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Cow Gap

Cow Gap

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Day One

The weather forecast for the next 3 days was cloudy but dry. Well, we can handle that so off we went to Eastbourne. Why Eastbourne? We'll get to that later.

We decided to travel by train. We don't have to drive and we don't have to find somewhere to park (the hotel doesn't have its own car park) – can't be bad.

I looked at the train status on my smartphone and saw, with some dismay, that an empty train had derailed earlier and would be causing a delay on our journey. Bummer! smilies The delay was reported to be 20 minutes and we had 45 minutes to walk across to Stratford International Station to make the connection. We were going to Stratford International not because Eastbourne is considered to be exotic but because we can use the high-speed line to get to Ashford and thence a local train to Eastbourne. That delay would still leave us with 25 minutes for the change which should be plenty.

We caught our 'usual' train, which was on time, from our local station and although there was a small delay we arrived only 10 minutes later than planned leaving us oodles of time for the connection. Having alighted at Stratford, in Greater London, we walked across to the International Station with plenty of time to spare. The train arrived on time and 30 minutes later, after an uneventful journey, we arrived at Ashford in Kent.

The Eastbourne train was waiting in the platform and we were soon headed for Eastbourne where we arrived at around 12:40 and after a short walk we were at our hotel at lunchtime.

Driving time would have been about two and a half hours and the train journey, including waiting times, was 3 hours so not really much difference.

Having arrived at lunchtime we had a brilliant idea – we could have lunch and so we did. After lunch we wandered off towards the pier. The last time that we were on Eastbourne Pier the steps up to the Camera Obscura level were closed off and I was hoping we might be able to get up there this time but, no, the steps were closed off. That's two bummers in the same day. smilies

We didn't do a lot today and went back to our hotel to prepare for dinner. Tomorrow is the big day.

Day Two

After breakfast at about 9:30 AM we left the hotel and walked down to the seafront. This view is looking in the direction in which we are headed.

We followed the coast road westward until it reach the grass downland where it bends sharp right. We bent sharp left along a track going towards the cliffs. When we reached to edge of the cliffs we could see back to Eastbourne.

You may just be able to see the end of Eastbourne Pier sticking out beyond the promentary where the beach disappears from sight. The weather is better than forecast this morning but the sun is watery and it's not very clear. There is also a strong wind of about 15 mph gusting to 21 mph which we could do without. Looking in the opposite direction we can see our first target – the shore. Do you think that the sign is trying to tell us something?

You may notice that the shore is covered in rock fragments caused by erosion and we are planning to walk on that. smilies

We still have a way to walk along the top of the cliffs yet. We follow the footpath until we see a path forking off to the left and we follow that fork.

We start heading down. That shore looks nearer but it doesn't look any better. More steps to go down.

Can you read the name on the sign? It says 'Cow Gap'. 'Gap' around here is a point in the cliffs which is low enough for it to be practical to build some steps down to the shore. There aren't many gaps. We have visited the other two and have been waiting for an opportunity to visit this one so we've made it at last.

There is Amanda at the foot of the steps and we are now on the shore. Take a look at the shore because we are proposing to walk over a half mile on that. After a while of scrambling it was nice to reach some solid rock to walk on for a while and just showing at the foot of the cliffs on the horizon is our second target – Beachy Head Lighthouse.

We eventually ran out of solid rock but after yet more scrambling we came across a nice large patch of sand. Woo Hoo! That was a welcome relief.

Unfortunately that nice flat sand didn't last for long and we were back to scrambling once again. We did reach another relatively small area of flat rock but there was more loose rock ahead.

The next picture shows how the shore looked further on. That's not going to be easy to walk on.

That cliff on the right is Beachy Head. We realised at this point that we wouldn't make it to the lighthouse because the tide had now turned and was coming back in so this is as near as we got. smilies This is not a good place to be caught by the tide.

