Last month I walked 53 miles of the Saxon Shore Way (SSW) from Hastings to Dover. I completed this section in four days, spread over a span of one week to avoid the worst weather. My original plan was to continue farther on the 160 mile SSW to either Sandwich or Herne Bay, but due to increasingly poor weather I terminated my walk in Dover.

To the modern walker this portion of the Saxon Shore Way appears a bit of a misnomer. For much of the walk from Hastings to Dover the path is inland; often the English Channel is not even visible. Following the coast as it existed in Saxon times, i.e. before Duke William came ashore in 1066, the Saxon Shore Way gives one an idea of the changing landscape over the past centuries.

Day 1: Hastings to Rye, 12.5 miles

More precisely, I started by walking out my door in Rocklands and finished by walking the 1.5 miles from Hastings train station back home. In between I tried to capture some of the beautifully diverse scenery.

Day 2: Rye to Ham Street, 12.5 miles

On Day 2 I resumed my walk by driving to Rye, where I left my car. At the end, I took the train back from the village of Ham Street to retrieve my car.

Day 3: Ham Street to Etchinghill, 15.5 miles

After a three day hiatus, I resumed the Saxon Shore Way, driving to Rye and continuing by train to the village of Ham Street where I had left off.

After the walk up Tolsford Hill, the final climb this day, I was a half hour from Etchinghill. Rather than return to Hastings, I chose to stay there to save the hassle of catching a bus to then get a train back to my car in Rye and then having to repeat the process the next day. I enjoyed a good meal at The Gatekeeper pub and a restful sleep before continuing on to Dover the following morning.

Day 4: Etchinghill to Dover, 12.5 miles

The train from Dover back to Rye was far longer than my quick train journeys of 10-25 minutes up to this point, as it required a change at Ashford. Even so, I reached Rocklands by late afternoon, completing this portion of the Saxon Shore Way.

On the last day of October, I was scheduled to fly to Lanzarote, where my plan was to spend the winter walking in the warm sun and swimming in the ocean. Alas, British Airways would not let me board the plane as Spain had closed its borders to ALL US citizens – irrespective of their point of departure – the previous day! After about 45 minutes of discussion with the counter agent, I caught the next flight to Gibraltar, where I managed to find a condo available for two weeks. So here I am, enjoying the not-so-warm sun and swimming in the condo’s lap pool.

So where to from here? The options are extremely short as the world is closing down once more. England is in lock-down until at least early December. In any case the weather in winter is incompatible with my lifestyle. Stay tuned.

In a week or so I will post a short blog from Gibraltar focusing on the climb up the Mediterranean Steps to the top of the rock. Until then, enjoy nature as much as you can,

The Vagabond Hiker

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