Interlude: The South Downs Way. Day 3: Pyecombe to Findon 14 miles

Like the hot tub last night, the breakfast at Duck Lodge is incredible and we start the day on time, well fed and well rested. We have to go down the hill to go to the garage shop to buy lunch then up again to go past the Grade

1 listed, 12th century Church of the Transfiguration.

It looks as if the unusual square church tower has sunk, but this is the original 13th century tower housing a single 15th century bell. The church was constructed in this location to be close to the ancient trackway which is now the South Downs Way. As is so often the case with English village churches, there are commonwealth war graves in the churchyard here.

It’s now down again to take a bridge over the A23 and up again to regain the ridge but the wind is only a moderate breeze today and the sun is shining, so stride out eagerly. We go down the other side of West Hill into Saddlescombe where there is a National Trust farm and Wildflower cafe, as well as the first of many South Downs water taps that we make use of during the day.

We climb up onto the ridge again past tumuli to reach Devil’s Dyke. This is the longest, deepest and widest dry valley in the UK formed in the last ice age just over 10,000 years ago. As we walk around it, we meet a fellow Atompack owner and stop for a chat. She informs us that the wind is much kinder on the ridge today; two nights ago she was anchoring her belongings with rocks to counteract the gale as she camped.

We emerge from the more sheltered path onto the ridge proper with a vast panorama before us including the Rampian offshore wind farm visible out to sea. Technically built on the Crown Estate, this generates almost 1,400 gigawatts of electricity per year; enough to power half the homes in Sussex. On the path, the wind is still present but is just strong enough to wick away the sweat in the sunshine, rather than yesterday’s 40+ mile an hour gusting headwind. This was the Met Office figure for Brighton, not my hyperbole.

This section of the downs is busy with dog walkers, school parties and cyclists and we spot a boy hanging back from his class group, struggling to keep up. As we pass him, Rich says “That would’ve been me.” I was thinking exactly the same thing. We were aiming to stop for coffee and cake at the Truleigh Hill Youth Hostel, but it was full of the school children. They were good-natured and well-behaved, even sharing a joke with us, but it would not have been a relaxing rest. We walk on to Beeding Hill, eventually crossing a stile to escape the road to take a break. Grumbling about the lack of shade, we suddenly notice the stunning view before us. We are looking down over some ancient cultivation terraces to a view stretching right across the Weald.

I also spy a red kite being harassed by what looks like a kestrel. This is the first large bird of prey we have seen. There have been goldfinches, skylarks, wood pigeons, swallows and even the odd kestrel, but no buzzards, kites or owls up until now. The reason for this is obvious: we haven’t seen any prey either. Apart from a badger sett Rich nearly fell into yesterday, there has been little evidence of any wild mammals. This landscape is surprisingly sterile. We are near towns and there is a lot of human traffic but the main cause is likely to be that this area has been farmed intensively for millennia, as evidenced by the prehistoric traces all around us.

We carry on off the hill, passing a car park and admiring the remains of Shoreham cement works (a 298 foot chimney) and Lancing College chapel, the largest school chapel in the world. It even has a stained glass window consecrated by archbishop Desmond Tutu.

We cross the A283, refilling our water bottles from another drinking tap and cross the tidal river Adur. Here we see a little egret eyeing the water and some large sea trout splashing. We also briefly join the Downs Link: a 36.7 mile path joining the North and South Downs.

Then it’s off up onto the ridge again and past a free range pig farm high on the hillside. The pigs are enjoying the good weather. Some of them are sunbathing on the lee side of their huts out of the wind. A boar is trying to cool off by getting in a drinking trough but can only get three trotters in despite his best efforts. The tide marks on some of the sows’ bodies suggest they have been more successful. Others are digging wallows in damper bits of earth. A little further on are the sows with inquisitive, young piglets who peer intently as we troop past.

Once past the pigs, we stop for lunch and a rest in some long grass beside the path. In the distance, a tractor is ploughing the field, pursued by a flock of gulls. As we are waking up, we hear an engine, beeping and loud calls: a farmer on a quad bike is trying to drive his sheep through a gate and across the path. The first one goes through quickly then settles down to wait. It clearly knows this may take some time. The shepherd carries on calling and beeping, and desperately trying to corral the wayward sheep. One ewe in particular goes off to a corner of the field where the quad bike can’t get around her. “Oh f**k off!”, the farmer cries out to her. This doesn’t work. Eventually, they are all driven through the gate, across the path and up onto the field.

We start back off, arriving at a road with a path alongside. A weasel darts across in front of us. Maybe the birds of prey will have food after all. We go a bit further off the road and then leave the South Downs Way to join the Monarch’s Way for the last few miles. This is because we have accommodation in Finden, which is not on the route. The Monarch’sWay is a 625 mile path from Worcester to Shoreham via Bristol and Yeovil. It allegedly approximates to the escape route followed by Charles II in 1651 following his defeat at the Battle of Worcester. We have met it before on the HoLEwalk.

The path follows a clever course skirting the side of the hill. The difference between this and the South Downs Way is stark, though, as we combat the brambles, nettles and thistles that impede our progress. We soon find ourselves in the pretty village of Findon, arriving at Findon Manor hotel, our stop for the night. We are considerably less exhausted than yesterday, but still happy to have reached our destination ( and in time for Pointless).

Total distance: 50.5 miles (just over halfway