We've done it! Mission accomplished.

Andrew, Honor and I set out for our final stretch of the South Downs Way from Lidlington. A few miles in we took a wrong turn - these steps are the right way!

Honor feels sure of top marks when she shows these photographs of meanders, ox bow lakes in the making and meanders to her geography teacher.

Refuelled with a bacon butty we embarked on the infamous seven sisters.

The last few miles were so painful for H in my too small shoes,  that she took them off but largely kept a smile on her face ....

Always smiling ... always looking after his girls ...

We finally made it to our meeting point with Granny P - The Beachy Head Hotel.

We went on to have lunch at The Tiger Inn in East Dean.  Followed by Granny P's delicious celebration chocolate cake back at Killyon Road. 

It's been a great journey to make this year.  As well as wanting to set ourselves a challenge for 2011, we also wanted to raise some money for a fantastic charity that we support called the Place2Be. They are a very special charity who give children a safe place where they can go inside school to try and help sort out their problems.   If you've enjoyed reading our blog, please do make a donation:  

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ClareandHonorCrean

The penultimate push

Back to the three of us walking on another BEAUTIFUL day. We started over the other side of the river Ouse from Rodmell at Southease Station off the A26.  Here is Andrew and Honor walking up the first hill to get onto the Downs.

We stopped at the highest trig point along this stretch to have bacon butties at around noon to keep us going.  Then we walked down into Alfriston .. which is actually the final point of the South Downs if you walk the full loop around via Eastbourne.

Alfriston looked very pretty in the sunshine as we walked down the Cuckmere Valley towards Litlington.

Half a mile on we got to the pub in Litlington, Farrow and Plough, where we met Granny P for lunch.  Delicious.

Thank goodness for Tom ...

Cousin Tom came too on this walk, and when Andrew had a mishap with the map reading and took us a good few miles out of our way, his good humour saved the day.

Here we are at the start setting out from Plumpton.

Another beautiful day - we have been SO lucky with the weather.

Stopping off for a break and some hay bale climbing.

Then things started to go badly wrong with the map reading!

We finally got to Rodmell at around 4pm.  Exhausted!  Good lunch at The Abergavenny Arms.  Then some slumbering as I drove home.  We must have walked around 12 or 13 miles.

Bramber to Plumpton

Phew .. I'm sitting on the sofa poised to watch Downton .. and feeling very tired and my feet are very sore. We walked 11 miles +.

WELL DONE HONOR FOR SEEING IT THROUGH.  It was lovely to have Larisa walking with us for the first time.

It was beautiful weather despite heavy rain earlier.  We were all far too hot in boots and jeans.  And there was alot of up and down.

With 2 miles to go, we were all feeling very weary.

This is the first signpost we've seen for a while with Winchester signed west and Eastbourne signed right.

Finally we branched off to the left and hobbled our way down to the Half Moon pub in Plumpton.  Bangers and mash for H, L and A, duck for me.  Delicious.  Then I drove us all back to London.

Saturday 24th September 2011

Honor and I set off from Washington a bit later than planned ... heading for Fulking.  These photographs are taken close to Chanctonbury Ring.


Local legend has it that Chanctonbury Ring was created by the Devil and that he can be summoned by running around the clump of trees seven times anti-clockwise. When he appears he will offer you a bowl of soup in exchange for your soul. The Ring is also rumoured to increase fertility in women who sleep underneath the trees for one night.

We found some gigantic mushrooms.

Honor wasn't feeling full of beans and kept wanting to lie down!

So we didn't quite make it to Fulking ... but walked up the River Adur to Bramber in search of lunch.  Sadly it was only a bag of crisps and a drink, followed up by cakes from the bakery in Steyning.

For the first time we took a bus back to the car.  Then drove on to see Granny P at Ilex Farm.

On to Washington

Saturday 2nd July

We set off again from Littleton Farm on the A285 and walked around 8 or 9 miles east to a village called Washington.

We walked through some beautiful countryside including lovely views of Amberly Castle which has been turned into a 5* hotel - so not possible to go and have a look unless you stay.

And we could also look down over the Parham Estate to our left.

We don't recommend lunch at The Frankland Arms in Washington ... very average!

Nearly Half Way

We always seem to be 'walking backwards' .. by that I mean starting ahead of where we got to last time and walking back to where we last finished up.  This has often been because we've discovered a pub so good, we want to go and have lunch there again.

No different to this time; we parked up at Littleton Farm (just off the A285 which runs south of Petworth) and started walking east .. urged on by huge quantities of runners.  We hadn't realised that it was the South Downs Marathon that day.    So the first few miles were busy, what with cyclists and other runners and walkers coming in the other direction.

Look at that view.

We walked non stop for over 6 miles, before we finally stopped for chocolate biscuits just south of Cocking.  Here is Honor with her Dad starting off again up to the top of Didling Hill.

