In my own footsteps

Sunday 23rd Nov, 2008: 9.5 miles, ascent approx 300m (Map OS Explorer 122)

Having spent the whole week feeling like complete shit with a cold/flu/sore throat virus, I was desperate to get out. As I was still feeling a bit sweaty, it was a case of kill or cure.

This was a walk for the Sussex Womens Walking Group, starting and finishing from the village of Rodmell in East Sussex. It was a cold morning with a NW wind and, as I drove out of Lewes, the drizzle turned into a hailstorm - not very encouraging! By the time we all reached the car park at the bottom of the village of Rodmell, this had settled to a steady, cold rain. The car park we used is actually the National Trust car park for the nearby Monks' House, the erstwhile country pad and later home of Virginia Woolf.

Togged up in waterproofs, hats, gloves, etc, four of us set off SW back up the main drag through the village. After 2-300 yds, we turned SE on the footpath towards and then into the churchyard. We continued on this path as it left the far corner of the churchyard and turned SW, reaching the main (Lewes-Newhaven) road a quarter of a mile or so later.

Cars sped by in the rain as we followed the road S for a few hundred yards, after which we crossed over to take a bridleway (farm track), initially roughly S and then SW into Cricketing Bottom, where the track forms part of the South Downs Way for just over half a mile. Where the SDW diverged, we continued through the farm and SW for another half mile. After a short dogleg SE, the path contiues SW and up, and after a quarter mile, joins the road towards Telscombe village.

The wind and rain showed no sign of abating as we walked S on the road down into the village. As there was a service going on, plan A of a brief stop in the shelter of the church porch was dropped in favour of a break sheltering in the youth hostel bike shed. No luck there either, as the hostel was closed for the winter and the shed was locked. We stopped in the rain for elevenses outside the front of the hostel, out of most of the wind, wrung out gloves, etc and rustled up flasks and treats.

It was too cold and wet to stop for long and we soon set off again, SW out of the village and up to the end of the road. Here we took the track heading NW and then N, with a stiff cold wind trying to blow us over. About 3/4 of a mile from the end of the road we passed a bridleway running SW. A couple of hundred yards later, we took a second bridleway SW and down hill to Pickers Hill Farm as the rain eased. Looking for somewhere to eat lunch we sheltered from the rain in an empty barn and shucked off our waterproofs. While we ate our lunch (the usual variety of choice gourmet treats) the rain stopped and the clouds lightened to reveal patches of blue sky.

We set off again under a dry sky, roughly NW up High Hill. Continuing W on this bridleway, we arrived at a T-junction near Balsdean Cottages. Here we turned NW across a field to reach a tarmac track, which we followed N for about 1/3 of a mile. We stayed on the track as it curved E, and at the next junction with a track (bridleways), picked up a bridleway ENE, initially dipping down before climbing up the side of Pickers Hill. This bridleway passes a wayside memorial, sadly vandalized, before flatting out and curving SE. About 2/3 mile from the monument, we turned NE on a footpath across open fields towards Breaky Bottom with the low winter sun casting long shadows.

Passing Breaky Bottom farm and vineyards, the path, now a farm track, climbed towards the South Downs Way. Atop the ridge, we had a great view in the clear conditions, and turned SE on the SDW to Mill Hill about half a mile distant. Reaching Mill Hill, our walk was almost over as we turned NE on the bridleway to Rodmell. Where the path became a road we continued towards Rodmell, crossing the main road and heading through the viilage back to the car park.

This really had been a walk of two halves, hail and rain in the morning and clear skies after lunch. After a quick change of footwear, we headed to the nearby Abergavenny Arms for refreshments and a roaring log fire. I was knackered, but fooled myself into thinking that I felt better for the walk.

Saturday 15th Nov, 2008: 10 miles, ascent approx 350m (Map OS Explorer 122)

This was a circular route from Lewes, out of town via Swanborough, up onto the Downs, then down into a beautiful area of sheltered Downland "Bottoms", finally returning to Lewes via Kingston, along the old trackway known as Juggs' Road.

Today's walk was with the London Hiking Dykes walking group. After a not inconsiderable amount of faffing about, eleven of us set off from Lewes station under cloudy skies, though it was quite mild for the time of year.

From Lewes station we headed towards Southover (on the B2193), turning S just W of the church onto Cockshut Road (bridleway). This lane passes under the railway line, after which we took a footpath going W and under the A27, emerging into open fields. From here we continued in a roughly SE direction towards Kingston Road. Before reaching the road, we turned S-ish over the fields and continuing along a footpath that was shortly enclosed behind houses and a garden centre. We stopped briefly to admire some spectacular woolly (well, feathery)-legged chickens and an egyptian goose in an adjacent garden.