On the way back to Cow Gap we had a good look at the rocks and saw many old fossils. (Waits for obvious comments. smilies )




The pictures above, in order, starting from the top are:

Ammonite shell impression
Turitella type shellfish
Section of a Brain Coral
Section of a sponge

We also came across two plants which are typical of this environment.

Sea Kale which looks rather like cabbage.

 and Rock Samphire which looks like, well, Rock Samphire.

On the way back to Eastbourne I managed to sneak up on this Speckled Wood butterfly.

We went back to our hotel to change and were out again in time for afternoon tea. Yum yum. Tomorrow I'm doing another walk and Amanda is going to a museum.

Day Three

Amanda decided after yesterday's walk that she didn't want to do more walking today so she is going to visit the 'How we lived then' museum, packed with nostalgic items from the past, and I am getting on the bus.

My bus, the number 126, leaves from a stop near the railway station at about 9:45 and I walk up to the stop with time to spare. Whilst I'm waiting a lady asks me if the 126 goes to Alfriston. I explain that I hope it does because that's where I'm planning to go. We share a seat on the bus and chat. It turns out that her name is Nicky (Nicola) and she is on holiday from Switzerland and someone here suggested that she would probably like visiting  Alfriston.

We arrive in Alfriston after about 30 minutes and she decides to join me on a visit to the Clergy House. Amanda and I have stayed in Alfriston before but were unable to visit the Clergy House because it opens only on some days and wasn't open when we were last there.

The Clergy House is a 14th-century Wealden hall-house and is owned by the National Trust. It was their first ever purchase in 1896 and cost the princely sum of £10.00.

This picture shows why it is called a hall-house.

It has a hall-like room which goes right up into the roof. Very impressive but, I would imagine, a devil to heat in the winter.

This shows the kitchen with all mod. cons. Well it does have a sink and water pump.

There were also some nice gardens.

Nicky was apparently going to spend the whole day looking around Alfriston so I said goodbye and made my way to the river.

Not much of a river I grant you; more like a stream at this point. However I plan on following the river down to Exceat where I hope to catch a bus back to Eastbourne so I set off.

I soon came across a group of locals having a meeting and there's one on the extreme right that's right on my path.

We shall see what she will do when I get closer. Well I walked close by her right-hand side and apart from a brief glance at me she got on with her eating. They must be used to seeing people.

I passed the little village of Littlington part of which is shown here. Pity the weather isn't better.

Soon after I passed littlington I had my first glimpse of the white horse, on High and Over, seen across the reeds on the edge of the river to the right.

A little further on and there is a better view of the river with the white horse beyond.

The banks of the river look muddy because the river is tidal at this point and the tide is low so the river level is down. Incidentally High and Over is the name of a hill between Alfriston and Seaford and is the hill directly ahead.

This is about as close as I got to the white horse then following the river takes me further away.


At one point I walked past these Canada Geese who seemed to be honking away most of the time. There were also some other white birds in the distance which I couldn't identify. They all sounded as though they were having a honking good time.

It didn't take much longer to get to the bus stop at Exceat and a little while later along came my bus back to Eastbourne.

After an uneventful ride (front seat, top deck) we reached the top of the hill down to Eastbourne with a good view of the town laid out below. That probably would have looked nice in good weather.

I got off the bus at Eastbourne Station where Amanda was waiting for me with our luggage and we got the train back home. It was a short but enjoyable trip. We will probably be back.

 

Down South – Day 3 – Saturday 26th Sept.

Down South – Day 3 – Saturday 26th Sept.

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We both have aching legs this morning so nothing strenuous today methinks. After breakfast we decided to have a look at the old town area after having passed an interesting half-timbered building on the way back on the bus yesterday so we walked up there.

There is very little left of interest in the old town and I gather the morons that passed for the local council were still demolishing historical buildings in the 1970s. The old church is still there dating from the 12th century, the Lamb Inn (the one we saw from the bus – 1st picture below), another half-timbered house (2nd picture below), the old parsonage  3rd picture below) together with an old barn/coach house and that's it really.

