3 men on a walk 2015: February 2015

Monday, 23 February 2015

Wadhurst Loop

Wadhurst and through the deer park

We set out expecting a wet-day walk. Wind increasing; Sleet and Hail showers from mid morning was what the "experts" said. In practice it was sunny, not too windy and we only had one 15 min sleet shower to deal with.

Ivan had plotted this walk out as a new route for us but it wasn't long before we started to say we have been here before; and here; and look, there's that lake again! We have come to the conclusion that there can't be many paths left in Kent and Sussex that we haven't trekked.

Starting out at the village of Wadhurst, we headed out into the Weald to reach the village of Tidebrook before turning South East towards Combe and Wadhurst Park. There are big herds of Fallow deer in the park and we saw plenty of them. We then looped around the lake and headed north again towards Wadhurst.

It was somewhere along this section that the sleet and rain started and thinking we could make a bit of a detour along a road instead of through the slippy mud that was slowing us down, we ended up making a wrong turn. Well no one wants to get maps out in the pouring rain do they! Anyway, this detour took the walk up from 9.5 miles to 11.2 miles in length and we very nearly missed lunch as the pub finished cooking at 3-00pm!

A very attractive walk but probably best left for dryer conditions because it was very steep and muddy and so we slipped and skid our way round some of the sections.

Nothing special to note on the wildlife front except a flock of long-tail tits and the deer. We did spot a couple of Primroses in flower and the wild garlic leaves were emerging in places as were the bluebell leaves, so spring is definitely on its way.

Great start to the day weather wise

Deer in Wadhurst Park

The "Furnace Lake" in Wadhurst Park

Lunch at "The Greyhound" in Wadhurst

Stats for the walk were ...

Finished Hike: 23 Feb 2015 18:59:11

Route: Wadhurst loop

Weather:

temperature	7°C
humidity	66%
wind	18 mph SW

Hike Link: http://walkmeter.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Hike-20150223-0956

Import KML Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2k0j33vc5kzf02j/Wadhurst%20Loop%20230215.kml?dl=0

Hike Time: 4:00:06

Stopped Time: 39:41

Distance: 11.32 miles

Average: 2.84 mile per hour

Fastest Pace: 14:20 min/mile

Ascent: 1160 feet

Descent: 1176 feet

Calories: 1207

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

South Downs Cliff walk

Seaford to East Dean via Beachy Head

We had a situation much like an 8 year old kid being asked whether they want Fries or Rice with their burger. The weather forecast for Monday looked cold, cloudy and wet but Tuesday was looking better with sunshine, no rain and blue sky's. What were we to do - Monday or Tuesday; Monday or Tuesday. Just like the kids choice, it just had to be TUESDAY, so that's why there was no blog yesterday!

This was just the perfect day for our annual trip along to see the Seven Sisters, although whether we are getting older or the Sisters are getting fatter we didn't know but we sure ended up blowing hard as we climbed those hills. Needing a hard walk to put the winter season behind us, this year we decided to go "the whole hog" and start at Seaford and walk east towards Eastbourne. This adds in another big hill - probably a brother to the 7 sisters as its the far side of the Cuckmere river valley. This turned out to be a 12 mile hike with an amazing 1,787 ft of climbing and 1,649 ft of decent, one of the mightiest we have done since our Lake District walks in May last year.

We started out around 10-15 in a cold but brilliant sunny day and it stayed this way for the whole trip. No matter how many times you see this stretch of coastline it still makes an amazing sight. And even though I probably have a 100 photos already of this sector, I still have to stop and take more because the light and sun position changes every time and gives a totally different perspective to the scene. The only thing the photos don't show is how steep those bloomin hills are!

With no Pubs up on those cliffs we stopped off at the Cafe at Birling Gap for lunch. We then had a decision to make - either walk all the way to Eastbourne and catch a bus back to the car at Seaford or walk as far as Beachy head and then turn north across the downs to pick up a bus in the village of East Dean. The latter won and this last section led us across more hills but on a route not walked previously.

The sunshine bought some nice wildlife out and particularly songbirds. We saw several Skylarks, a couple of Little Grebe, lots of Meadow Pipit's, and the usual array of sparrow hawks, Buzzard's and Crows.

The "Brother", the first hill with Seaford in the background

The Seven Sisters from the top of "the Brother"

The Old Coastguard Cottages at Cuckmere Haven

Looking back at the Coastguard cottages from the far side of Cuckmere Haven

Is this sister 3 or 4 !

Looking back along the coast on a wonderful weather day.

Lunch stop at Birling Gap

The Beachy Head lighthouse where we turned north for East Dean.

