Easy walk today, no heavy pack or festooned with water bottles..About 10.5 miles circular wander on what was a Springlike day.
The early clouds passed away and that sunshine finally broke through, I ended up walking in just a short sleeved thermal 'T' shirt and jeans. The sun wasn't warm..it was hot.
Fully cooking...so off with the smock after the photo stop
Just leaving the town Promenade. In the summer families sit here outside their beach huts, sandwiches, tea pots and cups on little tables, very English. I love it.
And then the Tarmac, street lights and sea front strollers end and it's back to Nature. The Kittiwakes nest on these cliffs and are a sight to see in the Spring when they're all wheeling and swooping in the sunshine.
On top of the cliff here is the old barracks where a regiment waited to pounce on Napoleon Bonaparte should he attempt to land with his army..The Bricklayers of the late 1700's knew their trade as it still defies the ravages of time.
The stratas of hard flint always intrigue me. High on the Downland where I usually wander are the flint mines where the ancients quarried the flint with Antler picks and animal shoulder blade shovels...I wonder if they came down to the coast and dug the flints, once the land bridge to the Continent had disappeared?
Youngsters carve their names, which fade with the years.
Up onto the tops..
If you look closely, on top beyond the last 'Seven Sister' is the old Lighthouse, now a private dwelling. When the sea mists rolled in it was obscured and ships would run into the chalk cliffs, so whoever built it failed the 'good idea test' and another lighthouse which still operates was built on the beach below.
The old Coastguard Cottages. This river valley was a favourite with local Smugglers and the armed troop of Coast Guard men were kept busy along this stretch of coastline.
There are a few stories attached to this valley. The farm on the East side was the last place in Sussex and probably England where the land was ploughed by Oxen. The slow plodding Ox with his big feet was ideal for ploughing the sloping Downland, but time caught up with him.
In the early 1960's a London Developer requested planning permission to build a holiday caravan site complete with entertainment club in the valley....
He was asked to attend the local Council Planning Committee meeting whose Chairman was a retired Royal Navy Commander. Lady Councillors were requested to vacate the Council Chamber and the bloke from London was brought in and handed a written, carefully worded complete refusal of permission. Local legend has it that he was also given verbal advice by the Commander. Apparently just three words, the first was 'Now' and the last was 'off'. The Developer never appealed the decision...
In 1944 a contingent of recently landed Canadian soldiers made camp in the valley. Young men, newly arrived with no experience of the 4 hard years of war the locals had experienced. They were advised by a local 'Home Guard' not to camp in the valley as the enemy bombers used the easily identifiable snaking river as a visual way point for crossing the coast. The river would shine in the Moonlight and can be seen for miles.
Whether the Commanding Officer ignored the old man in the outdated webbing and carrying a World War One Lee Enfield, or was slow to react will never be known, but that night enemy bombers returning from an inland raid did as they always did, afraid of prowling night fighters, they would jettison any remaining bombs and fire off their ammunition to lighten the aircraft and gain speed across to occupied France just a few minutes flying time away.
That night the neat rows of tents made an easy target. The casualties were very heavy, many dead and wounded, including the C/O who was billeted in the nearby Coast Guard cotteges and killed by armour piercing rounds which struck the cottage.
Every year at Armistice a group of locals make the trek out to the memorial and hold a short ceremony and lay wreaths, as like all the others our Canadian friends are never forgotten.
No brew kit today, just a flask, so sit in the sun for a while, look at the beautiful land and be grateful.
Then up over the top through another part of the Nature Reserve and down into the river valley.
Homeward along the valley. When the weather turns hard the valley is visited by many Waders and over wintering birds. These Canada Geese are almost permanent residents now and later other Geese with join them.
Sax.
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Dang, look at all that flint 
Campfires are best shared with friends.