We went back to our hotel for morning coffee and then drove off to Seaford Head where we parked. We had been here before for time enough to take a picture of the well known view of the Seven Sisters with the cottages in the foreground but that was all. We knew that there was a large area designated as a nature reserve which went right up to the cliff edge so we wanted to have a look round.

We turned right off the main track along a footpath which, we could see on the map, went to the cliff edge and soon found ourselves at a place called Hope Gap. This, like Birling Gap, is a point in the cliffs where it's possible to get down to the shore with the aid of a few steps.

We hadn't known about Hope Gap so it was an interesting find. Down the steps we went to potter about on the sea shore. We also discovered that the best possible view of the Seven Sisters, barring using a boat, is from this point; either from the shore or up on the cliffs. In the next picture you can see the Hope Gap steps, the shore (only when the tide is out) and the Seven Sisters.

Where the tide had gone out it had left a wave cut chalk platform with many shallow rock pools. We had a look in a number of pools and saw some shrimps and small fish but nothing else. Someone we spoke to said they'd seen a few crabs but we were hoping to see some sea anemones although we were out of luck.

There were some large blocks of cliff on the shore in places where the cliff had come down but they were much harder than chalk. Probably some sort of Breccia of which there are some in the next picture. The head and shoulders belong to Amanda.

If you count 'The Sisters', not including the extreme right-hand headland which is not part of them, you will probably count only six. That is because, starting from the left, number five is actually two lumps but the first is jutting out and partly obscuring the next so that they appear as one from this viewpoint. The low point between the last 'sister' and the headland on the right-hand end is Birling Gap.

Between Seaford Head, where we are, and the first of the Seven Sisters is Cuckmere Haven Beach which you can see in this picture.

You can see here that parts of the chalk cliffs which form Seaford Head have a significant depth of a brown deposit on top. This is Loess which is a wind-blown sandy deposit which tends to collect in the valleys probably at the time of the last ice age. Water running over these deposits tends to run down and stain the chalk cliffs below.

Having had a good look around we headed back to Eastbourne and having parked our car at the hotel decided a walk along the seafront was in order. We could hear the sound of music in the distance and found that a brass band was playing in the Bandstand on the the promenade so we had to stop and listen for a while. The seagulls obviously don't understand good manners as two of them, at one point, were perched on top of the Bandstand screeching their heads off.

When we had almost reached the pier we saw this very colourful display of flowers.

Going onto the pier we arrived at the Victorian Tea Rooms which I'd mentioned on our first day. We didn't go in, although it looked very nice inside, because it was getting near to dinner time and we didn't want to be tempted by any scrumptious looking cake. Next time perhaps. The dome beyond the tearooms is the Camera Obscura which was closed when we were there so we weren't able to go in.

We spotted this little structure which I assume must be a shelter of some kind. I suppose that if, while walking on the pier, it starts to rain it would offer some temporary respite. We rather liked the view seen through the glass divider.

We walked back to the Wish Tower, near our hotel, so I'll leave you with this last view of the seafront at Eastbourne taken from the hump on which the Wish Tower stands. Amanda has decided that she loves Eastbourne and, I have to admit, there is something about the place. A typical English seaside resort without the usual tastelessness that often goes with it. A rather attractive, grand and genteel town.

Tomorrow we leave for home – but ….

Down South – Day 2 – Friday 25th Sept.

Down South – Day 2 – Friday 25th Sept.

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We woke to another sunny day so the prospects for today's planned walk look good! After breakfast we walked out of our hotel at 9:15 and down to the seafront by the Wish Tower where we turned west. We had about a mile to walk along the seafront before we reached the footpath on the Downs, going past The Grand Hotel on the way and you don't know what grand is until you've seen 'The Grand'. Rooms start at around 190 GBP per night; a little more than we would want to pay. smilies The Grand is the white building and you can see the Downs in the distance where we are headed.

