Miles walked: 14 

Elevation gain: 1,660 ft.

Accommodations: The Castle Inn

Today was an extremely hard day. A strong wind blew constantly and while I didn’t mind it in the morning, by the afternoon I was ready to be done with it! When we stopped at the village shop on our way out of town, the storekeeper told us that as long as the wind was blowing, it wouldn’t rain. He was correct, it didn’t rain, and the wind lasted all day. It was a beautiful day for picture-taking, though.

David woke up with his knee feeling better and determined to walk. That determination kept him going even though around noon he started hurting again. Battling the wind and trying to stay in some of the ruts on the worst part of the trail really took its toll on him. 

In order to avoid an extremely busy freeway crossing, we took a detour from the South Downs Way and went through Washington, a little village with an inviting bench in the graveyard next to the church. It was a welcome spot for lunch. Crossing the freeway on the pedestrian bridge and seeing all the traffic below, we were so thankful we had taken the detour!

After we got back on the trail, June and John were soon out of sight. The trail was the same as it has been—lots of ups and downs. David really struggled on this part. Whereas in the morning there were several spots he could have stopped and been met by a taxi, the afternoon route had no such places. As we neared the last part of this leg, Nancy studied the map looking for shorter alternatives to get to Bramber. Between the two of us we found a few possibles but passed on them until finally we got to one that had a gentler descent and a nice wide, flat trail surface. We took that and again were glad of our choice. It was a good trail that turned into a lane, went straight through a stableyard, and on to Bramber and best of all, out of the wind.

When we got to the Castle Inn, they told us that was the hardest part of the entire trail. I hope it was! June and John arrived at the inn about five minutes after us, so our shortcut worked. Tomorrow’s walk is supposed to be just seven miles—I think it will be closer to eight or slightly over. We will see what tomorrow brings; I hope it is easier.

• To Moreton-in-Marsh, April 29
• To Chipping Camden, April 28
• To Stanton, April 27
• To Winchcombe, April 26
• To Guiting Power, April 25
• To Bourton-on-the-Water, April 24
• To Stow-on-the-Wold, April 23
• A Rest Day and a Train Trip to Remember, April 21-22
• To Eastbourne, April 20
• To Alfriston, April 19
• To Kingston/Lewes, April 18
• To Poynings, April 17
• To Bramber/Upper Beeding, April 16
• Rest Day in Amberley
• To Amberley, April 14
• To Cocking, April 13
• To Buriton, April 12
• To Meonstoke, April 11
• Winchester, April 10
• Winchester, April 9
• To Winchester, April 7-8