Eastbourne never looked sweeter - The South Downs Way Walk

It was almost poetic that we should wake up to this year’s first sign of frost on our last day of the South Downs Way walk.

We took the very first steps on the 99-mile journey in the sweltering heat of July and had followed the Way through the changes of 3 seasons.

Crossing the Greenwich Meridian - The South Downs Way Walk

He looked like he was hiding something. With his back to us facing the boot of his car, he was using his right arm to cover his left arm with his coat.

I wasn’t afraid as I had just seen a group of hikers walk away from his car, and I assumed that he was just getting ready to join them.

Devil’s Work? - The South Downs Way Walk

With Beeding Hill, Truleigh Hill, Edburton Hill, Fulking Hill, Newtimber Hill and Devil’s Dyke only just out of my legs, I’m sitting here thinking how strange the latest leg of our South Downs Way walk was!

Perhaps it was all fitting for a walk involving work of the Devil himself (See Devil’s Dyke further down). It was definitely hot enough for the Devil to have been involved and some odd things did happen.

For the Love of Sheep - The South Downs Way Walk

I really noticed the sheep on the fifth stage of our South Downs Way walk. I don’t think there were more sheep than on any of the other stages, but I came home with quite a few photos of sheep this time.

The walk took us from Amberley to Upper Beeding and was supposed to be 12 miles, but we added a bit by detouring to Washington for lunch.

The Walk of Changes - The South Downs Way Walk

We walked through all 4 seasons in one day on our 12 mile walk from Cocking to Amberley. The weather changed from mild spring tempature to autumn rain to blazing summer sun to strong winter wind.

Lost on the Milky Way - South Downs Way Walk

The warm Hampshire air was filled with the tempting smell of juicy meat slowly cooking on barbecues as we walked through Queen Elizabeth Country Park in our continuing quest to conquer the South Downs Way on the last Sunday of July.

Sweltering South Downs Way Walks

Walking the South Downs Way in the hottest month of the year is not the best idea I have ever had. But I have had plans to walk the South Downs Way for 4 years now, so it was with a now-or-never frame of mind that I took the first steps of the 159 km journey last weekend.