The seafront road climbs quite gently such that it doesn't really notice but after a while when looking back we could see that we'd already gained some height. We soon reached the footpath and started up the Downs towards Beachy Head and now it was noticeably steep. Part the way up I stopped to take a picture of the view which was a good excuse for a brief rest.

Some way further on (and up) we spotted a bench seat so we stopped there for about ten minutes to let a party of noisy school children go past and the noise faded as they disappeared into the distance. We eventually reached the Beachy Head area and had travelled two and a half miles so far. From this point we could see the Belle Tout Lighthouse where we were headed next and from the edge of the cliff the Beachy Head Lighthouse was also visible.

My – tha's a long way down. Walking along the top of the cliffs the views include the sea, the downs and glimpses of the chalk cliffs – absolutely wonderful. The little figure ahead is Amanda and the white headland on the horizon is Seaford Head. Immediately this side of Seaford Head is Cuckmere Haven almost at the end of our walk and in between here and Seaford Head you may just be able to make out the Belle Tout Lighthouse just to the right of Amanda's head.

A little further on and a bit nearer the Beachy Head Lighthouse Amanda photographed me photographing the lighthouse just before I fell over the edge. :shock:

Don't for a minute think that we are walking on level ground. It's all either up or down, some of it quite steep as you should be able to appreciate in this view.

You may notice that the the bottom of the next dip is out of sight down the steep slope but at least the Belle Tout Lighthouse is a bit nearer although there are two of these troughs to negotiate before we reach it. Looking back towards Eastbourne the Beachy Head Lighthouse is still visible and how do you like the look of that last slope we've come down not to mention the one we've just had to climb.

On the way along the cliff tops we saw a number of Clouded Yellow butterflies which was very nice but none of them would stop still long enough for me to take a photograph. We (that's Amanda in front) are about to negotiate the last trough before the Belle Tout Lighthouse.

Hooray! We've finally reached the Belle Tout Lighthouse. Next stop is Birling Gap and that's not very far now.

The lighthouse was moved 56 feet further inland in 1999 to save it from going over the cliffs as erosion progresses and it apparently is now being prepared for opening to the public.

After walking down the slope from the Belle Tout Lighthouse Birling Gap is within sight. Total distance from our hotel to Birling Gap is about five miles.

It is now 12:15 so this is where we break for lunch. After lunch we head up the track visible on the right-hand edge of the picture and on to the Seven Sisters.

It was about this time that I realised that my pedometer was under reading slightly so I'm going to wait until the end of the walk and compare the pedometer reading with the distance I know the walk to be having measured it accurately on an Ordnance Survey map.

After lunch Amanda decided her legs weren't up to going over the Seven Sisters with their many ups and downs, especially with some of them being rather steep, so she caught the bus round to Exceat where we arranged to meet and I set off up the track towards the Seven Sisters at 1:15 PM.

The walk up to the first hump wasn't too bad at all and the view looking back, showing the Belle Tout Lighthouse from this side, wasn't bad either.

The walk over the Seven Sisters was really quite pleasant with some amazing views and I soon found myself on the last but one hump looking at the top of the next, Haven Brow. But oh my goodness – look at the steepness of that final upward slope to the top.

I did make it, however, and here I am on top of Haven Brow, the most westerly of the Seven Sisters, looking down on Cuckmere Haven with Seaford Head beyond and only one and a half miles to the tearooms.  :smile:

I finally arrived at the road in Exceat at 3:15 PM to find Amanda waiting by the gate. That was a total distance of eight and a half miles from our hotel with five hours of actual walking and most of that route is part of the South Downs Way.

We went over to the tearooms for afternoon tea and caught the bus back to Eastbourne. An exceptionally nice day with regard to both the weather and the scenery. I'd love to do it again sometime.

Tomorrow, I think, will be an easy day.

Ups and Downs – Day 2.

Ups and Downs – Day 2.

