Eastbourne at last!

Well, we made it to Eastbourne last night - the last stage in our long slog from Winchester over the past 9 days! We've had rain, glorious views over incredible beauty, met some wonderful people, both natives as well as fellow walkers. We've walked tenderly around herds of very big cows, lots & lots of sheep, a few horses, through an unexpected pig farm and across the tops of many, many high-topped Downs, used since Bronze Age times as forts, signal lights and defense.
Along the way, each of us were also met and challenged by self-doubt and walk-threatening pains and injury. There was a time back in Amberley and th open again in Lewes where Sam really doubted if his right foot and ankle were badly injured. This was the total replacement done in 2014 and the doc warned it might need further work. Was this the time?
It's only four months since Joan collapsed whilst walking in Florida; only six since she had her knee replaced. Was this the long hard hill climb that would trigger that "tightness" in her chest again? Was that tingle in her knee the start of something more? The nagging doubts that rise from deep in our secret catalogue of fear can erode a sense of purpose and ruin sleep so easily.  But we talked our fears though with each other and decided that "the worst thing that could happen" wasn't so bad once brought out into the open sunlight of discussion between two people who trust each other implicitly. So we kept walking and here we are.

I'm writing these blogs on a smartphone but our Wi-Fi connections are usually not very strong, so it's tough to upload pictures to go with the writing. When we get home we'll do more.

A tough day in a wonderful place

Now we're in Alfriston , a lovely little town on the Cuckmere River that has often been described as a quintessential rural English village. But getting here from Lowes, where we stayed yesterday proved more difficult than expected. No it wasn't the early morning 700 foot climb up from the Ouse River valley. Nor was it the tricky hard balls and chunks of flint embedded in the chalk beds that make up this high escarpment . No today is was the constant fight against the 30-35 mph winds that raged in from our right side, scudding the low clouds across the threatening sky. After 4 hours of almost being blown off the trail, both our left arms felt sore and tired.

But we made it and now are buttoned up and bushed in the 14th century Star Inn, all nested in amongst the very narrow streets of this little place. And making it all better, Joan found an incredible ice cream shop here and treated us to great salted caramel cones. Funny how that flavor has quickly made its way onto the Basic Food Groups list!

We're off to dinner now at the George Inn right across the street. Maybe we'll meet up with Patrick & Beverly there, new friends from South Africa who we first met in Amberley a few nights ago. They're walking for a cause called "Walking for Paws & Claws". Finnegan & Maeve back home in Maine will appreciate that.

Rainy Sunday in Lewes

After a glorious walk yesterday over from a little old town of Bramber, another of the castle-fortified towns that sprung up from a castle built after the Norman Conquest in 1066, we are taking a lay day in Lewes to miss a walk in the rains and high winds that are soaking the Downs this morning. We have to keep reminding ourselves that this is a "walking vacation" and that there are two distinct & separate words in that phrase .  We don't have to be cold and wet if we don't to be so - and we don't!
Yesterday we crossed the Adur river and started up Truleigh Hill to a welcome Youth Hostel that offered hot tea and a sit-down for a bit. Then up and down (lots of them) until lunch at Devil's Dike, an impressive gash in the Downs. There was a busy pub there that seemed to be a favorite for locals out with family and/or dogs. Lots of dogs on the Way. We even met a look-alike of our Finnegan!

Just after leaving Truleigh Hill, we came across a most unexpected sight. Behind an old building just after the radio towers, Joan spotted two very large boat hulls sitting high & dry. Since it was a good 8-10 miles to the ocean we could see off to our right, beyond Brighton, it did seem a bit strange.

