Reporting from the Downs Again- Day 4 | SDW

Day 4 - Home Hike & Hasty Hare

Sometimes in our life, we end up doing things quite casually. They are often without any set intention and quite uneventful. These might be very short lived and might be very simple stuff lacking any grandeur. Like for example, the morning tea with the family or Sunday lunches or the friendly nod to a fellow jogger. And yet they turn out to be most special. For me, the hike from Hassocks to Lewes along the South Downs Way is one such special walk that I will treasure forever.

Just past the Wolstonbury Hill

Why? Is it because it is so beautiful? Yes. Is it because it is one of my most frequented hikes when I lived there? Perhaps. Is it because it gave me my immense love for freedom and hiking? Maybe! Whatever it is or it was, I was back once again in what I call my ‘Home Route’.

The start of the South Downs Walk

From Burgess Hill to Lewes, it is approx. 12 miles along the beautiful Downs Way, trailing along the hilly roads, amidst widespread green meadows carpeted with wild flowers, lovely windmills, beautiful valleys and what more do you want!

I got off at Hassocks station and by old habit, I skipped down the steps but this wasn’t my familiar Hassocks! Has it changed so drastically then! My friend had a good bout of laughter as I realised I was standing on the opposite platform!

View from top of the Clayton. Check out the cloud!

We started the walk. My feet had an extra bounce when the narrow path from the Hassocks station opened up to the field right in front of the Clayton windmills. I trotted my way up to the Wolstonbury hill past the Danny house and the horse grazing field. The horses did not graze anymore in this field and it was turned into a vineyard! Apparently, many areas in Sussex are now growing grapes, getting more into the wine making business. Probably, the rising temperature in the countryside is now favouring this production. Finally, a good byproduct of global warming!

Danny house ; on the way up to the Wolstonbury Hill

We met the old wolf still pouncing at its prey (i.e. a tree bent by the force of the wind in its strange wolf looking shape) and were also greeted by a herd of cows at one of the kissing gates along the ridge down to the Claytons. We crossed the road here and climbed up to the Clayton windmills. The Jill of the Jack and Jill windmills were open for tourists. But I am not a tourist, I am a local! So, I denied the invite and sat outside facing the valley. And then what followed was a deep analysis on British crows! 

Can you spot the wolf?

There are the pitch black ones which are called the Carrion crows, then there are the smaller variety of greyish colour with pale eyes and a small patch of black on the top of their heads which are called the Jackdaws; and then the most gorgeous shiny black ones of slightly bigger size and a sharp wooden looking bill called the Rooks. I decided that the last kind was my favourite!

Jill Mill

We continued our walk along the downs, passed by the thick gorse bushes, spotted the Brighton eye which still looked like a donut going up and down a long pole, crossed the little pond where the same two tiny trees had been slanting (due to the wind) in the same angle for years now and arrived at the Ditchling beacon.

View of Ditchling beacon from the other side

The top of the Ditchling beacon had more than its usual hustle and bustle. It was the London to Brighton bike racing day. Lots of riders came up to the top and enjoyed an ice cream or a snack. We watched them for a bit and treated ourselves to our homemade sandwiches. Still a few more kilometres to go till we reached our destination.

London to Brighton bike race!

The walk continued. The white sheep with black socks kept grazing the field in the distance. The sea kept appearing in the view, lining up the far horizon. The singing starlings kept company. The daisies kept dancing and the poppies kept popping up here and there. It was getting quite meditative.

And then suddenly a hare jumped out of nowhere right in front of us! A big brown hare with long ears sticking up in a high alert mode, leaped up and down as it sped it way down the path and vanished into the field ! All of this happened just in a rush within a few minutes ! I have never seen a hare before and that too in the wild. I giggled in excitement as the hare faded away into the green horizon. Few fleeting moments of sheer joy!

Just another classic Downs pic!

We were still in a haze of wonder when a mad cyclist whooshed past us, his bike almost jumping a few inches above the ground as it speeded down the trail. The walk on the ‘Home Route’ continued further up along the Black Cap to the Lewes racecourse from where it dropped down to the Lewes prison and finally into the town.

I have done this hike so many times that every plant, every bush, every water pod seemed to say they missed me terribly, just as I missed them. Nostalgia is indeed a funny thing. It makes you so happy and sad all at the same time!

My fav dew pond!

A ‘home hike’ deserves a ‘home meal’. And by home, I mean peace and comfort. And what is more comfortable than a home cooked hearty meal? So, there you go. I had a lavish amount of peas-rice and pepper chicken (all spices sautéed in advance - very important) and then hit the bed with beautiful memories of past and present playing a beautiful harmony.