Two Sisters Too Many

South Downs Way

Alfriston to Eastbourne

17 kms

A gentle morning drizzle turned into an afternoon rain and windstorm. Our finish was cold and wet but we did it. 100 miles/ 160 kms.

Weirdest thing ... I brought Ibuprofen from home but haven't needed it ...

... until today ... my last day of walking.

A kissing gate

Do you see the white horse etched onto the hill?

Look over the steaming mound of manure.

Caroline making sure that we are on track.

A gentle rain all morning, our gear was keeping us dry and warm.

Lots of slippery mud combined with ...

well we were walking through cattle and sheep pasture ... so you get the picture.

A few flights of stairs enroute.

This was unusual, we had to climb over this wall.

Almost at the coast.

Cuckmore River meets the English Channel.

Two Lambs

On

Seven Sisters

Check out the profile (altitude changes) of today's walk. It is the solid red line under the map. The up down squiggly bits are the 7 Sisters

Magnificent chalk downs

Seven Sisters

Looking Back

Looking east

At The National Trust Cafe

At

Birling Gap

Remember yesterday I mentioned the jacket filled with Tuna?

Got to try it today.

The ultimate comfort food on a wet day.

By now our gear was wet inside and out, no fun putting it back on. When we ventured back outside the wind and rain had intensified. I was feeling very chilled and my boots soon filled with water. Slosh slosh.

We still had a few Sisters to go. I found myself thinking that 5 Sisters would have been plenty.

But still enjoying the view.

Looking down on Birling Gap

The wind was coming from the north so this bit was somewhat protected but very wet.

Finally here is Eastbourne.

My camera was so wet so the photo is foggy.

But!

We Did It!

We were too early to check into Southcroft B&B but we phoned and the kind hosts encouraged us to come right away and get out of the rain.

Once at Southcroft B&B we stripped off all of our wet gear in their entrance hall which were immediately whisked away to a drying room. We were then ushered up to our lovely room and told to have a shower and get into dry clothes while our kind hosts prepared tea and cake for us in the lounge. Wow, such a warm welcome ..

 was very much appreciated. We went from cold and wet to warm and dry in minutes.

The South Down Way is a beautiful Way with many charming villages, fascinating history, pretty gardens, friendly accomodations and changeable weather. I was very impressed with the friendly walkers that we met enroute and especially the young students that are taking part in The Duke of Edinburgh outdoor incentives. This was a unique opportunity to discover a small part of Britain where I have much family history, for that I am very grateful. As a bonus, I am now properly pronouncing the word tomato.

I have really enjoyed the companionship of my friend Caroline. She is kind and funny and an excellent walker. I feel blessed to have met her 5 years ago on a walk where we were both celebrating our 60th birthdays. 

So that makes 1240 kms that I have walked in 2 1/2 months. This was something I felt compelled to do, am extremely happy that I was able to accomplish it and, at this point at least, happy to stop. 

It is just about time to get back to my patient and understanding family. 

One last adventure however. 

My friend Spring is flying from Victoria to Gatwick tonight and will be meeting us in Eastbourne tomorrow morning. We will be touring around England for a couple of weeks.

Stay tuned.