Well well well, look at that, back in the South Downs National Park! And for once, not due to a Goodwood-related event. This time, we would be returning to a site we had visited a few years previously, on which occasion the wind was so strong that we bravely turned around and went for a hot chocolate instead.
Fortunately, conditions were much different on this occasion. In a slight change to our usual schedule, we arrived at the Birling Gap National Trust visitors centre at around half past three on Friday afternoon, and conditions were pretty perfect. A sunny, bright day, with a good breeze blowing across the cliffs, which would soon prove useful. The site was busy with visitors, and the salty sea air blew up our nostrils as we made our way across the car park and, after a quick visit to the shop, onto the track. The stony path began to climb straightaway, and we quickly overtook a group of three Americans who were playing music from a Bluetooth speaker – naturally, we did our best to put some distance between us and them. A few quick-paced minutes later, and we came out onto the cliff tops, and we could see the first major stretch of the route ahead of us; the Seven Sisters. These are a series of undulating cliffs, and evidently make a very popular walk, as this section was significantly busier than our walks normally are. The path was wide and grassy, and easy to follow, with the sound of the sea gently lapping at the shoreline below. The biggest challenge here was the long climbs followed by some rather steep downs, which were a bit tricky on Beth’s knees. None-the-less, it was a pleasant start to the walk, and obviously very different from our normal scenery, and we took our time with plenty of pauses for water and suncream. In fact, perhaps too many pauses. Somewhere between the fourth and fifth sister, we saw three familiar figures appearing over the ridge behind us. The Americans. Our eyes met, and we turned back to the path, and quickly picked up the pace.
Aside from the knees, Beth’s only other concern was that the path did occasionally wander near to the edges, which were known for being somewhat crumbly – we steered clear of these bits. The path would also occasionally split in two for short stretches as well, and at the last of these, we decided to follow one each and have a race – victory on this occasion belonged to me. We enjoyed this stretch, although were somewhat relieved that the constant up and down would (we hoped) now be behind us. However, the sisters had one final test for us, and that was a very steep, narrow and chalky descent back down to sea level. This was best taken very slowly and carefully, and once we did eventually reach the bottom, we looked back up to find that it looked almost vertical.
Nonetheless, there we were, on low-lying and blessedly flat land. The paths again occasionally split but we only went the wrong way once, as we made good progress. We saw ponies to our right, and had a marsh to our left, through which a lazy river meandered. A slightly more golden light of late afternoon began to cover the world as we continued to head inland, soon crossing the road past the Seven Sisters visitor centre, where we left the crowds behind. Sadly, this was where the brief spell of easy running ended. Once more, the ground rose steeply before us, and so up we went. At the top, we turned to see a view of the marsh and coast beyond reflecting the light, so it was worth it! Beyond, we entered a patch of woodland, which soon descended a long flight of steps. Naturally, this then meant an up would follow, which came after a short stint of quiet road walking through rather well-to-do cottages. The road ultimately gave way to another stony track through Friston Forest, where it continued to rise and fall as we went. We were soon feeling the challenges of walking in the South Downs, and so paused on a likely looking bench for some chocolate, which we hoped might fuel us on for the remaining portion of the walk.
As evening continued, the shaded walk through the remainder of the forest was at least pleasantly cool. The trees soon began to thin, and we hit road once more, a few minutes later climbing a style over a stony wall into a sunny, mercifully flat sheep field. This put put me a little in mind of Yorkshire, and we enjoyed walking through the middle of the calm flock. This was followed by a second field of sheep, only this time, it rose at a gentle but constant rate. Normally, we would barely have noticed, however our legs and mouths complained at the ascent, which stood as testament to what had turned out to be rather a challenging day. At the top, we picked up what would be the longest section of road walking for the day. It was busy and fast, but fortunately there was a good path enclosed by bushes to walk down, so it barely counted as road walking at all. The route also descended once more here, and for quite a while too, which we knew would surely mean an equally significant ascent ahead. The path took us away from the main road and into the middle of Eastdean, at the bottom of which, we were bought out on the village green. To the side of that green was the Tiger Inn, and before us was the most perfect garden, the soft evening light glinting from a dozen refreshing pint glasses. When I say walking past this idyllic scene was one of the hardest walking challenges to date, I mean it. Yet pass by we did, as the evening was drawing on, and we still had a way to go followed by a long drive home.
And so, instead of a pint, we turned our attention to what came next; the final ascent. The heat was mostly past, but the climb was still steep, and so we took our time with it. The sun was shining somewhere on the other side of the hill, and the evening began to feel quite late; we even spotted a fox running across the countryside, who stopped to look back at us before carrying on his way. Toward the top, we re-entered the seven-sisters country park, and immediately saw a corresponding increase in the number of people, all be it significantly fewer than earlier in the day. And then we emerged from the trees for the last time, and back onto the golden hilltops. The sun was lower now, and silhouetted the first sheep we saw as we reached the top. From there, we walked along the smooth, open grassland, which was adorned with hundreds of sheep as far as the eye could see, all going about their peaceful woolly lives. The path began to slowly head back downward, the sea now before us, and we waved goodbye to the flock. We returned to the Birling Gap National Trust centre down the same stony track that had led us out; this time, thankfully, void of Americans and Bluetooth speakers.
We wandered to the viewing platform to look upon the faces of the Seven Sisters, and then descended down the metal steps to the beach. It was about seven o’clock by this point, truly golden hour, and the sea was beautiful. We walked to where the water was lapping at the sand, and crouched down. The cool tide washed over our hands and through our boots – it was all worth it in the end.
Finally, we turned for home, where we treated ourselves to fish and chip and a nap on the sofa – perfect! This was a great route, despite it being more challenging than we had anticipated. The loop back in land gave good variation, and if you went earlier in the day, there was plenty of extra bits you could add on to extend your visit – however this would mean not seeing the beautiful sunset. I would recommend avoiding the busier times however, as it is clearly a very popular site for visitors!
Matthew G. Huggins 