South Downs Way part three: Cocking to Amberley.

 An inauspicious start to the day, I’d turned my alarm on to vibrate so as not to disturb the other occupant of the cottage and then slept through it.  Not a huge deal as I am not in a hurry, but annoying.  Then, while making toast, I managed to set the fire alarm off.  The toast wasn’t burnt, it wasn’t even properly toasted!  I was relieved not to have an angry fellow guest thunder into the kitchen so made a hasty exit!

I was on the trail at about 8am.  My dinner companions from last night were planning to get a bacon sandwich from the Cadence Cafe when it opened at 9am and had to wait for the members of the group who were staying overnight in Midhurst to rejoin them. I was happy to get on my way.  

The path today was almost exclusively flinty, chalky paths.  Very easy to see where you are going, just spot the white gash up the side of the next hill, but tough underfoot.  I do feel as though someone has taken a meat tenderiser to the soles of my feet!  

The up hill sections were gentle today, affording views across the countryside.  It was a little misty early on, but that soon cleared as the temperature rose.  The downhills were more tricky, loose rocks, steep gradients and a heavy backpack is not a winning combination!  Slow and steady was definitely the order of the day. 

I stopped for coffee and second breakfast at the Cadence Cafe near Upwaltham.  This was roughly halfway through my walk today.  It is a measure of the relative ease of today’s section that I was surprised at how quickly I got there!

After meeting and chatting with so many people yesterday, today was a return to almost deserted trails. I didn’t encounter a single walker and only saw a couple of cyclists, until I got to within 5km of Amberley.  Amberley was my chosen end point for the day purely based on the fact it has a station.  I was also pleased to see that it had places to eat, so treated myself to fish, chips and a pint with a river view before beginning the journey home. 

South Downs Way Part Two: Queen Elizabeth Country Park to Cocking

 I can’t tell you how often we have driven past a sign to Cocking, but I do know that every time we have done so someone in the car, quite often me, has sniggered.  We’ve joked about buying a house here and being ‘The Cocking Dicks’ but I’d not set foot in the place until today.  

It was another early start.  Husbando drove me, via a stop for breakfast, back to the very spot he had picked me up from on Friday evening.  I was on my way just before 8am.  There was no gentle introduction to the hills, the only way out of QE Park is uphill, but the dappled sunlight through the trees and occasional wider views of the countryside made it a pleasant walk.  At first I was irritated by the traffic noise from the A3 and then I realised that I hadn’t heard anything but bird song for a long time.  It was still early so there weren’t many people about but I did meet dog walkers.  I met three different dog walkers each walking with two black dogs.  

I walked past the school that two of my boys went, timing it so that I was walking down the drive as all the parents were driving down the drive having dropped off their children.  It’s a long drive and there were a lot of cars.

Soon after this came Harting Down.  There was a well placed bench, with a view so I stopped for a few moments to take off my jacket - the weather was rather warm - before carrying on.  My goodness it was stunning!  If I can I will include some pictures here, but they will not do it justice! Blue skies, expansive views and a real sense of peace and tranquility. Photos may have to wait as I am connecting to the internet via two pieces of string and one of those is a bit frayed.

The sunny weather seems to put everyone I met in a good mood.  There were more walkers and cyclists than I’d seen on Friday - probably because of the good weather.  The route was undulating but not too challenging and I soon realised that I would arrive at my destination too early.  So I stopped for lunch on a log with a view.  I chatted with a local lady who was taking a rest while walking her dog, a husband and wife who were wearing ‘Camino’ t shirts and, just as I was about to leave a group of eight arrived; Kevin, Mike, Nick, Dave, Derek, Bill, Chris and Ian. They were walking the SDW to raise money for tbe RNLI.  We chatted for a bit and then I walked on.  It was less than 5km to my stop and I was delighted to find a cafe just before I got to my destination. The sunny weather deserved an ice cream.

I have a b&b in a cottage on a farm.  The front door is right on the path.  The bad news is that the village pub is closed due to some glitch or other so I got a bus into Midhurst.  As I was walking around looking at the available food options I heard my name being called.  Half the group I’d met earlier were sitting outside a pub and the other half were making their way in from the same place I’m in (although they are in cabins and a shepherd’s hut).  I joined them for a drink - they were all recently retired (doctors, dentists,historians, documentary film maker and an accountant) who regularly walk together.  Italian food was eaten, there was lots of laughter.  It was not quite the evening I had anticipated and I certainly didn’t get an early night, but is was fun!

South Downs Way. Part One: Winchester to Queen Elizabeth Country Park...

....or over the M3 and under the A3!

On Wednesday I realised that I had nothing planned for Friday.  A whole free day!  Quite a rarity, I had no idea that retirement would be so busy!  What was I going to do?  How about a walk?  I've lived near the South Downs Way for thirty years however I have never, knowingly, stepped foot on it,  I wasn't even 100% sure where it started and ended.  But Google soon sorted that out for me: Winchester to Eastbourne.   This could work.  I have too much on to walk the full 100miles in one go, but as a series day walks seemed like a fun idea.

Husbando drove me over to Winchester, we had breakfast together and I filled my thermos with coffee before setting off.  It didn't take long to leave the city behind, crossing the M3 and striking out across the fields while the noise of traffic faded.  I stopped for a coffee at Cheesfoot Head, now the venue of the Boomtown but formerly used as a staging post for American troops in the run up to the D-day landings.  The coffee van made the best coffee I have had in years - I bought a bag of beans despite having to carry them all day.

The countryside is genteelly and quietly beautiful.  I was walking through landscapes similar to the ones I have lived in for decades, but have rarely spent much time enjoying.  When planning 'adventures' it seems that I am more likely to go abroad explore near home.  And that’s a shame.  I was reminded of conversations I’d had with Norwegians while I was walking St Olav’s Way.  They would quite often spend a couple of days walking a section of longer trails.  

The path was fairly easy to follow.  I suspect it is quite a lot busier in the summer.  The joy of a route that people walk in both directions is that you need to stop to have a conversation.  I met a father and his two daughters.  They had started from ‘Eastbourne 10years ago’ and were on the very last 10k into Winchester when we met.  I’d just popped out from behind a hedge where I’d had a wild wee when I bumped into them! Apart from that there was a man from America - we chatted about various long distance walks we’d done, and another man from Swansea who I quizzed about the availability of pubs further along the way.  There were plenty of cyclists- whizzing past with a cheerful wave.

I’d packed a lunch (ham and cheese sandwich, salt and vinegar crisps, tangerine, small tub of home made granola) with every intention of finding a well placed picnic bench.  I’d got used to no cafes in Norway. However, I reached the end of the first stage, Exton, at lunchtime.  The Shoe at Exton was just off the path, the lunch menu was appealing.  The idea of a noce cold pint of beer was also appealing, but with another 20km to walk after lunch I decided a non alcoholic beverage would be more sensible.

I don’t normally walk more than 25 - 30k a day and I have to admit the later parts of the walk were a wee bit of a challenge!  I was fortified by a cup of tea and a sticky bun at a cafe on the banks of a fishing lake, but a diversion due to a closed section of the path with only 10k to go was not welcome.  

I’d been lucky with the weather.  It was warm, but not too warm and there was even some blue sky!  But in the last 8k the wind picked up and the rain came down!  The last section took me down Butser Hill.  My tired legs did not appreciate that! Then under the A3 to Queen Elizabeth Country Park where Husbando and I had arranged to meet.  

I’m already plotting the next stage…