lost twice

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Walking Day 6 Steyning to Pyecombe



This was to be a 9 mile day. A short relaxing day. NOT. We got a ride to the start of the SDW and I was thankful for that because it was quite an uphill. Because Steyning is off track quite a bit and we had walked all the way there they give you a ride to the start. Nice long level walk until we get past the first 2 fields and then it was to be a gentle climb and we walked through a pig farm. Neat way of controlling the pigs but they are certainly in a windy part of the country. Downhill to a river where Ross almost took us the wrong way but I was refusing the uphill. Thank goodness I was right. We took some twists and turns and ended up crossing a highway and then it was serious uphill. We came to the end of a long uphill stretch and then followed the path into the next field instead of taking the tarmac. So we blithely continued uphill about a mile when Ross saw one of the landmarks about a mile away to the north and we should have been right beside it (radio towers). No shortcuts to get back there so we retraced our steps – all 2500 of them. After that, for me, it was a sluggish walk, uphill, rocky and windy and rain-threatening. Some old geezer passed us on his bike and was laughing when we said we were going to Pyecombe – lots of hills ahead he said. He was right and we even added an extra hill at Devil’s Dyke. Good name for it too. It was a toe crunching downhill and then a lung bursting uphill to get out of that wrong turn. Lots of people happily out for their Bank Holiday walk. Again, fantastic wildflowers, amazing views and helpful people (except the girl who unwittingly sent us on a detour via Devil’s Dyke).



A nice ending though because as we were approaching the town of Pyecombe I asked Ross what was the name of the B&B and it was Hobb’s Cottage and we were standing right beside the sign that said Hobb’s Cottage and it was good. 30,040 steps more like 12 miles

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Photos

fu*king hill
It's really called Fulking Hill

notice the bend
the trees are naturally bent over from all the wind - make sone cranky especially if they haven't had any coffee yet and it's 2 pm!

Comments

[Adrienne]

Awesome adventure
You guys rock! Very funny travel stories and great reading. Can't wait til your next adventure tales.