This is what the elevation plotted out at

Stats for the day were ...

Finished Hike: 17 Feb 2015 15:13:48

Route: Seaford to East Dean

Weather:

temperature	7°C
humdity	81%
wind	14 mph N

Hike Link: http://walkmeter.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Hike-20150217-1018

Import KMLLink: https://www.dropbox.com/s/g1b1ixaxe58fejp/Seaford%20Beachy%20Head%20170215.kml?dl=0

Hike Time: 3:54:18

Stopped Time: 1:01:17

Distance: 11.48 miles

Average: 2.95 mile per hour

Fastest Pace: 11:28 min/mile

Ascent: 1787 feet

Descent: 1649 feet

Calories: 1231

Monday, 9 February 2015

Paddock Wood Orchards

Paddock Wood - Brenchley - Matfield loop

The weather lady said that the worst of the cold snap last week has disappeared to Denmark and she was right because it was a glorious day with definitely a touch of "Spring" in the air. This walk was just mapped out on the OS map and it was partly in an area we had not walked before but also took in a stretch of the High Weald Way which we had walked previously.

We parked up at Paddock Wood, right outside "Mascalls Manor" which was the birthplace and home of General Sir Frederick Morgan. ‘Freddy’ was responsible for Operation Overlord, in other words he masterminded the D Day landings of WW2 which secured the outcome of the war.

This part of Kent is very much the main fruit growing area and much of the walk took us along or through fruit farms, mostly Apple orchards but also some soft fruits like Raspberries and Black Current.

In Brenchley we passed "The Bull", site of a lunch stop in December and as we passed through the church-yard of Brenchley Church there were Crocuses and Snow Drops out and also a Camellia bush in full flower. I remarked that it must be a sunny spot but Trevor decided that it was the "nutrients and drainage" of the churchyard that led to such good blooms !

More orchards on the way round from Brenchley towards Matfield and then on the stretch from Matfield back to Paddock Wood. Yet another walk we must repeat in the springtime when the fruit trees are in blossom.

We finished the walk and the plan was to drive a couple of miles up the road to a new pub for us called "The Dovecote" but when we arrived we found they were closed on Monday lunchtimes. Not to be deterred we drove a couple of miles further on to the "George and Dragon" at Tudely where good ale and an excellent lunch were found. Another good watering hole to add to the list.

Crocus, Snow Drops and Camellia all out in Brenchley Churchyard

Looking back at Brenchley village from the trail

Lunch at "The George and Dragon"

Mascalls Manor - one-time home of General Sir Freddy Morgan

Stats for the day were...

Finished Hike: 9 Feb 2015 12:48:20

Route: Paddock Wood Loop

Weather:

temperature	4°C - 9°C
humidity	87%
wind	6 mph NNW

Hike Link: http://walkmeter.com/818ee85cf2cf57d1/Hike-20150209-1001

Import KML Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/m58h6emeou3bue2/Paddock%20Wood%20Loop%20090215.kml?dl=0

Hike Time: 2:29:37

Stopped Time: 16:49

Distance: 7.05 miles

Average: 2.83 mile per hour

Fastest Pace: 15:47 min/mile

Ascent: 843 feet

Descent: 866 feet

Calories: 751

Monday, 2 February 2015

Around Hadlow

Hadlow - Dunks Green - West Peckham loop

Our cold northerly weather continues and whilst we have had some short snow flurries today was a simply gorgeous winter walk day - cold but with plenty of winter sun.

Temperatures dropped to about minus 5 overnight and so the soggy wet ground was frozen and it made the going just that bit easier, at least until the sun rose enough to melt the top layers. We had plotted this walk from studying the OS map and basically we walked north west out of Hadlow until we met the Greensand Way (bits of which we have done on other occasions) at Dunks Green, There is a nice old Pub at Dunks Green called The Kentish Rifleman but we were far to early to stop but made a mental note to find a walk that reaches here one lunchtime in the future!.

We then turned East and walked the Greensand Way to West Peckham (yet another great Pub here called the Swan which we last stopped at on only our second walk three years ago. Made another mental note to try and find a walk that takes in the Rifleman AND the Swan!) and we then followed the Wealdway South for a few miles before looping back into Hadlow.

There are several Pubs in Hadlow but regrettably some have closed down and the others didn't do food on a Monday lunchtime. So we drove a few miles back towards home where we knew we could get a decent pint and food and that was "The Carpenters Arms", last visited in the summer of 2014 when it was hot enough for us to sit and enjoy our pint outside. Not so today, we needed the fires going.