Sussex
Scrapbook ~ Wildlife walks throughout the year
Saturday 27th August 2011
Alfriston - Litlington - Jevington - Beachy Head - Exceat - Alfriston.
The best part of 19 miles
This walk, although covering an area of gobsmacking outstanding beauty (GOB - a new acronym I've just invented to go along with AONB and SSSI), was planned solely as an exercise in stamina, against the clock, with hardly any stops and a racing pace. Well, that's what I intended but Gill had other ideas, so we didn't really pick up the pace until after we'd got past Jevington church. After that we got up to full steam but by then so had the wind and we had to fight against it all the way along the cliffs from Beachy Head. That gave us the real workout we were after and by the time we got to Cuckmere Haven we were revved up and ready to take on anything. The sun set as we walked along the river and it was pitch dark by the time we got to Litlington which slowed us down again and meant we stepped in far more cow pats than we would normally have done!
Alfriston church seen from the wheat fields beyond.
Lullington Heath Nature Reserve
Perennial Sweet Pea.
My 'Sweet-Pea' surveys the White Horse of Litlington (the white speck on the top of the
downs).
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Jevington church peeping out from amongst
the trees.
An indication of the wind speed at Beachy Head.
We don't know why but the cliffs were almost deserted today. That suited us just
fine!
With the perfect growing-weather we've had the Downs are looking much more
verdant and lush than they normally would at this time of year.
A
Bloody-Nosed Beetle, with a bloody nose!
Birling Gap and a small amount of respite from the wind.
The old, squeaky gate just after Birling Gap doesn't squeak anymore: it's been
fixed...
... by turning it upside-down!
There's lateral thinking for you.
Golden hour on the Seven Sisters. It looks so calm but the wind was crazy.
Even this heavily trod section has benefited from the rain and sunshine and has
regained a lot more greenness.
Cuckmere Haven.
Devil's Coach-Horse Beetle
(Staphylinus olens) rearing up at the lens,
Cuckmere and the sun is down but we still
had five miles left to do. A night-vision testing exercise.
Take the time to read
the
countryside code for yourself and please stick to it at all times.