This year, I managed to go on quite a few hiking trips from London. The weather was unusually good all summer and into the autumn months. In September, I went on a hike in the South Downs. Not to my beloved Seven Sisters, though! This time, I went to check out a completely different trail, and walked from Southease to Lewes, and explored the town afterwards. Frankly, I hoped for autumnal sights, but the views were still pretty green and summery. Still, I enjoyed the hike – you can’t go wrong with a nature walk in good weather, after all!
Getting to the start of the trail
I took a Southern train from London Victoria to Lewes – journey time was about an hour. At Lewes, I changed to a train towards Seaford, just for a few short stops.
I debated whether to get off at Southease or Newhaven Town, two consecutive stops on that train. I decided to go to Newhaven, in order to make the hike longer. It was a mistake! If you plan to do this hike, get off at Southease.
I researched the route for my hike the day before. This year, during my numerous hikes, there were several occasions when Google tried to make me walk along a busy road without a pavement. Now, I always try to check the route ahead of time, using the street view on Google Maps.
I checked the route between Newhaven and Southease, and it appeared fine. There was a proper pavement on one side of the road. I clicked through most of the route and concluded that it would be fine. well… I should have checked the whole route, not just most of it.
I got off the train at Newhaven and started my walk towards Southease. There were public toilets along the way – always a welcome sight on a hike. I noticed an intriguing pinned location in Google Maps, and went to check it out. It was called a cat wall.
I turned into a smaller side road and immediately saw a huge cat painted on a side of a building. Next to it, on the fence, there were rows of shelves filled with cat figurines. What a sight! I don’t know how the cat wall came to be, but I loved it. I love odd little quirks in small towns.
I returned to the main road to continue my walk. The pavement was fine. A bit narrow and overgrown, but I just made sure to try to walk as far from the road as I could.
I walked for about 40 minutes and had about 10 minutes left to get to Southease… and the pavement suddenly ended. I actually couldn’t believe my eyes. The road ahead had no reasonable space on either side, and the traffic was picking up.
I was annoyed, disappointed, and fully prepared to have to walk all the way back to Newhaven, and then wait for a once-per-hour train, just to ride to Southease, which takes about 5 minutes. That would have added a pretty hefty delay to my hike!
Luckily, I was incredibly fortunate. I turned around, and saw a bus stop. I went to check the timetable, with low expectations – public transport in small English towns isn’t particularly generous. But, a miracle! A bus, one that runs once every 2 hours, was due in a few minutes, and turned up on time. It’s like winning a lottery! I paid £2, and took the bus for just one stop. A few minutes later, I was in Southease, ready to start the main hike.
South Downs trail from Southease
I got off the bus, walked along the road for about 100 metres, and reached the trail into the countryside. The frustration from the earlier troubles slowly disappeared, and I focused on appreciating the surroundings.
I walked past a field with lots of black and white cows, and reached a farm at the end of the gravel path. There, the official South Downs trail started.
The footpath took me to the top of a small field. I noticed that the field next to the farm must have been a maze earlier in the summer. It sounds fun! I might have to check it out next year.
The views from the trail reminded me of the classic Windows desktop wallpaper. Rolling hills reached as far as I could see.
From the highest point of the hill, you can actually see the English Channel, and even the famous Seven Sisters, if you know where to look (just about – they’re far away and it’s not a great angle).
Continuing the hike through the countryside, I followed the South Downs trail for the next 3 or so hours. The countryside views never get old! I could walk like that for hours, every day. I walked through fields with cows and enjoyed the nature. The trail wasn’t too busy, but I wasn’t completely alone.
Just before I reached Lewes, I climbed an official hill along the way, Blackcap – with a National Trust sign and a trig point. It may have been the easiest official hill I’ve ever climbed, but hey – it still counts!
It’s worth noting that there weren’t any facilities along the way.
I brought lunch from home – I made my absolute favourite protein pancakes the night before. They’re a great option for a hike! Delicious when you eat them fresh at home, but for me, they’re even better when enjoyed with a great view.
Eventually, I got to Lewes.
Exploring Lewes
I’ve done the Seven Sisters hike several times, always changing trains in Lewes along the way, but I never had a chance to explore Lewes itself.
Lewes is a charming small English town. Small, but bigger than I expected it to be! I enjoyed exploring the high street, where I found several antique stores. This year, I’ve really enjoyed visiting antique stores, so I was happy to see a few of them next to each other.
There were also a few charity shops, another joy of small English towns.
In Lewes, there are also ruins of a castle – relatively well preserved, compared to some other castle ruins that I’ve seen in the UK. There was a small museum at the castle ticket office too. From the top of Lewes Castle, you get a pretty good panoramic view of the town and the countryside beyond.
I also quickly visited the ruins of Lewes Priory – the information boards had some funny fan facts about the toilets at the priory back in medieval times!
Another successful day trip from London
I visited Lewes Priory around golden hour, and headed pretty much straight to the train station afterwards. It was September, days were getting short.
Despite the frustrating walk from Newhaven to Southease, the day was great overall. I enjoyed the long nature walk followed by a quick browse at antique and charity stores. It’s a perfect combo for me!
I took a direct train from Lewes to London Victoria, and after about an hour, I was back in central London.
All in all, a successful day!
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