July 9th Bramber to Pyecomb

Today was a great day! We left the village of Bramber about 9. We had a lovely walk along the Adur river for a mile or so and started the steep climb back up to the Downs.
There are really no towns on the trail unlike our walk last year in the Cotswolds. You have to climb down each evening and back the next morning. The whole idea of calling them the "Downs" is really a PR trick. For every down I've counted at least 2 ups, but somehow the "South Ups" doesn't quite have the same ring.
We saw and met quite a few folks today, families and friends as well as a cub scout pack were all out walking on the weekend. Oh I almost forgot there was a 100 mile 1day bicycle ride the entire length of the South Downs Way over 300 riders passing by throughout the day.
 The weather was perfect for me cool, windy and cloudy (my hair is just a ball of frizz). The views were not as clear, in fact pretty misty. We could see the sea most of the day. We are more than 2/3 of the way to Eastbourne and the 7 sister's chalk cliffs. We are both doing well 10 miles on walking days seems to work well for us. All ankles, knees and tummys seem to be working and holding up well. We are happy but tired at the end of the day but enjoying each other and this beautiful country.

Arundel Castle, Chactonbury Ring & walking through a pig farm

Today was quite a day! We awoke bright & early in our lovely Thatched House B & B in Amberley, had a great breakfast thanks to our very gracious hostess, Mary and then took a Southern train to Arundel, about 20 miles away.
Arriving in Arundel, we walked a mile into town and found ourselves at the famous Arundel Castle entrance. Paying our £17 entrance fee, we wandered around the incredibly manicured gardens, spent time in the Fitzalan Chapel, which has been a bastion of the Catholic faith since Henry VIII days. Finally, after a creamed scone & tea in the castle cafe, we entered the public part of the castle itself. The Montgomerie, Fitzalan and Howard families have been close to the throne since 1066 and a good part of English history has in one way or another, been touched by those associated with Arundel.

We left Arundel and started our way eastward on the South Downs Way, reaching Chactonbury Ring around 2, in time for a packed lunch after the long walk up to the wooded trees at the summit. The woods felt oddly quiet and Joan swears that she felt a presence hidden in the dark of the trees.

As we were finishing our break, an old biplane appeared on the horizon and coming straight at us, flew right over our heads, the pilot leaning out of the open cockpit and waving to us as the plane passed right overhead!

We walked along the high open Downs for several miles, the light winds at our backs and just enough clouds to keep it from being too warm. Perfect walking weather! Then as we turned down to head into town, the trail markings stopped appearing and we became uncertain as to the right way. We thought we had spotted our destination town but we seemed to be getting further away with each step. Then we came to a fate warning that we were entering an open range of farm. Boy, were we ever! Ahead of us, on both sides of the path, hundreds of porkers were snuffling and grunting away. Most paid us no mind, but a few big ones eyed us with interest. We just kept walking a little faster. After a half a mile, we finally came to another gate and left our porcine buddies.

 Later over diner at the Castle Inn in Bramber, we figured that there must have been some recent re-routing of the Way and maybe the signage folks hadn't caught up yet. Whatever --- the last few miles had little or no directional signs (usually the familiar acorn symbol shows up just when we need it) and the pathways seemed rough and ill-maintained. Hopefully this is just temporary.

July 2 post copied from Facebook
Well it was quite a couple days. Too exhausted yesterday to post, had a great nights sleep and we had a wonderful if very long walk today.
We are now in Cocking about a third of the way to Eastbourne.
Yesterday was a bit of a slog. Some steep and slippery ascents due to the muddy trail. Evidently June was one of the rainiest in quite a while. We had some intermittent rain ourselves but we're dressed for it so no problem. At the top of our climbs we were treated to wonderful views. We met some fun folks but more on that later. It was getting late in the day and we still had quite a way to go and were tired and it had started to rain again. We couldn't get our phone to work to call for a lift so we decided to strike out on our own on a road that promised a pub a mile or so away. We figured they could help us out and get us to our B and B. We finally got to the end of the road and what to our wondering eyes should appear but our B and B. We were home!😀
Lovely dinner and to bed early.

