1066 Country Walk

No one is more unhappy than I that this post does not feature the otherworldly landscapes of Cappadocia, Turkey. However, on the night before my departure to Istanbul the UK government in its infinite wisdom removed Turkey from its Travel Corridor, a dwindling list of countries one can travel to without quarantining on return to the UK. Naturally, the two trekking companies I was going with immediately cancelled their trips, so I remain here in Hastings.

With one difference from my ten week sojourn this spring: post lock-down I can now travel by train (!), opening up numerous long distance hiking options nearby. This post is my first installment. . .

The 1066 Country Walk is 31 miles, plus another 13 or so including its two connector trails, from Hastings and from Bexhill-on-Sea. The way-marked trail begins at Pevensey Bay, where Duke William landed, and ends in the Ancient Town of Rye. Its approximate mid-point is the town of Battle, site of that famous altercation on October 14th 1066.

A 20-minute train journey from Hastings to Pevensey Bay this past Tuesday marked the start of my walk.

Pevensey Bay station is not much to look at, but only a few hundred yards from the old castle and Roman fort.

Of course, at 8.30 in the morning it was closed to visitors, but the morning light wasn’t too bad for a photo of this ruin before commencing on the trail proper, following the red shield and white arrow 1066 signs.

The first miles of the path away from Pevensey Bay were along the Pevensey levels. This flat ground was the reason William decided to land here with his horses and troops.

The walk continued to the village of Herstmonceux with its parish church and castle. A quick snack in the graveyard, and then I continued onto Battle. With 16.5 miles to cover this day and rain in the forecast, I did not stop at this otherwise impressive castle.

Shortly after Herstmonceux castle, I happened upon what I thought at a distance were missile silos. Although boasting a gate house and security guard, the lack of two rows of razor wire fencing and dobermans quickly convinced me of their benign purpose.

Passing through some woods I noticed an impressive old beech tree. The path continued along a quiet country lane.

After walking through the village of Brownbread Street, I shortly faced a rather steep climb (though all of a couple hundred feet elevation gain!) up Tent Hill. The vistas were impressive, at least for 1066 country, but rain clouds soon appeared from the west.

Much of the next couple of hours was spent in intermittent rain storms, and I arrived at the Abbey Hotel in Battle completely drenched. A hot shower and good meal soon revived me for the next day: Battle to Rye.

The light wasn’t good the next morning as I walked through the town, but with over 14 miles to cover, I chose to leave a visit to the abbey and battlefield for when I returned on the Bexhill connector path in a couple of days. (In April I had done the Hastings connector as part of a circular walk, and saw no point in repeating that section).

The weather on the second day proved spectacular for October, with lots of sun, little wind and temperatures near 60F.

After passing through a portion of the town of Icklesham, the path next approached the Ancient Town of Winchelsea. (The two Ancient Towns, Rye and Winchelsea, were major commercial centers in the late middle ages, second only to the Cinque Ports in importance along the Sussex and Kent coasts).

Winchelsea proved to be a very attractive town, and I would like to return to explore it more some time. Another hour then brought me to Rye, which I had visited last year, so after the long day decided that photos of this very interesting town could wait for another time. I simply caught the train for a 19 minute ride back to Hastings.

Thursday turned out to be gusty and rainy, so I waited until Friday to complete the Bexhill to Battle connector trail. This time the train journey from Hastings was only 10 minutes, followed by a 20 minute walk to get from the station to the start of the trail at the edge of town. By 8 AM I was walking along the fields and woods outside of Bexhill.

The 7 mile connector path walk from Bexhill was over before I knew it. I had pre-booked a visit to Battle Abbey (necessary in these times of covid), where I wandered around the grounds for a while before walking to Battle Station for my train trip back to Hastings (another 20 minute journey).

Next up on my long distance walking schedule is the Saxon Shore Way. The way-marked trail is over 160 miles, extending from outside my door in Hastings all the way to Gravesend along the Thames River in Kent. How much I actually complete will remain to be seen in my next blog post. Until then, appreciate nature wherever you happen to be.

The Vagabond Hiker