29 June 2021

Jack&Jill/ Ditchling Beacon circuit, South Downs

The weather had been changeable for several days, and although it was not forecast to be any different we set off for the car park under Jack & Jill - two windmills on the south downs above Brighton.

 The views looking north to hassocks and Hurstpierpoint/ Burgess Hill.

The route set off towards the south downs way up a paved track, and then for a short while followed it back towards the dip and the A23 - with Newtimber hill on the other side (hiding Devil's dyke)
The SDW led down to New Barn Farm before we left it and continued through a traversing around Pyecombe golf course 
The recent rain now started to have an effect as the path deteriorated in places with huge puddles, but soon we were climbing up the other side to the next rise. now the difficulty was getting wet by brushing past all the heavily laden grass stems on each side of the path.
The top of the rise was between two fields one of barley and the other of wheat, before the path jagged left and then down the hedge line - in another perilous water trap from the close bushes.
continuing along the hedge line until we met the Sussex border path at a cross roads of paths.
We took a diversion here to follow the border path south along the top of the ridge line, first to a copse of trees and then along side a bean field.
First glimpses of the reason for the diversion came beyond the appropriate poppies in the bean field. The Chattri Indian war memorial, sitting peacefully in the rolling hillside in tribute to the First world war dead from the sub-continent. 

Turning to go back to the cross roads, in the distance the two windmills. the occasional showers now started, but not enough to be wetter than the fall out from the long grass earlier.
Back at the crossroads we continued on the original path dropping down a farm track to the collection of buildings at Lower Standean.
Things went a little awry here as I searched for the bridle path that was overgrown and disused in preference to a farm track that skirted the buildings to the left. 
However after barging through some brush and climbing a fence we met up with the track again.
The track headed off into a long pasture valley full of sheep (and a gourmet's delight of poo for Bertie). North Bottom as it was called followed around the bottom of the valley before cutting up tot eh skyline south of the beacon. A bit of a slog through the field with a steepish rise at the end.
Having climbed the steeper section it did not seem as bad when looking down into the pasture. 
Time for a refreshment pause before continuing up the track.
A succour for punishment, but also to take in the trig point on the beacon, I took a diversion from the main track to go through the barley field heading for the Ditchling Beacon top.
The path soon disappeared into the barley and we ended up getting very wet legs from the water held in the stalks as we brushed past.
Heading up to the mound and the SDW running across the tops.
the view north from the trig point.
Looking East towards Blackcap, and West back to the windmills (hidden behind the trees).
The SDW follows along the ridgeline with only slight undulations. The excitement for Bertie were the numerous Dew ponds along the way, where he had to drop into each one.
Meeting the Sussex Border path again as it cut over the ridge (with a new signpost) meant it was all down hill from here, back top the windmills.
The path also changed with more gravel and a defined surface.
The windmills showing up over the hedges as we drew near.
Just to finish off with a diversion around the other (north) side of the windmills and a view to a further windmill outside Burgess hill in the distance.
Back in the van and lunch with a view over the weald below and Jill behind before heading home.


22 June 2021

Queen Elizabeth Park and Butser Hill Circuits, South Downs

The heat of the previous weeks had passed, the the recent week being one of rain and a chill wind. Today was meant to be "improving" however when we parked the van in the small car park on the south downs way just up the hill from Buriton - we had seen it when we completed the section up to this point.

We had planned a figure of eight circuit through the QE park and up Butser hill on the other side of the A3, then back

The SDW continued from the end of the car park in a gentle rise and curve into the trees ahead.
The track turned sharply left and continued to climb.
A strange sculpture to the side of the track gave reference to the "shipwrights way" and Hampshire sheep - presumably taking wool to the docks.
Down in the bottom of the valley you could just pick out the route we would use to return to the van.
There was a convenient trail up to the right climbing in the right direction into the beech woods, to cut the switch back of our original plan. This turned out to be a mountain bike track, but with no one around was safe to go up.
the first track we came to was not the right one for us and we crossed over to continue up the bike track - there is a little sign in the bushes to indicate its use, and direction of travel .... there was a much bigger one at the end where we came out onto the "correct" track for the walk higher up.
Now on the forest track ...  more like a dirt road - cutting through the beech woods in a very gradual ascent. the track curved around 180 degrees to reach the summit of this bump.
There was a large clearing with a few scattered picnic tables, but the views over to Butser hill had been overgrown.
Staying on the track as it gently descended to the main car parks for the country park we could not see much to either side of the track, except where clearings had been created for large picnic areas.
Coming to the top car park, also brought within a lot of infrastructure - as well as the parking areas there was also a facilities block, a huge bar-b-q shed, an assault course, as well as outdoor exercise equipment scattered all around.
Out of the side of the parking area the track (following purple boot marks) continued down hill through the beech woods. Gently at first before becoming steeper and cutting around to above the main entrance parking area and shop.
The final section was a series of switchbacks down to the road and the facilities. Looking at the parking charges, I was glad we had found the "alternative" parking spot, especially as we were not making much use of all the infrastructure, and just passing through!
We had to cross over the dual carriageway of the A3 here via an underpass, then up the other side into a much less well facilitated parking area on a slight lip before crossing over to the Butser reserve.

The panorama opened out in front of us, and we could see the masts ahead and the main tracks up and down (there were two obvious grassy ridges coming forward from the skyline above).
We would go up the left hand one
The track rose directly up fairly steeply until it reared up and got quite steep at one point, then through a gate it settled down again - not sure about riding up it though.
The top was fairly rounded as we came up towards it. Good views down to the road and the traffic flowing through the gap below.
The roof of the round house (the facilities for the car park showed above the skyline, and we headed over for a quick drink in the lea of it sheltering from the wind.
the radio mast is slightly separate from the trig point on the top.


The views from the top were not quite as far reaching as I expected ..  it could be because of the low cloud making things less visible, but also the top being so rounded did not make it a great vantage point.
looking along the south downs to the east ... and the ridge line we had previously walked along
Looking to the coast and somewhere between Chichester and Portsmouth,
Setting off back down hill it was just a track over the skyline, before the actual view down into the valley came later on.
We followed the ridge down to above the cutting for the road and then cut back to the right to re-join the path we had taken going up.
Along the path in the bottom of the valley and back through the car park to go once more under the dual carriage way and come out in the visitors centre.
into the beech woods just above the visitor's centre - the exact route of the SDW here is a bit disguised by all the other tracks and routes around, as well as having been altered slightly to accommodate all the other users like horses and bikes.
Roughly on track, following a path in the general direction we cut above the picnic area and a pond, until we met the park road, where there was a clear sign for our route, up a gravel road.
This gravel road soon mutated into a forest track and back into the beech woods where the fallen branches had been collected into a number of "dens"
Completely enclosed by the trees there was not much to see as we climbed gently upwards through the woods in a relatively straight direction.
We only realised we had reached the top of this knobble when the path tilted downwards again, followed by a meeting with a gravel trackway - this was the same track we had started on before we had climbed up the cycle track.
Taking a more direct route down and across some fields, seemed simple until we met the cows ..  luckily there was only one curious one and we soon bypassed them.
Back to the van for lunch and a return home.