In Amberley

We've missed a few days because of poor Wi-Fi connectivity out here on the Downs, but we'll try here from The Thatched House in Amberley. This is about 48 miles from Winchester, where we started on Sunday. Since then we did a 14 mile slog up over Beacon Hill into Cocking, we stayed at Moonlight Cottage for the night. Then yesterday it was another long day to Amberley. We're finding the sometimes rough flint-pebbled chalk pathways to be really hard on our feet, even with good Keen (Sam) and Merrell (Joan) hiking boots.
The "sparkle" yesterday for Sam was high up on the open down meadows when we stopped to talk with a local hiker. As we chatted, the low buzz of a small propeller driven airplane grew in loudness and he said: "That's a Spitfire fighter from Goodwood, taking a tourist up for a spin." The plane rapidly came closer and lower to the ground as it approached us and soon the familiar silhouette and unmistakable roar of the big piston-driven Merlin engine filled the air. For Sam, who had never seen one of these legendary planes up close, it brought back memories of The Battle of Britain and hearing Walter Cronkite reporting through the static of the big Motorola radio in our living room in Grafton, MA.

Extraordinary Day

Extraordinary day! We travelled from Winchester to Exton today and both of us felt terrific. A little rain in the morning and then partly sunny all day, temps in the high 60s.
Highlights included seeing my first ever natural beehive in an old tree about 20 feet up, beautiful scenery and just being with my best friend starting a new adventure.
We walked to the top of Beacon Hill where they actually have a replica of a beacon that used fire to warn of trouble in the 19th century (a la the Lord of the Rings).
We did have a bit of excitement as we reached the bottom of Beacon Hill. It seems the trail uses the same path a herd of dairy cows use to get to the milking barn. It was about 4pm and with full udders bouncing we were surrounded by cows some of them actually running all around us to get to the barn. A little scary but I followed Sam's advice and did not make eye contact and just kept chanting, "nice cow, nice cow". Headed out to dinner now after showers, and naps.

Winchester Hat Fair Day

This is the annual Hat Fair in town, when mimes, trick acts, food stalls and local goods take over the downtown around High Street for three days. We started at the wonderful and awe-inspiring Winchester Cathedral for most of the morning and then walked along the River Itchen to the start of the South Downs Way.

From here it was back to town for some pub grub and them a mid-day much needed nap.

In late afternoon we wandered back to the Cathedral for what we thought would be Evensong choir but found it had been pre-empted by a funeral memorial. Bad luck for all concerned! 

Tired of the crowds on High Street, we wandered back alleys and side streets until finding ourselves close to the ancient Westgate and it's Winchester museum, walked up the narrow & quite steep stairs to discover we had the place (and it's docent, Patrick all to ourselves. 

Time for grub again, we walked over the the West gate Hotel pub and had some great fish & chips, mashed peas and for Joan, a nice half-pint of ale. 

Now back at our hotel packing up for tomorrow. We head for Meonstock about 10 miles away. 

We're Here!

We made to the start OK!  As I write we're  in Winchester, catching up on much needed sleep at the Winchester Royal Hotel. It's 3PM here, July 1 and after enduring a soul-shriveling shuffle & wait, shuffle & wait 2 & 1/2 hour delay at immigration, after arriving at Heathrow Terminal 3 at 8:30 AM - this following an overnight flight on a packed Virgin Atlantic Airbus - we found our hotel up a back road in this ancient old city in a rain burst and collapsed for a couple of hours.  Our wonderful niece Caitlin is house/dog/cat sitting for us while we're away and drove us to the bus terminal in Portsmouth.

 Now it's time for a bit of exploration. There's something called a "Hat Fair" going on this weekend which we gather from the guy who drove us in from London is a street fair, with mimes, juggling and music from performers doing their thing in the streets. Tomorrow is a rest day here and we will of course check out the cathedral where King Alfred was crowned at the first King of England back in 943 AD. Winchester is also said to be the locus of King Arthur of round table fame.

We'll grab a spot of tea of course and maybe a scone too. Off we go!

What is the South Downs Way?

