Walk 41. Southwick to Worthing

 Last time I finished at the far end of a two mile long spit of land, surrounded by the industrial wasteland of Shoreham Harbour. Happily, you don’t have to go all the way back to get off! 

I head down here…

…where there is a public footpath across the lock gates!

The path comes out onto a main road that is lined with more industrial units.

After ten minutes I come across a small beach with a view of the harbour entrance. To get from one side of this small gap to the other entails a walk of more than three miles…

Also here is an old lighthouse that seems to be still in use guiding ships into the harbour.

I continue up this road, past scrap metal yards, aggregate yards, diy shops, tyre fitters, and then blocks of flats for another twenty five minutes until finally I reach the footbridge across the river Adur.

On the other side of the river I turn left, back eastwards, to get back to the river mouth. The path follows a residential street for nearly a mile, all the way to Shoreham Fort.

Shoreham Fort is a Victorian defensive structure built to defend the mouth of the river. It seems to be barriered off at the moment, although there is an organisation called the Friends Of Shoreham Fort who are hoping to restore it.

Turning westwards once more, there is an expanse of pebble beach disappearing into the distance. Fortunately for my legs, a boardwalk has been built down the beach!

I stroll along admiring the rather nice beachfront properties I’m passing…

The boardwalk stretches for over a mile. I walk for a short distance over the pebbles, then there is a prom to walk on. 

To the landward is a long thin lake - the Widewater Lagoon Nature Reserve…

Continuing along the prom, I head into Lancing. The town has a nice expanse of green behind the beach…

Lancing is not a big place and I’m soon heading out again! The road to Worthing pier (it’s the book that Orwell should have written…) runs alongside the beach. I could walk on the pebbles, but wimp out and take the footpath…

The last mile and a half is a pleasant stroll along this road, through Worthing to the pier. Worthing seems a nice place, even out of season. The seafront is well kept with plenty of people about, but without the slightly over-the-top trendiness of Brighton! 

So I reach Worthing Pier, my finish point today.

Walk 40. Peacehaven to Southwick

Today I’m back on the cliff top at Peacehaven where there is a great view of a calm and bright sea!

First, I go down these steps…

The view from the bottom - I’m glad I’m not going up…!

Down here is a nice wide concrete prom that carries on for quite a way.

After about twenty minutes I head back up to the top of the cliff via this path…

At the top is the Greenwich Meridian monument. This sits on the Greenwich Meridian, the Zero line of longitude. All my walks so far, from way back at Dartford to here, have been in the Eastern Hemisphere. I have now officially crossed into the Western Hemisphere. I know…big moment, right?!

Peacehaven is a bit odd. It sits on top of the cliff and residential roads end very close to the edge. These houses have amazing views but you do have to wonder if they are able to get buildings insurance!

I continue out of Peacehaven…

…and on into Saltdean.

In Saltdean I drop down to sea level again as there is an uninterrupted concrete prom all the way to Brighton.

A few miles offshore I can see the Rampion Windfarm. You can just see the turbines in this dodgy photo…

A few minutes later I’m passing through Rottingdean.

The Brighton i360 can be seen sticking up in the distance, over four miles away.

Half an hour later I reach Brighton Marina which sits at the eastern end of the city. It’s not just for boats - there are shops and bars and pricey-looking housing as well!

Brighton is a surprisingly big place. The pier is a mile and a half away from the marina, for example! The sea front is wide and full of attractions. From the Victorian miniature railway to the modern zip wire, there is cool stuff everywhere including more beach bars and cafes than you can shake a stick at!

Past the pier I continue along to the i360, built a few years ago on the site of the old West Pier. This Victorian-era pier closed in 1975 and has since gradually fallen apart, helped by winter storms and occasional fires!

The i360 is a big glass observation ‘doughnut’ that you can take a ride on to the top of the tower. Seems to be closed today, though.