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The weather forecast for our our second day was cloudy but dry and we woke to a clear blue sky and it stayed sunny all day. So much for English weather forecasts.

After breakfast we drove the few miles to Friston Forest where we parked the car in one of the two official car parks. This one is on the west side of the forest about 2 miles south of Littlington.

After paying our 1.50 GBP for a day’s parking, the only option there is, we walked off into the forest heading for the little village of West Dean about a half mile away.

In spite of stopping here and there along the way to look at plants we arrived in West Dean fairly quickly and decided to have another look, we’ve been before, at the little church.

Through the village to the path through the forest to the Seven Sisters Country Park Visitor Centre. Ah yes – that path. Not quite as innocuous as it might sound.

That’s the one. It wasn’t as strenuous and didn’t take as long as you might imagine to get to the top. The next section of path was gently downhill all the way to the visitor centre and we had then walked about mile from the car. We had a brief stop here for coffee in the Exeat Farmhouse Restaurant which I mentioned on the Cuckmere Haven page from our previous trip.

So crossing the A259, Seaford to Eastbourne Road, we headed towards Cuckmere Haven.

Here you can see the Cuckmere River meandering across it’s flood plain towards the sea with the path on the left-hand edge of the picture. You can just about see the sea on the left edge of the horizon.

On our previous visit there was no livestock to be seen but this time there was. This pair were grazing contentedly each side of the path and we had just walked between them when I turned and took this photograph.

Cattle are usually nervous enough that they will move away from people if they get too near but these were obviously used to people and didn’t so much as twitch when we walked between them.

So after walking another mile we soon arrived at the beach at Cuckmere Haven.

Don’t be mislead by the sandy beach – most of it is pebbles and it’s hard work walking on them. I wanted to get some more pictures of the chalk cliffs so we walked further along the beach. Here I am taking my life in my hands, well I could have got seriously wet feet, to get the sort of pictures you see on the web site.

You will notice that, in this close-up of part of the chalk cliff, there are rows of small dark blobs. These are flints formed in the chalk and, when the cliff is eroded by the sea and the weather, they are washed out and rolled by the waves to form the rounded pebbles of which the beach is comprised.

As we started back towards the visitor centre at Exceat we saw a Little Egret in one of the lagoons.

We were back at Exceat in time for a late lunch at the Exeat Farmhouse Restaurant and then walked back through the forest, via West Dean, to our car.

As we still had some time left in the day we drove to Birling Gap and parked in the free car park there. Birling Gap is so called not because there is a complete gap in the cliffs but because the cliffs there are only about 30 feet high whereas the cliff heights either side are measured in hundreds of feet.

There is a metal stairway from the top of the cliff to the beach and this picture was taken from the top of the stairway looking west at the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs.

We did, of course, go down the stairway to the beach and walked east in the hope of seeing Beachy Head round the next corner but we reached a point where the sea was still lapping against the cliffs so were not able to go any further.

I did, however, take this picture after we’d turned round to walk back to the stairway.

On the way along the beach one could not avoid the noise of the surf. The waves crashed noisily on to the beach and, as the water withdrew, the sound of pebbles grinding as they were rolled could easily be heard. Standing there listening to that noise one could imaging how the rough lumpy flints were transformed into smaller rounded pebbles.

When we got back to the car park there was still time for another short expedition so I walked east up onto the cliff tops whilst Amanda stayed down below. Until I reached the top of the cliffs I hadn’t realised that the Belle Tout Lighthouse was so close so I had to go at least that far.

Just before I got there a long thin strip of cloud obscured the sun and I ended up waiting 15 minutes for it to clear – but what a beautiful place to have to wait. The sparkling sea to the south, the Seven Sisters white cliffs beyond Birling Gap to the west and East Dean and Friston Forest to the north.

Coming back down from the lighthouse I saw this view of Birling Gap

The sun was getting noticeably low and it would be dark within 2 hours so we made our way back to the hotel after a very pleasant day.

Tomorrow will be mostly ups and downs.