Wednesday April 30, 2008: 9.25 miles, approx 360m ascent (Map: OS Explorer 123)

The morning off started unpromisingly as expected, but by 10 the showers seemed to be abating so I stuck to my plan for the day - a walk in the Downs above Berwick, Alciston, and Firle. The route I chose was an old favourite, a slight variation on the Berwick figure-of-eight walk, which I last did in December, in the fog.

I parked in the Berwick Church car park and walked through the churchyard, exiting by the gate on the eastern side. Following the perimeter round to the west, I picked up the bridleway going roughly west and then southwest to cross a byway, Comp Lane, which was originally the coach road - I guess before what is now the A27 was built. The old coach road, running between Firle and Alfriston forms the spine of this walk.

Continuing southwest, I shed my windproof husk as the sun tried to come out, and followed the bridleway zigzagging up to the top of the Downs where I joined the South Downs Way going northwest.

On top of the downs there was a stiff southeasterly blowing off the sea, and the sun was fighting with big shower-laden clouds in the diatance. I got back into the windproof for a brisk walk along the top to Firle Beacon. About a quarter mile after the beacon trig point I forked down northwest, through grassland dotted with cowslips, on the bridleway that passes Firle Plantation. Here the heavens gradually opened and I descended in a bit more than light rain, pulling out waterproofs, hats, and rucksack covers as I went, and also lunch, which I ate on the hoof (vegetable pasty - Waitrose, OK-ish). By the time I arrived down at the coach road on the edge of the Firle Estate, the rain had stopped and the sun was trying to push through the clouds again.

After going east on the coach road for a short distance, I took the first bridleway north-ish (towards Heighton Street), and then the first bridelway east-ish, passing Firle Tower and crossing the fields towards Charleston Farm about a mile away.

Charleston House was open for visitors, and so were the loos. So, after a very brief stop I made for Tilton Farm, where I continued on the bridleway as it turned southwest-ish back towards and across the coach road again. I kept going south-ish, climbing up again onto the Downs on an old sunken path. All day it had been slippery underfoot, especially on the steep north-facing slopes and I was beginning to feel the effects of this, it was harder going than usual. Nevermind though, it was alovely day and I was rewarded with bluebells along the wooded pathway, before emerging onto the open hillside, which was again scattered with cowslips.

Back on the South Downs Way I retraced my steps southeast as far as the BoPeep Car Park. After the car park I forked slightly down, just north of the South Downs Way until I picked up the footpath (not the bridleway) northwest and then north along a sunken wooded track towards the coach road south of the hamlet of Alciston. After a brief stop on the Millenium Bench at the top of the road down to Alciston, I followed the coach road back towards Berwick and retraced my path back to the church via the bridleway.