Day 53 – Saturday 19 January 2002 - St Leonards on Sea to Bexhill

4 miles walked today

630 miles walked in total (average 11.88)

I didn’t realise, in all the years I lived at Hastings, that a footpath followed the beach all the way to Bexhill!  It’s been very cold and blustery and the sea’s been very choppy this morning, although the sun’s been very bright.  With perfect timing, however, the sun disappeared as I got to the De La Warr Pavilion for a cup of tea.

I’ve always liked Bexhill – it has a genteel and quiet character that Hastings never had – a bit like Eastbourne, but with fewer people.

In May 1902, Bexhill held the first motor race on British soil and every May Day the people of the town recreate this event along the sea front.  Lord De La Warr (the chap responsible for the Pavilion) built the road going up to Galley Hill – in fact, he even engineered the hill.  This was to help the race competitors get some speed up to complete the “flying kilometre”!

I read the theatre programme while having my pot of tea at the Pavilion and was quite impressed at how much “worthy” stuff they were showing, instead of your normal seaside fare.  I wasn’t too overawed by the art exhibition though – I only saw eight or ten pictures – I’m such a philistine!

I couldn’t sit out on the balcony for long as it was too cold, so I headed inside with all the OAPs having their tea.  As I left the Pavilion to carry on walking, the rain came down.  And, boy, did it come down.  Blinking weather!

Day 52 – Sunday 30 December 2001 - Fairlight Country Park to St Leonards on Sea

5.5 miles walked today

626 miles walked in total (average 12.03)

I didn’t get to walk yesterday, as, when I got up at seven, I discovered a layer of snow over everything outside!  Instead, I had a fairly unsuccessful shopping spree in Worthing.  The snow had cleared up by yesterday afternoon and, when I woke this morning, there’d been no new snowfalls, so I decided to risk it.

I was parked at the Fairlight Country Park at nine thirty and ready to walk.  I was somewhere between excitement at wanting to walk and trepidation about falling – there was still a lot of snow about, but it had turned to ice in places and I’m renowned for having very little balance in dry conditions, never mind glacial ones!  It’s been a very crisp morning and I really enjoyed it as I got my first glimpse of Hastings.

The steps down from the east cliff were quite treacherous so I slowed down somewhat to get down those and then the Tamarisk Steps down to the old net drying sheds.  I had a quick look at the high street in the old town before heading down George Street.  Unlike Rye, Hastings old town seems to be exactly as I remembered it, with the exception of the new Vodka Bar/ Internet Café!

I left George Street with rather more than I’d entered it – two pairs of trousers and a top!  What to do now?  Carry on walking or stop and go shopping instead?  I took the funicular lift inside the west cliff up to the café for a hot chocolate and some decision making.

When I left Hastings six years ago, I didn’t say goodbye to quite a few people, so always thought I’d have to walk through the town in disguise in case I was spotted.  Lots of memories have been awoken today, not all bad.  I know that many people would disagree with me – especially Mum and Dad – but I still think Hastings is a magical place.  It wasn’t always good, but it wasn’t always bad either.  I met some lovely people here and grew up a lot.  It will always be a bit special, even if I never come back again.  (Although I will come back eventually – Sam’s under strict instructions that I want my ashes scattered over Fairlight Country Park!)

I popped into the town to visit the new shopping centre that was being built when I left.  Everyone I knew feared it would be the end of all the other shops in Hastings as everyone would go to the new centre (called “Priory Meadow”) and the existing shops would fall into disuse.  However, I saw less boarded up shopfronts today than I did when I lived there.  It seems to be pretty thriving. 

It was on the pier that I saw the most changes – it’s fantastic.  All new decking and the most amazing shops now – very much like Brighton’s Lanes – with antique shops, perfumery shops, candle makers, jewellers, but none of them tacky – all very upmarket.  It was brilliant – I was really pleased.

From the pier, I walked along to St Leonards on Sea and passed my old flat in Warrior Square.  The square hasn’t changed at all except for one hotel (I forget the name) which has been demolished and there was some construction work going on behind the security fencing.  The last time I saw the square, there was a lot of Southern Water work going on and the gardens had all been dug up and the bandstand had disappeared.  However, it’s all been reinstated now, I’m pleased to say.

Because I’d spent so much time mooching and so little time walking, it was too late to reach Bexhill.  At least I’ve got Hastings out of my system.  I really haven’t been looking forward to that stretch of coast at all.  Still, we live and learn and I did quite a bit of both there all those years ago!  I’ve done a lot more since and have grown to have fond thoughts of Hastings, something which I’m afraid I might not have done if I was still living there.

Day 51 – Friday 28 December 2001 - Rye to Fairlight Country Park

11.5 miles walked today

620.5 miles walked in total (average 12.16)


I dropped Sam at work this morning in Epsom and was in Rye and ready to walk at 10.10 am.  It’s been very cold today – I’ve had four layers on, three of which were fleeces.  I’ve also been keeping a weather eye out for rain as, stupidly, I managed to leave my waterproof coat behind in Cardiff when I went home to Mum and Dad’s for Christmas.

From Rye, it was a two mile stretch out along the harbour wall to the beach and the path has stayed true to the sea all day.  I walked along the sea wall for as long as I could, but the wind made me give up and shelter at the bottom by the road until I’d warmed up a bit.  The sun has been quite warm so I was alternately freezing and steaming!

The path disappeared over the cliff edge a little way into Fairlight Cove so I was back on footpaths through a very posh housing estate until I could pick up the path through the country park.  It was very peaceful – just as I remembered it from when I lived in Hastings.  On the weekends when I had nothing else planned, I used to pack a book and a picnic and head off up the east cliff to the country park to sit in the sun and read.  I always tried to choose “appropriate” books to read on a cliff – I read “Treasure Island” and “Westward Ho!” there, among others.