There are yet more cafes and bars and stuff here…

Shortly after this I pass into Hove. I’m not sure where Brighton ends and Hove begins as there are no signs, they just sort of flow into each other. It’s been getting increasingly cloudy after this morning’s sunshine, and now the clouds are getting darker and threatening rain.

When the rain arrives it brings some hail along with it. I didn’t expect that! (Older readers can insert their own Spanish Inquisition jokes here!)

Fortunately the rain doesn’t last long, just enough to get you wet! The sun comes out as I reach Hove Lagoon at the western end of the town.

From here the path passes through Portslade to Southwick along a spit of land that seems to be entirely industrial. To the landward side is a body of water that houses Shoreham Harbour.

Half an hour or so later I arrive at the end of the spit of land where there is a breakwater and a couple of wind turbines.

So where do you go from here, do I hear you ask? How do I get across the harbour without retracing my steps? All will be revealed next time! (Ending with a cliffhanger, just like Eastenders innit…)

Walk 39. The Cuckmere River to Peacehaven

 I begin today on the Exceat Bridge over the Cuckmere and set off through the pub car park.

At the far end is a gate to the public footpath down the western bank of the river…

The path is nearly a mile and is a bit muddy in places, but has some fine views across the Cuckmere.

I soon reach the beach to find the Seven Sisters partially draped in sea mist…

I turn right and head up Seaford Head - a gentle climb compared to the Seven Sisters last walk!

Part way up I look back the way I’ve come for the famous view of Cuckmere Haven with the old coastguard cottages in the foreground, as seen in many a TV show…

A few minutes away is Hope Gap. There are stairs down to the beach here but they are closed due to erosion.

Shortly after Hope Gap it begins to get misty. 

It remains misty the rest of the way across the cliff. I can’t see much, not even the sea! I have no sense of how far I have come or how far Seaford (the next town) is because of the lack of visibility. It’s a bit weird! Suddenly I see buildings ahead and Seaford prom. I’m a lot lower than I thought! Mist is strange stuff.

The mist is a lot thinner along Seaford prom…

This sea front is about a mile and a half long, but the odd thing is that there is a complete lack of seasidey stuff! No amusement arcades, bucket’n’spade shops, etc. A couple of ice cream kiosks and that’s your lot.

The only ‘attraction’ seems to be a Martello Tower that has been turned into a museum…

Past Seaford the prom finishes and the pebbles begin. The path follows the route of an old railway line that once ran to the village of Tide Mills. Like the railway, the village no longer exists. The village relied on the River Ouse, and when the river changed course the village died. Today there are a few remains of buildings and some notice boards about the area…

I’ve now reached the mouth of the River Ouse. This river is definitely not fordable, being deep enough for the Newhaven to Dieppe ferries!

The river bank is occupied by the port facilities and various industrial units, so the footpath has to skirt all this to reach the first bridge about three-quarters of a mile up river.

The path leaves the beach beside this fence…

Goes under this road bridge…

Crosses Mill Creek…

Then crosses the railway (ohhh look, a train!)…

And finally emerges into an industrial estate…

About ten minutes later I’m crossing the bridge in the middle of Newhaven…

The path back down the other bank is mainly through residential streets. At the river mouth on this side is a car park and some security fencing…

On top of the cliff is Fort Newhaven, which looks worth a visit. The path skirts the fort and then follows the cliff top all the way to Peacehaven, a couple of miles away. All I have to do is find out how to get up there!

It turns out that I have to retrace my steps and go back up the road a bit. The footpath leads off up the hill around the back of the fort.

On the cliff just past the fort is a coastguard lookout station and the concrete remains of some 20th Century coastal defence gun emplacements.

As I continue along the cliff the fog returns. Also, this path gets very close to the cliff edge in places, with detours to avoid gaps where the path has fallen away! It all feels a bit sketchy!

After half an hour of not falling off a cliff, Peacehaven comes into view…

…and I arrive at my finish point for today, these steps down to the undercliff prom.