A sunny July weekend and we headed off to the South Downs and the Truleigh Hill YH. We arrived around 9pm to find CYHA bunkered down in the hostel sun lounge, eating dinner and sipping drinks with a fantastic view over the ocean. Naturally we joined them and had a very pleasant evening while we waited for the last of our party to arrive. Luckily Jim’s car arrived with about 10 minutes before the Warden was due to lock the doors!
With a roasting hot forecast we walked from the hostel on the Saturday, hiking out along the chalk ridge to Devil’s Dyke. The dyke is actually the deep dry valley at the bottom of the hill, but we weren’t going to argue when the pub with the same name was at the top and serving coffee.
The Devil’s Dyke became something of a tourist attraction in Victorian times with both a funicular railway and a cable car running 70 feet above the valley floor. Sadly they are no longer there, but there are several ruins from associated structures.
It was a hot day and one pub stop was never going to be enough, so after a scenic lunch we took a vote on whether to head straight back or go via the Shepherd and Dog in Fulcking. The result was unanimous despite it meaning a walk all the way down the hill and then back up again. Yes! We are that dedicated.
Next door to the pub is pump house, now defunct but once part of an 1886 scheme by John Ruskin to supply the village with clean water. There is also a commemorative fountain a little way up the street.
After we got back to the hostel, Jim and Dave did some further exploring. Having spent the day looking at Victorian attractions, they found a Cold War secret. Just by the big transmitter tower is an odd-looking bungalow, which is the disguised entrance to a massive nuclear bunker.
Dinner was ably prepared by John M after negotiating access to the hostel ovens with some teenagers taking part in a pie baking competition. I’m sure we could have helped them with that, but we had a mountain of fruit salad to get through.
Sunday was another hot sunny day, so we decided on another ridge walk to make the most of the light breeze. Starting at Ditchling Beacon we walked out to lunch at Black Cap before descending to Plumpton for a little drinkie at the pub before heading back up to the ridge and that pleasant breeze. Particularly nice wild flowers today and fields of poppies against dazzling blue skies. Hot work, but worth it!
Ali
Hot Stuff!
It might not have been nudging 40 degrees like it was last week, but our Sunday walk from Sudbury to Bures was still a bit of a roaster. Luckily Nigel’s route had a decent amount of shade and the hills above the River Stour witnessed a refreshing wind as well as sensational views.
As with all our hot weather walks, an afternoon pub stop was a necessity. The Lamarsh Lion provided very welcome refreshment on the home straight of the walk. Here we were in good company as both Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable are reputed to have stopped here for a pint or two. Lamarsh is the only village that was painted by both these local heroes. I’m not sure about Nigel’s claim that they drank here together. Their lives did overlap, but with Gainsborough about 50 years older they seem like unlikely drinking buddies.
Due to rail strikes on Saturday there was a bit of ongoing rail disruption that could have messed up our planned return to Sudbury by train. It was with some relief that we saw the little shuttle train go past from our seat at the pub.
It was only a short walk from here to the little station at Bures and the end to a great (if a little hot) day. Having been strolling through tinder dry fields all day the drive back home saw a mixture of combine harvester dust and smoke from field fires. It’s nice to have a sunny walk, but I do hope it rains soon.