The South Downs Way is tranquil island of quiet in the busy South East of England, running entirely within the South Downs National Park. The Way is a 100 mile walking trail starting in the ancient & historic city of Winchester and ending in the ocean-side resort city of Eastbourne on the English Channel coast.  Running along a chalk ridge means that the Trail drains and dries out quickly making it good for year round walking and ensuring that we will be rewarded by breathtaking views across the English Channel and Isle of Wight to the south and over the wooded Weald and heathland ridges to the north.

 

The South Downs Way passes through a varied landscape of protected habitats including beautiful chalk steams like the Meon and Arun rivers, rare species of rich chalk grasslands and beautiful ancient woodlands. The Trail passes through or passes by five National Nature Reserves and dozens of Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Most people take 8 or 9 days to walk the whole 100 miles at 12-15 miles a day. We’re planning on 9 walking days plus a day of rest at the start (jet lag, you know), in the middle to explore our name-sake sister city of Arundel and at the end to explore around Eastbourne and (hopefully) congratulate ourselves. We’ll also take two nights and a day in London on the way home. We’re both looking forward to seeing the Tower of London and other sites. We were last in London back in 1989!

The villages where we’ll be staying at B & B’s and inns are at the foot of the escarpment so we’ll have to walk down in the evening and up in the morning. Some days will be “taxi-assisted”. There’s about 12,600 ft. of climbing involved as well as 100 miles of walking the trail.

Our blog is named “tothe7sisters” and here’s why. The long chalk escarpment ends at seaside near Eastbourne & Beachy Head and ancient streams have eroded the cliff face into seven hills, all with names (in good British style). They are: Haven Brow, Short Brow, Rough Brow, Flagstaff Brow, Flat Hill, Baily’s Hill and Went Hill. Of course, between the hills are the valleys but nothing looks too tough and the excitement of being close to our destination should kick in the adrenaline!

A week to go!

Gearing up for takeoff on Virgin Air in a week!

Tick-tock, tick, tock! When we started planning all this last winter, it seemed so far off it was a “Neverland” sort of dream, but here we are now, a week away from departure. Are we ready? In some things, yes; in others - not quite.

Physically, it’s feeling pretty good. Joan & I have developed a simple & easy to understand “check-in” code to ascertain how each of us feel at any time along the trail.  One of us will periodically ask the other “What’s your color?” and the answers can range from “Red” to “Yellow” to “Green”. In answering, one considers not only how you feel physically – aches, sores, tiredness, weakness – but also mentally. How do you feel about what’s remaining ahead (“God, I know that big hill is about 2 miles ahead. I’ll never get up it the way I feel now.’) but also about your mental state. It’s influenced by your worldview in general and self-confidence but also by letting yourself “go” and being part of the world around you.

 “Sparkles’ help a lot in this regard. Here is one from our 11 mile walk around Kennebunk down the Mousam River to Mother’s Beach and then along the beautiful beaches up to Kennebunk Lower Village (thank you, Helen & Bonnie at H & B Provisions for the rest, tea and great conversation!) and after a short summer rain, back to Kennebunk. Somewhere in the Marx Trust land east of Rt. 9 we came across this beautiful ladyslipper flower, nestled down beside the trail and dappled with sunlight falling through the maple and ash trees arching overhead.  They are not a common sight but so beautiful and fragile.

So right now we’re both feeling “Green” about our trip. A last minute trip to REI in Reading last Saturday before going to a Red Sox game gave us a chance to stock up on things like Cliff Energy Tabs and Darn Tough hiking socks. Joan has new Merrill hiking boots (her last pair were worn off-kilter from 500 miles of walking with a badly sprung knee – replaced last winter) and says they feel wonderful. I’m still wearing the Keen boots I bought last year before doing the Cotswold Way- best boots I’ve ever had! Nobody has to “break in” boots any more, but those who can remember the process from wearing the old leather boots can sure say “thank you” that’s all gone!