Vole Explosion

Tuesday 15^th November 2022

EASTBOURNE TO NEWHAVEN

   If yesterday felt like June, today slaps me in the face and reminds me that it’s definitely November. I can already see it’s raining when I check out of the lovely Burlington Hotel and step out onto the prom, but I’m unprepared for the force of the wind. It’s blowing furiously from the south-west, right into my face, and making walking difficult.

   The path passes the Wish Tower fort then continues through a seafront park where the Mediterranean-looking vegetation provides a bit of cover from the weather.

   At the southern edge of Eastbourne, I reach the start of the South Downs Way as it heads uphill to the dizzy heights of Beachy Head. I had been looking forward to this part, but the weather is making it hard work. The higher I climb, the more I am buffeted around by blasts of wind catching my backpack and making it difficult to stay upright. The gusts are hitting me from unpredictable directions, making it a bit dangerous, so I try to stay well away from the cliff edge.

I reach a monument to RAF Bomber Command where it is somewhat more sheltered. Visibility is terrible and the rain is making photography difficult as I don’t want to get my camera out for too long and the lens is getting wet, hence a lack of photos from the top of Beachy Head. One day soon I hope to walk the South Downs Way and see Beachy Head properly, under nicer conditions.

   Coming down the other side, I am more sheltered from the wind but still getting soaked. I am completely enveloped in waterproofs, but the water is still finding its way through to my inner layers. I pass the Belle Tout Lighthouse, now a private residence, and descend to the National Trust visitor centre at Birling Gap where I drink an over-priced soft drink and have a few minute’s respite from the weather.

   I am now ready to tackle the Seven Sisters – four or five kilometres of up and down hiking. I had been led to believe that this was quite a difficult walk, with plenty of hard climbing, but it isn’t actually too bad. Some bits are steep but each of the hills is very short. The wind seems to be coming from different directions but luckily it always seems to be blowing strongly from behind on the uphill parts, my backpack acting like a sail and pushing me upwards. I am careful to walk well away from the edge though, as sudden gusts are again hitting me from unpredictable angles and almost knocking me off my feet. Going up Seven Sisters, one after another in quick succession, was always going to be somewhat exhausting! (Oh do give it a rest, Davies).

   I pass a very attractive female hiker coming in the other direction and, despite walking in opposite directions in relation to the wind, we are both visibly struggling against the conditions. We both grin and roll our eyes at each other in recognition of our mutual ridiculousness.

   Eventually I reach the end at Cuckmere Haven and turn north, descending from the cliffs down to the river. I wade through a shallow bit of water to take a shortcut to Exceat Bridge. I cross the Cuckmere River and stop for a pint at the Cuckmere Inn, sitting at a sheltered outdoor table so that I don’t shed gallons of rainwater inside the pub. There are huge numbers of birds on the marshes here but I can’t be bothered fishing into my well-wrapped pack for my binoculars.

   When I leave the pub and follow a muddy path back down the other side of the river, the rain stops and the sun comes out. I join the coast again at Seaford Head where the sky is becoming increasingly clear of clouds and I start to dry out. The best views of the Seven Sisters are attained from this point and I chat to a young photographer who has set up his camera and is waiting for the sunlight to hit the cliffs just right.

   Moving along I keep looking back every few paces at the spectacular view. Eventually all the Sisters are lit by the sun and glow beautifully white. A complete rainbow appears, arching from one side of the bay to the other. I hope the photographer is getting all this from his viewpoint. I also can’t resist firing off multiple shots. The exceptional views continue even as I walk further west around Seaford Head, and I keep stopping to look back and appreciate them.

   Eventually the town of Seaford appears below me and I descend back onto flat ground, where I pass the final (most westerly) Martello tower on the coast – now a museum. From here it is a short, flat walk along the seafront to Newhaven. The wind has dropped considerably but the sea is still very rough, with some dramatically tall waves crashing onto the shingle.

   I walk through the ruined, abandoned village of Tide Mills just as dusk is falling and pass Newhaven Harbour station around 5pm. My train is due, but I can’t find the way in until it’s too late. I walk on to the nearby Newhaven Town station to catch the 6pm train. With plenty of time now I stop for a pint in The Engineer pub. Just as I leave, I’m hit by a huge and sudden rain shower that comes out of nowhere. The short distance to the station is enough to get me soaked through again. I shelter at the station until it passes then, with 45 minutes still to wait, I get some dinner at a nearby McDonald’s.

   Back at the station I get some bad news. I want a train to Southease station, just one stop along the line, where I’m booked into the nearby YHA hostel. Unfortunately, they’re having problems with the lights at Southease and none of the trains are stopping there. I consider walking the six or so kilometres but decide to press the emergency intercom button at the station to find out if the lights are likely to be fixed tonight. Brilliantly, the guy on the other end books me a free taxi. It is due to arrive at 6.45pm but doesn’t. I start to get concerned, and I’m thankful when it arrives at 7.10pm and drops me at the hostel shortly afterwards.

   The manager is waiting outside to meet guests with a supply of torches and bottled water. Apparently, it isn’t just the station lights but a local power cut since midday today. The hostel has no electricity and thus no lights, food or water. It’s not due to be fixed until around 2am. He has been trying to phone me all afternoon and, when I dig my waterproofed phone out of my pack, I do indeed have a series of missed calls.

   He shows me to my dorm, I hang up my wet stuff to dry, and spend the evening reading by torchlight. There is supposed to be one other person in the dorm but so far it’s empty until, at about 9.30pm, a guy walks in really quickly, doesn’t say a word to me, and gets straight into bed (his, not mine). He doesn’t have any kind of bag with him. It’s a bit weird.

15.4 miles; 24.7 km; 7.5 hours

YHA South Downs, Southease (£15)