Emerging onto a lane by the sewage works, we crossed to pick up our connecting path over more fields, heading first S/SW and then W towards the road near Swanborugh Manor. After crossing the road, we had a short break to shuck off outer layers as both we and the weather seemed to have warmed up. Following the lane SW past the manor, after about half a mile we began to climb the Downs. After a short dog-leg we continued to climb properly up Dencher Road towards the top of Swanborough Hill where it was definitely cooler and breezier. Stopping to catch our breath we looked back over Lewes.

Joining the South Downs Way, we headed SE for a couple of hundred yards, before turning SW towards a barn about a third of a mile away. The view was great, as it usually is up here, with wonderful light over the sea. At the barn, the track (bridleway) turned in a more S-wards diection, gradually heading down hill to a T-junction about for about two-thirds of a mile away. At the junction, we turned W/SW and more steeply down hill. The path then climbed slightly again and within a further quarter mile we reached another junction. It was more sheltered off the top of the Downs and there were a few breaks in the cloud as we turned roughly N on a track (bridleway) towards Standean Bottom. About half a mile further on, we stopped for lunch on a slope beside the track. The sun almost came out.

After lunch - everything from station sandwiches to home-made worthy salads - we turned roughly N at the next junction of paths to pass some disused-looking farm buildings. Soon after these, we turned NW on a bridelway along the side of the broad expanse of Falmer Bottom. Having gone about two-thirds of a mile from the buildings, we turned N (keeping to the track) and up hill into Castle Hill nature reserve. The path climbs through an area of typical Downland scrub and stunted trees. A bit of up-hill effort soon brought us back onto the top of the Downs again.

Heading roughly NE, we followed Juggs' Road (bridleway), climbing a bit more, and then joining the SDW again. We stayed on the SDW, heading NW for about two-thirds of a mile, and then SE for about half a mile, passing the remains of two of the many dew ponds that dot the hilltops round here.

At the next path junction, we forked back NE and then N/NE down hill to rejoin Juggs' Road. We kept to this old track NE through Kingstonridge back towards Lewes, over the A27 t join the B2193 into Southover. We headed staright for the King's Head on Southover High Street for a welcome pint of Harvey's.

It's a couple of years since I walked this route and almost a year since I've been down to my favourite Sussex Bottoms. We had a lovely day and really good weather for the first time in a while.

Saturday 8th Nov, 2008: 4.5 miles, ascent less than 100m (Map OS Explorer 136)

This short walk was led by Jill for the WWINKS walking group. We started and finished from the free car park in the centre of the village of Lamberhurst in Kent. Lamberhurst is situated in rolling countryside a few miles from Tunbridge Wells, and just a stone's throw from the border with East Sussex, which we crossed a couple of times during the walk. The route took us through a vineyard, farms, and wealden sweet chestnut woodland with lovely autumn colour.

It was a very wet morning (yet again) as we set off up hill along the B2100 S through the village. After 1/2 a mile or so, we turned W on footpath through a vineyard towards Furnace Farm, where we turned S. Crossing the B2169 we contined SW on footpath, passing a pair of hammer ponds and turning W/NW by footpath about 1/4 mile later.

In less than another 1/4 mile, we crossed a minor road and continued NW towards Hook Green, and then N to the B2169 again. Because of the wet weather and conditions under foot, we stayed on the road N to Hoathly farm (crossing the River Teise) towards Clay Hill Cottages, where we picked up another footpath SE. The path took us through more beautiful sweet chestnut woodland and onward to meet the drive to Owl House.

After a short distance S/SE on this drive, we picked up a path NE at first and the SE along the edge of more woodland and through farmland/orchard to rejoin a road. As it was still raining and some of us (not me!) had had enough, we followed this road about 2/3 mile back to Lamberhurst for lunch at the Chequers pub.

This walk provided a short taster for an area that was new to me and which I'll be coming back to again.

Thanks to Jill for organising the walk and for booking lunch!

Tuesday 28th Oct, 2008: 6 miles, ascent approx 150m (Map: OS Explorer 102)

This was the second walk from my West Cornwall break. The mines in the title are those that made up the Ding Dong mine situated on moorland a few miles north of Penzance. According to various bits of info, mining on this site went back to the middle ages at least. Obvious evidence of human activity in this area goes back far earlier and the area is rich in standing stones - the Men in the title (and some Maidens as well - read on...).

We started on a grey morning in a biting E wind from our home for the week in the hamlet of Mulfra (grid ref SW 455 347). Taking the only road out we headed S and then W - passing a disused chapel, a school and Lower Ninnes. We turned S/SW at the next junction and after ashort 1/4 mile reached a footpath heaing roughly NW towards Carfury. Unfortunately, the path was under water(due to a lot of rain), so we continued by road, S or a short way, the W (1/4 mile) and NW to pass the disused quarry and pond at Carfury.

Keeping to the road we contined NW and up hill for about 1/2 mile before turning W down a track to join a footpath in the same direction. The path was one of several criss-crossing each other in tis area,so we picked an approximate course to wend our way across the fields up towards the end of the metalled road (here a track goes W to Bosiliack Farm).

