The Devil’s Leap – 6 miles

  Having spent our last few adventures filling in the gaps, today we returned to one of our favourites, The Devil’s Leap, which we last did a couple of years ago. We also made sure to be on the route in good time, knowing that the best of the day was earlier on. So, with that in mind, we found ourselves parked outside Etchingham Church and ready to go just before half past ten.

  After a spell of road walking out of the village, we entered farmland, where Beth found an owl pellet, which was interesting. Shortly after this, we encountered a bush blooming with blossom, amongst which buzzed a big, fat, busy bee. We watched as the bee flew from flower to flower, knocking off the petals as it went. The blossom fluttered down around us, and I caught a couple and held them. Beth and I then made a wish and blew them off my palm. Should you ever be fortunate to find yourself some bee-blessed-blossom, I encourage you too to make a wish of your own; they are exceptionally magical.

  We continued across the open fields that surround Etchingham, reminiscing about when we were last here in the company of Pumpkin, and she was scared of the large bales of hay. We also spotted a small holding of alpacas, goats, donkeys and sheep that had appeared behind one of the large cottages since our last visit. Once we had made it through the patch of trees beyond, we popped out onto Sheepstreet Lane, where we had been only a couple of weeks earlier, as well as, weirdly, in my dream last night. Unlike last time and in my dream, we passed a very dead and partially eaten deer at the side of the road.

  Back on the footpaths, we descended through trees which had an abundance of wild garlic leaves growing on both sides and in patches right in the middle of the track, before crossing familiar, gently rolling farmland. The sun had been trying to burn through the grey-blue sky since we started, but as we climbed up the steepest hill of the day, it began to lose the battle, as a big gust of wind whistled through, hinting at things to come and the reason we had left early that morning.

  Before turning back in the direction of Etchingham, we took our usual diversion to take the gentle climb through Bellhurst Wood. We descended past the barn that marks the point of the deviation, and at the bottom crossed over a small stream. We then turned left, at first hugging closely to the bank, where a thick garlic grove grew. As the path slowly ascends, it turns a little more into the trees. The woodland floor was filled with green shoots and leaves, prompting Beth to ask, “Why have we never done this walk in peak spring?” In all honesty, I don’t have a good answer. Already, bluebells were popping up amongst the green, as they had been last time. But there was no denying how beautiful they would be in a few weeks; I think we’ll have to make a special return visit.

  We climbed up amongst the bluebells, as the path softly wound itself between the mossy trees. The stream tinkled away below. We passed badger sets and deer tracks, and birds sang amongst the branches above. This, for me, is the very path to heaven, hidden away here within The Weald.

  Finally, the sound of tumbling water could be heard ahead, and we arrived at the small waterfall. This is as far as our route goes through the woods, and where the walk gets its name from – the Devil’s Leap. Beth waited up beside the footpath as I clambered down. I carefully put my boots on the slippery, green rocks and walked along the narrow ledge, which allows any who dare to stand behind the falling water. With my back to the mossy, smooth stone, I stood beneath the overhang of rocks and watched the water fall in front of me. Of course, I reached out my hands to feel it, cup it, and wash a little over my face for good measure.

  We retraced our steps down the heavenly path, saying goodbye to the woods (for now), and just before we rejoined the main trail, a rich red fox dashed across our path and disappeared amongst the undergrowth. From there, we turned left and headed for the finish line. The quickly drying mud throughout the following fields hinted heavily at the presence of cattle. Fortunately for Beth, when we eventually found them, they were safely in a neighbouring field. To be honest, this was probably a good thing – they were clearly in a boisterous mood! As we stood and watched them, several were prancing around, playing, butting and generally frolicking together. Whilst this was all just signs of happy cows, it’s also not the type of behaviour you want going on when sharing their field!

  Soon after this, we were back at the car, a little more than two hours after we had left. As this was a short walk and we knew we were going to start early, we had decided to swap our normal Sunday lunch routine for a National Trust-based lunch at nearby Bateman’s. After a short drive to Burwash, we found ourselves walking down into the familiar grounds of Rudyard Kipling’s house. We took up our usual seats outside the café in the gardens, where I ate a slice of cake and a Cornish Pasty (my usual order), and Beth had a lemon and white chocolate scone, before going for a wander around the gardens. We stood beneath the tree on the lawn where we had been read poetry several years earlier, and sat on a secluded bench at the foot of the large pond, where a school of orange fish swam near the surface. We then entered “the wild garden” where we had a go at the Easter Challenge, which had been set up for the site’s younger visitors. The game was to find all the letters and work out the spring-based word. In what was not our finest hour, it took us two goes through the trail to confirm that the word was in fact “Daffodils”. We later tried a “spot the difference” challenge, which we were able to complete without difficulty; this is obviously more our speed. On the way out, Beth declared that she had had a nice day, whilst on the verge of tears – something she does when she is suddenly feeling particularly happy.

  This walk has always been a favourite, and it remains so. After a few longer ones recently, Beth enjoyed this less-demanding route, and coupling it with a visit to Bateman’s made it another special spring day.

Full route available here.