12a/12X buses to Seaford from here (the 8.9 mile option), you have to walk 400 metres along the main road to the Seven Sisters Visitor Centre. (If you do the afternoon of Glynde to Seaford walk you get deposited right by the Visitor Centre with its tea options, but then have to walk along the main road to the Cuckmere Inn to join the last section of the walk.)
High tide is at 2.45pm today, so anyone wanting a swim should get to Cuckmere Haven (20 minutes walk from the Cuckmere Inn) by 5.30pm or so in order to have enough depth of water. Swimming is also possible in Seaford at all states of the tide. All this depends on it not being too wavy due to any breeze, however!!
In Seaford there are seafront tea kiosks if you get there in time. Trawlers makes excellent fish and chips. The Steamworks pub on the station serves a great range of beers.
Trains back from Seaford are at 24 and 53 past, changing at Lewes
T=swc.90 #2026-07-04T09:54
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Current forecast for Berwick for Saturday is a high of 23 degrees with a moderate breeze.
17 assembled at Berwick station and we were joined at lunch by number n=18, who had done a different morning and disappeared fairly soon in the afternoon, but we will count him in.
I had slight trepidation about the train journey down, especially when I discovered “Europe’s largest outdoor summer jazz festival” was taking place in Glynde. Somewhat guiltily I did not have to worry about this as I had stayed overnight in Eastbourne (enjoying a lovely pre-breakfast swim). But when the others arrived they made no big complaints. Some had taken my advice to join the train at Haywards Heath (so people do read the walk post occasionally….)
One did the shorter start via Berwick church, reporting some issues with overgrown vegetation. The rest of us enjoyed a pleasant walk to Wilmington, with lots of butterflies and golden fields of wheat and barley. After a brief rest under the famous yew we hammered on past the Long Man. Some creative routes were taken into Alfriston, but we all got there.
The weather all this time was w=breezy-sunshine, the quite strong breeze blowing most of the time and keeping temperatures pleasant (24-25 degrees). Only when it was absent did it feel a bit too hot.
A little over half the group lunched in the garden of the George Inn, which was surprisingly not at all busy. Food came fairly quickly. Others ate sandwiches in the churchyard.
In the afternoon three or four (that I know about, anyway) stayed on the river route to Exceat: the rest of us climbed High & Over Hill. The question of why to ascend this massif in the blazing sunshine was answered by the wonderful views at the top.
These included a distant sea with white crests on the waves. This made me worry that it would be too rough for swimming at Cuckmere Haven. Despite this I passed up the prospect of tea at the Cuckmere Inn and pressed on. Those who had stopped at the Inn soon caught up, pronouncing the queues there too long.
There was sea lavender out on the Cuckmere River marshes and swathes of its near cousin, rock sea-lavender, near the beach. Here a happy scene greeted us. As I had secretly hoped, the bay was shielded from the big waves by Seaford Head, and the water was relatively benign. Five of us had a gorgeous swim with a lovely view of the Seven Sisters, while a seal lurked a bit further out. Four waited politely (in at least one case somnulantly) on the beach.
Afterwards we had a windy walk over Seaford Head, awash with wild carrot and lady’s bedstraw, before descending to Seaford to find the sea here quite mountainous. (Nevertheless I later heard one walker had a brief - brave or foolhardy? - dip here.) It was now 6pm and a tea kiosk was still open. Rather surprisingly several walkers were queuing for tea here and I joined them.
There was then discussion about what to do next, but there was really only one choice: Trawlers for fish and chips, Steamworks for a beer (or for some white wine from Tesco), and the consumption of the same on the station platform while waiting for the 7.23 train. A herring gull more patient than the majority of its species stalked us all the while and got a modest reward for its good behaviour at the end.
I had reassured everyone that only a hard-hearted ticket inspector would not accept a Berwick (or in my case Eastbourne) return on the train to Lewes. But one such was on duty today. Several of us were charged £2.45. The train back to London was not madly busy, to my surprise - a perfect end to a very satisfactory day.
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