I tell Jude I’m walking to Eastbourne.
“Are you staying there?”
A little uncharitable — I only turn 60 this year.
The weather is foul. A biting wind in my face and a constant drizzle that seeps through my layers. It’s shingle to Eastbourne, beneath the numerous Martello towers. There are amusing and ingenious attempts by house owners to appropriate as much shingle as possible with flotsam and jetsam perimeters. Strange compulsions.
Cow Gap is the beach entry point from the clifftop, and a short walk round the corner gives a moody view of Beachy Head Lighthouse. It’s only accessible at low tide, as the sea hits the sheer chalk cliff at high tide. The guide says to allow one to two hours to reach the lighthouse, but it looks reasonably accessible. It is just over two hours until low tide, so I’ve plenty of time — too tempting to resist.
There are a couple of sections where I have to pick my path carefully through rocks and pools of water, but it’s mostly flat if slippery. The wind and rain slow me down. The guide also warns to keep well away from the cliff, which is sound advice, as a white rock, the size of a basketball, smashes into the stones a few metres away. The rocks near the lighthouse showcase various wood sculptures, impossible to see from the clifftop.
Drenched by the rain and buffeted by the wind, these are possibly not the best conditions for climbing up to the base platform, but I’ve come too far not to enjoy the experience. I hold on tightly to the barnacle-crusted handrail, reach the platform, attach my backpack to one of the rails to avoid it blowing off the edge, and take a few shaky pictures before carefully climbing back down.
After the exhilaration of making it to the lighthouse wears off, the long journey back to the car is sobering, squelching along with boots full of seawater. At least the wind and rain is at my back. All I can think about is a warm car journey followed by a hot bath. I’m reasonably dry between my waist and chest but every other part of me is soaked. What would I do if I was camping? I need better gear.
Walk distance: 12 miles.
Total distance: 215 miles.
Great timing with low tide, and how wonderful to walk the beach at Beachy Head! Love the sculptures too.
Yes, it is always a dilemma whether to walk the clifftop or the beach routes. I quite like to do both but that would double the length of what is already a very long walk!
It can be pretty miserable when you get soaked through! I have to admit if the weather’s bad I don’t bother, because I know I won’t enjoy it!
Yup. It started out ok but got worse as the day progressed. That will teach me to ignore the weather forecast.