I’d been planning to be in the Lake District this week for some time, but the weather chose that exact time to rebel. Facing the prospect of up to 95 kph gusts and lots of rain, I looked around for alternatives – anything just to get out for a couple of nights.
And so I settled on the South Downs, and the obvious thing was to pick up where I left off last time – at Hassocks – and continue the walk westwards for a bit. I timed it for just after a wave of rain was due to have passed, to optimise the conditions I’d be enjoying. “Was due to” being the operative phrase here…
This was the introduction to my last post, when I’d been planning to go to the Lakes and the weather forecast persuaded me to go to the South Downs instead. Now guess what ?
Yes, it happened again. After last month’s failure to get to the Lakes, I earmarked this week for the next attempt. And the same thing happened. maybe not quite as windy, but certainly not enough dry weather to make it feel worth it. So I picked up the South Downs Way again, resuming where I left off, this time from Amberley. I timed it not so much for the forecast but to fit with other things this time. The middle day was forecast to be overcast with some patchy light rain, but apart from that all was due to be dry and calm. “Was due to” again being the operative phrase here…
I got to Amberley, and spent a few minutes chatting with the couple who’d sat opposite me on the train, and who, it also turned out, were walking up onto the Downs in the same direction as me. I’d left them behind from stepping off the road onto the first footpath though.
Rather than walk back up to High Titten to pick up exactly where I left off, a route that had a sewage works as the only highlight, I opted to use the link path along the river.
A long slow drag up onto the ridge, my pack feeling a bit heavy until I adjusted to the load. It’s always like this at the start of a walk irrespective of how heavy it actually is.
It was nice easy chalky and flinty tracks all the way with the masts of Glatting beacon ahead.
A descent to cross the A285 at Littleton Farm then I was climbing again. This second climb really was long and slow.
Conditions were lovely – a fine autumn day.
I stopped briefly a couple of times where I found benches, but was also conscious that sunset was at 4:45pm, so kept it brief and pushed on. I really enjoy walking the top of the ridge where it’s wide and flat.
I got to about 15km and had had enough for the first day. My mind wandered and I walked as if in a bit of a trance. This got me down the hill to Cocking and my camp site.
I pitched up and settled down to watch sunset.
It was a pleasant night at camp. I’d opted not to head down into the village as it looked like the shop had closed since my last stay here, and I couldn’t be bothered to go to the pub and find my way back in the dark.
A few spots of rain in the night, but that was fine. With 28km and over 800m of ascent to do today, I needed to get on with it as I also wanted to not be pitching in the dark. I was away for 08:30 and wasn’t even prepared to wait for the Cycle cafe up the road to open at 9am.
The climb up Cocking Hill is another long slow one. Just as it starts to level out a bit, there’s this large boulder by the side of the path.
Views weren’t up to much today.
After a while, the path entered woodland and I enjoyed the shelter, not that the rain was especially heavy at this point.
This continued for a while until Pen Hill when the rain became heavier and more persistent.
I took shelter at the entrance gate to Telegraph House, using what little protection a few thinly-leaved trees provided. It was here that I saw that the forecast had changed, and I could expect another hour or so of heavy rain.
Already quite damp at this point, I continued on, investigating every patch of trees for adequate shelter, and finding none good enough, I continued onto Harting Downs. My jacket was already wetting out and I could feel my base layer getting wet. I was also starting to feel cold when I stopped.
I reached the road by the car park, looked at my phone to see there was a cafe in South Harting, and decided to head for it for some respite. With a fair bit of descent to the village, I knew chances were I probably wouldn’t be dragging myself back up the hill to continue, but I was ok with that.
I popped into the cafe and sat over a coffee and cake working out my next move. A bus to Petersfield and I could get a train home from there. It seemed like a no-brainer. I just had well over another hour to kill, but there was a pub right by the bus stop, so I went in for my fast-becoming-traditional end of walk pint of Guiness.
This was supposed to be a 3 day trip in which I’d reach Winchester, and complete a full rewalk of the South Downs Way. But it wasn’t to be. I’d relied on the forecast and gone with my softshell as my outer layer, trusting the forecast. My softshell was perfect for the temperatures, wind and amount of rain forecast. It was no match for sustained heavy rain. Yes I should have taken a hard shell too, but this was supposed to be a quick trip in predictable conditions, so I took the chance. It didn’t pay off.
Late next month I’ll be trying again for a Lake District trip. Hopefully it will be 3rd time lucky.