Along the next stretch we found the most gigantic daisies and dandelions.  The dandelions were so well structured that they were impossible to blow away.

By 1.30pm we were coming up to final 10 mile mark at Treyford Hill where we branched off right from the South Downs Way and walked down to the village of Treyford where we'd parked a second car.  After a 5 minute drive, we were back at the Elsted Inn for another delicious lunch.

We'll be starting our next walk close by to Amberley Castle next time which puts us pretty much half way along the South Downs way.  Half way through the year, half way through the walk.  

First stretch in Spring

We headed down to stay with our friends the Meyricks who live just off the South Downs Way near Pulborough for the weekend.

It was a beautiful Spring day as we set off to do a 5 mile stretch starting from a point almost directly south from where they live off the A29 below Bury Hill.   The main party walking - Honor with Amanda, Max and Lando behind - and Charlie running out and back, 10 miles, kindly bringing the car around to pick us all up at the end.  A quick trot around the block compared to the London Marathon where he's aiming to complete it in 2:40 this year!

Monty behaved very badly constantly running off and not coming when called.  This was his finest moment, sitting for just a fraction longer than the immaculately behaved Florence.

We stopped for Jelly Babies after we got up Bignor Hill.

"OMG a girl has just put her arm round me!"

At Littleton Farm (which provides their milk to M&S so it says on a sign) we braced ourselves for the final climb up to "Stickingspit Bottom" - great name.  Amanda glowing just a little ...

Then we headed back for large bowls of Spag Bog kindly cooked up by Amanda.  Next time .. we'll be plugging the gap we left between where we left off just south of Elsted.

A very wet and muddy 9 miles

After a wonderful cook up by Honor's Dad - eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, fried bread ... the fully monty - we set off down the A3 in convoy with the Hatfields to do another stretch of the South Downs Way.

We wiggled our way off the A3 after Hindhead to the Butser Hill car park.  After the shock of paying for the car park, we had the nicer shock of the fantastic view right out until the sea

And so we set off in brilliant sunshine: Honor, Andrew, me, Charlotte, Holly and Lara.

Shortly after setting off you walk under the A3, and into Queen Elizabeth Country Park where the clouds started to gather and the rain came in.  Lara and Holly were like a couple of skaters, with plenty of muddy mishaps, in their trainers.  And by the end of the walk only a couple of us had managed to remain upright!  Here we are at South Harting - very wet and getting hungry.

The final member of the party, Caroline, joined us having walked out from Elsted where we were due to have lunch at 2pm ... it was 2pm and quite a way to go.  Finally, wet and bedraggled but on the dot of 3pm (when orders finished) we arrived at the Three Horseshoes Inn .. only to find it wasn't the pub I'd booked and their last orders finished at 2pm!  The woman behind the bar was unmoved by Honor quite understandably having a tearful moment.  We'd been walking for four hours.

Caroline to the rescue - she powered back to where she'd parked her car and ferried very tired and end of tether troops onto the fabulous Eldred Inn who very kindly kept their kitchen open.  We cannot recommend this pub more highly: wonderfully kind staff who despite soaking wet muddy children and a dog welcomed us warmly, helped dry our clothes by the log fires and fed us with utterly delicious food.

I can't for the life of me find their website .. they need to do some SEO!  But the number is 01730 813 662.  And you can email Steve to make a reservation steve@theelstedinn.com.


Another great part of our journey, shared with friends, to make it 28 miles down, and 72 to go!

Another 8 miles completed ..

We decided that the food was so good at The Shoe Inn (Exton), that we'd walk back from a point on the SDW near East Meon to the Shoe for our second stretch i.e. going in the 'wrong direction'.   The first picture is of Andrew, Honor and Monty setting off from Coombe Cross looking cold ... and a bit reluctant.  
Almost immediately we passed Meon Springs where there are several pools where you can do fly fishing.
Then we started to climb Winchester Hill.  Beautiful views in all directions as the next few photos show. Apparently you can see as far as the Isle of Wight on a clear day.  Up at the very top was an Iron Age hill fort site. 
The next picture is of the view coming down the other side towards Exton.  On the left of the picture you can see that they are growing vines on the land here.

Then after a couple more miles we arrived back at The Shoe where we tucked in ... leaving the dog outside to whine.  Must call Bark Busters and see what can be done!

Refuelled we were ready to do a few more  miles, so we found a taxi to take us several miles east of East Meon so that we could walk back to the car.  Very excitingly this took us onto the next Ordnance Survey map no 120 "Chichester".    Feeling very chilly, Honor wore my flat cap.

After a round of Yum Yums, mmm, I drove us all back to London in the AudioFuel car while everyone else dozed off satisfied that a total of 20 miles had now been notched up.