Pretty exhausted. Our longest day of walking yet. Also my favourite day on The Way so far.
Was later than intended setting out. Last night’s shepherd hut was far too comfortable to leave! My host very kindly took a look at my pack for me, and did some great repair work to where the straps holding my tent and roll mat were clinging on by their last threads (I blame the extra weight for the camp bed!)
Once we were finally moving we made good progress up to Graffham Down. All along this stretch the Way cuts between areas of beautiful woodland and long meadow grasses. I saw a couple of small deer on the path ahead but Sméagol was too engrossed with his stick to notice.
We emerged from woodland and followed the path’s long, steady decline through open fields. Once down we needed to wait for a window in traffic to cross the busy A285, before a very steep climb back up, through trees at first and then more open fields, to Bignor hill.
The sun finally made an appearance, so once at the top I gave us a 20 min break.
The views we got along this next stretch were some of the most stunning yet. A shame the iPhone camera can’t really do them justice.
To our right opened the vast areas of dark woodland above Arundel. And though I couldn’t see it, I knew the castle lay somewhere just over the tree-covered curve of the hillside. This is where, two years ago, we took a detour down to our accommodation for the night and spent half the afternoon lost in those woods!
Straight ahead now opened up our first real views of the proper rolling downlands to come. To this point The Way has been largely defined by dense woodland. From here on in, we start to get far fewer trees and more of the empty green, wild rolling hillsides the South Downs are famous for.
With the sun came much clearer views and we could now see out over the trees to Bognor on the coast to the south, and beyond, right on the edge of sight, the grey shadow suggestions of container ships at sea.
Then straight ahead the views bounded over the near and further hills, to the barest hint of white on the coast further east. I half fancied these were my first faint glimpses of Eastbourne and the glimmering white, Seven Sisters cliffs above Beachy head. In reality though, this was far more likely to be the white stone architecture along the Worthing and Shoreham waterfronts.
We crested the next set of hills to then began the long gradual approach down into the vale of the river Arun. Then across this and on into the village of Amberley, where we made our camp for the night.
Pretty shattered at the end of a long day. Very glad that day six is to be our rest day!
Some Things Written 