Sussex Ouse Valley Way Day 2

We got up in the morning to a cooked breakfast, which quite frankly was not the best I've seen, although the sausages were the bollox (Kaz wasn't impressed, being a veggie an' all). We said goodbye to Heidi, bought some lunch for eating on route and headed out. The sun was already out by 9.30 and it proved to be a very hot day. The path headed south east towards Scaynes Hill and entered Henfield Woods.


Before we got to the Sloop pub we managed to go off in the wrong direction. We managed to realise our error shortly and after much head scratching, chin rubbing and sucking of teeth managed to get back onto the route. It was probably the only time on the walk that the signposting let us down. Ironically the book instructions were the same for the point we found ourselves in, although they refered to Wapsbourne Woods- not the woods we were in. We walked pretty fast to make up time, because we had to cover about 17 or 18 miles to get to the Chalk Pit Inn above Lewes by the end of the day. As we climbed through Wapsbourne Woods we reached the crest and hidden maybe 50 yards back from the path were a number of Roe Deer, watching us intently with big, round eyes.

Soon we had arrived at Sheffield Park station heading towards Rotherfield Woods and Fletching Common. It was slightly after midday when we reached Newick. The village has three pubs and somehow I think we managed to chose the most overpriced. Dad was outraged and spent the rest of the day in shell shock that two pints of lemonade and two pints of beer were £13! We sat and soaked up the sun for an hour and then we pressed onto the next stage of the path.

This took us out of Newick on a road as far as Founthill, where we finally got off the road and headed across country once more. Soon we were walking along the Ouse until we got to a point where we could hear the roaring of water. This was the weir above Isfield. WE sat a while, eating our lunch and watching the grey wagtails play in the dappled light. We continued to walk along river, passing the reconstruction work on the Isfield lock- a reminder of the industrial past of parts of Sussex, reclaimed by nature, so that the casual passerby would not even imagine that here once had been a busy paper mill.

Soon we entered familiar territory - the paths around Isfield that Kaz and I have walked a couple of times- it was here I picked my sloes last year for my first batch of sloe gin. As we walked along the river I bumped into Cyril Bourke, the permanent officer of the Student Union at Brighton Poly. Having said "Hi" we continued until we reached the "Anchor" and retopped the alcoholic contents of our bodies. Again we headed out onto the path, reluctantly leaving this haven of peace behind. The path continued to follow the Ouse until we reached Barcombe Mills. More weirs and rushing water and an old toll booth with charges attached.

The path now headed inland across farmers fields until we reached Hamsey and here we left the path to climb the hill up to Offham, turning onto the A275 and finding ourselves outside the Chalk Pit Inn. This was our B&B for the night. The Inn used to be the offices of the old chalk pit here, and Kaz and I have stayed here previously. Again Heidi joined us and after sinking another well earned pint we went to freshen up. We ate in the restaurant that night. John and I had home made steak and kidney pudding- delicious! Latter we went to the bar and drank so more pop. Dad was on good form that night and hit it off with the young landlord. When Dad went to bed, the landlord said he wished he had a dads like that. I offered to sell him mine...

Finally, I guess about midnight we went off to bed, as we could afford a latter start on the third day, given we only had about 10 1/2 miles to do.