From the end of the road a track continues N onto the open moorland and onto the site of the Ding Dong Mine. Following the track to the NW and then W we headed for the remains of a solitary engine house. Having inspected said remains and the adjacent mine shaft, we retraced our steps E a short way to continue on the footpath NW across the open moorland (again, one of several paths in the area). The land to either side of the path was dotted with the openings of old mine shafts and holes - defintely not a place to exercise the right to roam! We followed this path lashed by the rain continuing NW and down hill.

After jumping over a small stream, we started to look out for our first standing stones of the day, the Men an Tol stones. Expecting something more substantial we didn't see them until we were practically on top of them. We did our bit for paganism by wriggling through the hole in the main stone, though I've since read that you have to do this nine times naked to be cured of whatever you want to be cured of, as it was freezing we would have been more likely to die of exposure in the process!

Leaving the holey (holy?) stone behind, we continued NW to the Tinner's Way (footpath), an old trackway that ran from St Just to St Ives. Following this NE, we looked out for our next archaeological objective - the Men an Scryfa standing stone. We found it in a field to the N of the track, but as there was a bull in the field we stayed a safe distance away. At the junction of tracks we took a wet path roughly SE and up hill, jumping from tussock to tussock and around flowing water over the top of the hill and onwards to the Nine Maidens stone circle. I counted 12 stones I think and obvious spaces for more, so where the 9 comes from I don't know!

Leaving the Maidens behind us and thinking of food (still raining a bit, very windy and no shelter), we continued SE and down back towards Ding Dong. At a crossing track about 1/2 a mile from the stones we headed NE, passing the remains of more mine workings, to join the road by another engine house above Boskdennan. Hunger got the better of us, so we had a very brief stop for a standing lunch - it was almost not raining.

A bit refreshed (and a touch cold) we headed E on the road towards Tredinneck and then N towards Bodrifty. In the distance we could see Mulfa Quiot atop Mulfra Hill to our E. At the turning for the track towards Bodrifty there was a sign to Bodrifty roundhouses (marked as a Settlement on the map) about 1/4 mile N up the road, so we decided to go and have a look. The low stone walls of these iron age (and older) roundhouses and other remains had been excavated in the 80's and the layout of the buildings was clear as we walked through them, the adjacent fileds were very small with stone walls probably equally as old.

Picking up a path roughly E through the remais and then SE and up onto the open moorland we made for Mulfra Quoit (a flat-topped stone burial chamber), following a path that had probably been followed for thousands of years before us!From the top of Mulfra Hill we followed a footpath S/SE off the moor and down back to Mulfra passing another mineshaft and more ancient remains on the way.

Despite the pretty foul weather we'd had another fascinating walk steeped in all kinds of history. Although it had been a very short day out, it was quite enough and we were happy to be home for a cream tea.

Tuesday 28th Oct, 2008: 7 miles, ascent approx 100m (Map: OS Explorer 102)

This is the first of two walks that I did on a family week in the very far west of Cornwall. It is from the OS/AA book "Cornwall and Isles of Scilly" and is called "A Famous Mining Coast". If you are going to do a walk in this area, I'd recommend getting the book as the route description is chock-full of historical and other information about the various places passed by/through.

The walk starts and finishes in the town of St Just. We set off under mixed blustery skies with the promise of showers later.

From St Just (free car park in the town centre) we headed roughly SE via road and footpath to Bosorn and then NW by footpath to the coast near Ballowall Barrow, were we joined the SW coast path.

Heading roughly N on the SWCP we passed above Priest's Cove and over the spectacular Cape Cornwall. Where the SWCP goes down into Nancherrow Valley we detoured down the valley, through the remains of the water-powered tin mine works, to the coast at Porth Ledden. We stopped for lunch at the end of the valley, crossing the stream and sheltering from the worst of the weather behind a wall next to the rusting remains of a big diesel engine.

After lunch we retraced our path to rejoin the SWCP going up hill and roughly N towards the site of the Botallack mines, passing remains of engine houses, chimneys and other ruined leftovers from tin ore processing. Below us to the N, perching on the cliff edge, we could see the old engine houses of the Crowns Mine - one of the iconic images of Cornwall. We detoured down to look at the buildings, which served a mine that extended out 1/3 of a mile under the sea bed.

Retracing our steps back up from the Crowns and for a short way S along the SWCP we then followed a track SE, passing more mine buildings, joining a byway and continuing past the restored Botallack mine Count House. We stayed on the byway heading SW and the SE towards Kenidjack Farm. Here we continued SE along the road for a short 1/4 mile and then follwed a footpath in the same direction back to St Just.

It had been a blustery, showery day and we had explored a fascinating and beautiful stretch of coast. It was hard to imagine what this area would have been like 150 years ago at the height of the Cornish tin boom.