tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13665817.post585066762045355324..comments2024-03-29T13:33:35.228+00:00Comments on SWC - This Week's Walks: Saturday Walk From the South Downs to the Sea (Amberley to Goring-by-Sea)Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11395064086819994526noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13665817.post-28850033942502754162018-08-05T11:23:04.329+01:002018-08-05T11:23:04.329+01:00N=17 on this walk, including 3 late starters, one ...N=17 on this walk, including 3 late starters, one of whom did hook up with part of the group mid afternoon while another two only met some of us at Goring station in the evening. <br /><br />A lovely breeze blew from the sea and temperatures were delightfully refreshing.....No, that is a lie, actually. It was really really hot, w=too-darned-hot, and sticky with it. I don't know when I have ever felt so hot on a Saturday Walk (or rather, I do, but it was years and years ago).<br /><br />At the start we at least had the sight of the river to mentally cool us: some nice flowers and butterflies here. The climb up into Arundel Park was a killer, but with magnificent views. The arid grassland on the downs was surprisingly full of Common Blue butterflies and - oh joy! - a passing Clouded Yellow. Also a flock of about thirty house martins feeding.<br /><br />Some of us at least lunched in the Red Lion. Afterwards our work poster left us to prepare for even more vigorous activities on Sunday (a triathlon! In this heat!). It was now even more darned hot than it had been earlier, and while the shade of the Angmering Estate was welcome, by the time we got to the Woodman Arms in Hammerpot our little subsection of the group was wilting. So we called a taxi to take us to Highdown Gardens. Don't tell anyone. <br /><br />Highdown was a delight and not just because it was very shady, though that was a very big thing in its favour. By the time we had finished exploring it we were overhauled by two who had been in the pub and had not taken the taxi, showing what lazy bods we had been. Even though it was now about 4.30pm, the walk down through Goring to the beach was hot hot hot. There two of us swam in sea that was somewhat seaweedy near the shore but clean further out and a delicious temperature (19.9 degrees!). <br /><br />On the way back to the station we hooked up with some other swimmers (we calculate seven swam in all) and had a very nice meal in a restaurant called the Tides. After an unplanned detour around Goring for some (I misread Google Maps) we got a dusk train home, armed with vegetarian, gluten-free snacks (red wine, chocolate and pistachio nuts). We feared that when the train stopped at Hove we might be inundated with Pride revellers from Brighton. But in fact the only loud revellers on the train the whole way back to London was ourselves.<br /><br />Did I mention, by the way, that is was somewhat on the warm side today?Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09314024151810191831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13665817.post-41195740898039389202018-08-04T10:13:27.787+01:002018-08-04T10:13:27.787+01:00Hello, I failed to get the train to Amberley. I ho...Hello, I failed to get the train to Amberley. I hope to catch the group at Arundel. Is there going to be a stop at the recommended pub the Red Lion.<br /><br />SofiaSofihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02727644577693757555noreply@blogger.com