I really wanted to get to the town centre today, but it was so blinking cold that I decided to give up for the day and save Hastings for another day.  And I’m still only halfway through the country park too, so I shall enjoy the peace as I’m walking through the rest of it.  From here on, it’s going to get a bit less quiet for a while!

Day 50 – Sunday 9 December 2001 - Lydd to Rye

10 miles walked today

609 miles walked in total (average 12.18)

This morning has been quite surreal.  The scenery has been exactly the same as that stretch between Hythe and Greatstone:  same houses; same firing ranges; same gun fire; and same sea wall.  In fact, at one stage, I was wondering whether I’d lost my marbles altogether and had driven to Hythe by accident instead of Lydd!

The lady at the Tourist Information Centre in New Romney had warned me that I wouldn’t be able to walk the cycle route as it wasn’t quite completed, so I had to walk along the road instead.  I could quite clearly see the cycle/ walkers’ path, but most of it was still under construction.  It will be great when it’s finished – it’s the Marshes’ millennium project and funded by the national lottery.

There were very few people in Camber – a few on the beach – although I did see Father Christmas standing on a chair putting a poster up outside the Memorial Hall advertising the Christmas fayre.

The cycle route was completed between Camber and Rye, which I was very relieved about as it cut out a huge diversion by road.  As I sauntered into Rye, I ‘phoned Mum as usual to tell her I’d reached my final destination for the day and it wasn’t even twelve o’clock!  Mum wasn’t at home so Rat set me a mission:  a. to go to Grammar School Records to find (on vinyl!) With the Beatles and Revolver;  and b. to bump into Paul McCartney, a resident of Icklesham, although often spotted in Rye High Street.  (Success rate:  nil and nil by the way!)  At least Grammar School Records was still there.  The National Trust shop and the nice shop that sold the lovely Christmas decorations is now the Edinburgh Woollen Mill and, although Simon the Pieman is still there, it was shut.  Marvellous.

I planned on wandering around Rye for the afternoon – something I used to do a lot when I lived in Hastings all those years ago!  Rye was the favourite Sunday afternoon jaunt when I had people to stay, which was pretty much every weekend!

I had lunch at the Swan Cottage Tea Rooms, which is still there – thank goodness.  Mushroom soup and treacle pudding – yum!  Musically accompanied by Classic FM – how very civilised.

Rye is such a pretty town and very well visited – I heard a number of languages, including French, Spanish, German and what I took to be Japanese.  It looked lovely with all the Christmas decorations strung up across the High Street.  I was a bit disappointed that my favourite shops weren’t still here, but that’s not surprising considering that the last time I was here was five years ago!

 

Day 49 – Saturday 8 December 2001 - Greatstone-on-Sea to Lydd

9 miles walked today

599 miles walked in total (average 12.22)

 

When the alarm went off this morning, I managed to press the “off” button instead of “snooze” so left Sam’s much later than anticipated.  However, I was walking at 9.15 am on a very cold and frosty, but sunny, morning.

As I started out, I seriously considered cheating by missing Dungeness out altogether – it’s so bleak and unattractive.  However, as I walked through the Dungeness Nature Reserve and looked at all the gardens, my spirits lifted.  I found Derek Jarman’s house and garden (Prospect Cottage) purely by chance – there’s no indication of the relevance of this little oasis.  I’d recently seen a book about his garden and recognised it immediately.  Derek Jarman was a film director, artist, gay activist and gardener, who died of AIDS in 1994.  It’s amazing that he’s created a beautiful plot in the middle of nowhere and with very limited resources – basically just shingle, rocks and wood with the odd shrub thrown in – someone is obviously still looking after the place in his memory.  I was more impressed than I thought I would be.

 

I was even more impressed as I came across the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch light railway café – what a fantastic little find!  All done out with railway posters and very bright and cheerful.  I was very pleased to find it open in the middle of winter, especially as the trains won’t be running (apart from the Santa Special!) until February.  I guess they have lots of coach parties as most of the tables were reserved and all the wine glasses were laid out for lunch.

The lighthouse was closed unfortunately so I couldn’t climb it.  Phew!  There have been lighthouses at Dungeness since 1615 when “1,000 persons perished there from want of light every year”.  The base of the Samuel Wyatt lighthouse of 1792 (all that remains) is now used as lighthouse keepers’ cottages; the 1904 lighthouse is the one you can climb up in summer; and a couple of hundred yards away is the 1961 lighthouse – very thin and pointy.  My guidebook called it “elegant” but I’m not sure I’d describe it as such.

I wandered through the nature reserve to the Dungeness Visitor Centre – also closed.  Gggrrr!

From here, I was on roads to Lydd.  I didn’t walk on the grass verges but, instead, kept to the tarmac as there were dozens of tiny birds’ eggs laid in the turf.  It played hell with the soles of my feet, but it would have been tragic to stomp on any of the eggs.

At Lydd, I stopped for lunch sitting outside the church of All Saints, known as “the cathedral of Romney Marsh” because it’s so huge.  It certainly is very tall and I’d been using it as a reference point from as far away as Dungeness.  I much prefer small churches though, so wasn’t that impressed with it.  Especially as they had no benches to sit on in the church yard and I ended up on the ground in the church porch!

From my map and road signs, it was still six miles to Camber and it was already half past one.  I decided that I didn’t want to risk not making it in daylight, so called it a day.

Very pleased with the day’s progress.  It’s been very cold and hard work because the wind has fair whipped across the marshes.  Still, my B&B in New Romney (not to mention the New Inn!) made it all worthwhile!