Miles walked: 7.4

Elevation gain: 1,660 ft.

Accommodations: The Cherry Tree Guest House

Today was a tale of two different walks for me! The morning walk was a delight; the afternoon, not so much. 

Our day started with a taxi to Exceat in order to shorten the day and have enough energy left to enjoy the Seven Sisters when we got there. This turned out to be an excellent plan. As usual, we had to climb two steep hills to get back on the South Downs Way. After reaching the top of the second hill, the maps showed that to really reach the Way, we would need to go down and around the bottom to join the trail and then climb back up the same hill. There was a bit of dissension in the ranks, but Nancy and I said we are going this way, you can go that way if you want, and took off. The others followed, but I think it was a bit reluctantly. There were several trails up there, but it was easy to see where to head and with the help of our maps and consultation with one young walker also heading towards Eastbourne, we soon got back on the South Downs Way, although at this point there were no longer signposts for it.

The Seven Sisters are a series of spectacular chalk cliffs. And of course, if you are walking along the top, that means you are going up and down over the peaks and valleys—seven hills. Thus, the reason for wanting to still be feeling fit when we got to them.

It was cloudy and windy again, but there was just enough sunshine to really show off the white of the cliffs. I stopped to take so many pictures! The steepness on this part didn’t even bother me. After the last cliff, the trail descends to sea level at Birling Gap—a landing place for smugglers back in the smuggling times. The closer we got to Birling Gap, the more people we began to see. The place was teeming with people when we got there. We had two long waits in line at the toilets and in the cafe, but I managed to snag a table just as we walked in the door of the cafe, so we were able to eat our lunch in out of the wind and cold.

There had been a smattering of rain when we were on top of the cliffs but that ended quickly. After lunch, the wind seemed stronger and colder, but maybe that was because I was tired. Our afternoon started with another steep climb to Belle Tout Lighthouse. The South Downs are a protected area, so the cliffs are allowed to erode naturally and the lighthouse was actually moved back from the edge at one point. (It is now used as a B&B!)

If we had stopped at this point, I would have been perfectly content, but we had another long climb to Beachy Head. The wind continued blowing fiercely and I was tired. David and Nancy both admitted to being tired and ready to take the bus. June and John were still going strong, though, so they continued on to the official end of the trail and in to Eastbourne. The three of us caught the bus at Beachy Head and then had an .8 mile walk through town to get to the Cherry Tree Guest House. Just as we stepped in the gate, we heard a shout, and there were John and June arriving from the other direction at exactly the same time. We were each happy with the finish we chose for the South Downs Way!

Tomorrow is a rest day/laundry day; on Tuesday we catch the train to Moreton-in-Marsh in the Cotswolds where we will spend seven days walking a loop and exploring the little villages.

• 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