Our Autumn adventures continued across the border into East Sussex, to a route which we had walked once previously. The day was once again bright and clear with highs of 12°C, although with a sea breeze in mind, we decided to go with the winter coats. On our first venture, we had parked where the route recommends, at the small and isolated Winchelsea Station. However, on this occasion we found the car park full (Beth quickly worked out why – last time we had come at the weekend, whereas on this midweek occasion the station was of course being used by commuters). Thankfully this was quickly resolved by driving only a few hundred yards further along the road to a small layby – where Beth parked me in a bush – and we were soon underway!
We had aimed to start the day’s walk earlier than we normally might and were on the route just after ten o’clock. After a short spell of road walking, the footpath appeared to the right which took us out into the edge of the countryside beyond, where we were immediately glad to have the coats, as the wind was indeed chilling. This first, short, off-road section turned out to be the muddiest of the day, which took us up a short and medium-steep slope, to a viewing point just outside the village of Winchelsea. From here we turned into the village centre itself, where we passed (I think) a McLaren sports car tucked lovingly away under a cover, whilst we looked hopefully for a public toilet as Beth was much indeed, and she is not one for ‘peeing in the wild’. Happily, Winchelsea delivered and after a quick comfort break, we were back underway and heading out of the village, where our efforts were rewarded by an encounter with a flock of Herdwick sheep, a very cute and cuddly looking breed hailing from the Lake District.
The footpath led out and across inviting countryside, which thankfully turned out to be less water-logged than we might have expected. We headed up and across several fields, containing a range of young cattle and a large flock of sheep, before reaching the top of the long slope, where we were greeted with bright views of the English Channel reflecting the low-hanging Autumn sun. From there the path dips a little down to the road before heading back uphill across a field past a converted windmill, then down and out through the opposite corner back to the road. We then walked along the narrow country road for a short spell before reaching a crossroads, where the next footpath awaited us.
We then started to descend toward the canal and begin the return half of the walk. This part of the route was nice and easy to follow, however we suddenly found ourselves encountering an all-new obstacle; thorns. By now, we had long discarded our coats as we had warmed up and the wind had died down, and we found them regularly getting snagged as the path took us through gaps in the hedge. This was particularly challenging for Beth, whose large and very woolly coat was strapped to the back of her bag, culminating in her getting stuck as she tried to climb over a stile, ultimately requiring rescue and me to carefully detach her and her coat from the thornbush which seemed to rather like them, whilst she stayed as still as she could, stuck halfway over.
As the path levelled out we found ourselves suddenly surrounded by water-fowl and wetland plants, however the route itself was perfectly passable and only a little muddy. From here, the walk is essentially follow the canal, which will lead you straight back toward the start. There’s plenty to see along the way, including swans, geese and birds of prey. However, the best thing to keep an eye out for is the illusive Kingfisher. Sadly, we didn’t see any on this particular occasion, however last time we were lucky enough to see two. I was surprised at just how tiny they were, and how they glowed like a brilliant blue gem, fluttering through the undergrowth lining the bank – this was the first and currently only time I had seen these birds, but now always keep an eye out.
This canal does seem to go on for a long time, mainly because it’s just a straight march along the bank, but you do eventually arrive back at the road, for what is the last section of the walk. It is quite a busy road, and not the prettiest ending to our walks that we’ve seen, yet after about half a mile we found ourselves turning back onto the road from which we started, and arrived back at the car for about half twelve.
However, the day did not end there. We had started early with the intention of finishing in time to go for lunch in the nearby medieval town of Rye. It is well worth a visit, with its cobbled streets lined with aged buildings so that it feels as though you are walking through a Dickens novel, and we grabbed a portion of chips and walked to the sunny battlements where we enjoyed our lunch. Following a meander through the many little shops, we stopped off at Simon the Pieman tea room, where I strongly recommend the Berry-go-round smoothie and the white chocolate and raspberry muffin. From there we wandered down to the antique shops and finished off with a pint in The Mermaid, before heading for home.
This is a nice little walk which should be fairly easy for all, taking a little less than two and a half hours, and can be extra special should you be lucky enough to encounter a kingfisher. The instructions were really clear to follow and there were no issues with navigation, although I do like a little more variation in scenery. When coupled with a visit to Rye, this makes for a lovely day out, which I’m sure we will repeat again!
Original route was provided by East Sussex County Council, with full instructions and map available at https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/media/e1besowx/winchelsea.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0EEdKc5unGnOg8uzuN3MUae6n013d4Btur5zvjzkeZzXGiusckSdNGwbw
Matthew G. Huggins 