Walk 10 -- Pevensey Bay to Bexhill

Ages: Colin was 57 years and 202 days. Rosemary was 54 years and 343 days.

Weather: Watery sunshine with a stiff breeze from the south-west. Bracing!

Location: From Pevensey Bay to Bexhill.

Distance: 5 miles.

Total distance: 78 miles.

Terrain: Nearly all shingle, it was hard going!

Tide: In.

Rivers to cross: None.

Ferries: None.

Piers: None.

Kissing gates: None.

Pubs: None!! (Colin forgot to bring his ‘real ale’ guidebook, and since we didn’t pass any pubs at all we didn’t bother--things must be going downhill!)

‘English Heritage’ properties: None.

Ferris wheels: None.

Diversions: None.

How we got there and back: We drove to Pevensey Bay and picked up the walk from the same part of the beach where we had left it last time.

At the end, we left the prom at Richmond Road in Bexhill and walked up to Collington station where we caught a train back to Pevensey. While Colin walked across the fields to Pevensey Bay to pick up the car, I went into the castle again to take some photographs. After a cup of tea (from our flask) in the car park by the castle we drove home.

We took a chance with the weather today because the forecast was for gales and lashings of horizontal rain for the whole of the country—except the South-East. Our gamble paid off as we only had to contend with a stiff breeze from behind which actually helped to push us along, one of the reasons why we had decided at the outset of this venture that ‘anticlockwise is the preferred route’—the alternative title to ‘Turn Left at Bognor Pier’. Due to the wind, the sea was very rough and exciting so we both thoroughly enjoyed today’s hike.

We started off by walking on shingle at the top of the beach, and unfortunately this continued until we hit the western end of the prom at Bexhill—almost all of today’s walk. Pevensey Bay has no promenade of any description yet it is a beach of enormous historical importance. In October 1066, William of Normandy landed here with his armies and proceeded to defeat the then occupants of the British Isles, the Saxons, at the famous Battle of Hastings a few days later. That event, 933 years ago, was the last time these islands have succumbed to a foreign power—though Henry VIII’s Tudor Navy fought off the Spanish Armada nearly 500 years ago (as evidenced by numerous forts along this southern coast), Napoléon Bonaparte had a good try at conquering us approximately 200 years ago (as evidenced by the plethora of Martello towers along this stretch of coastline) and Adolph Hitler also had a good go nearly 60 years ago (as evidenced by umpteen concrete blocks we are always tripping over and numberless ‘pillboxes’ stinking of pee which line this coast!)

What amazed us was that we found no reference whatsoever to the Norman landings anywhere on our Walk, just numerous unfriendly notices saying Private or claiming a stretch of shingle as a Private Beach (I’m not sure of the legality of this). Today only a couple of windsurfers braved the sea which was quite courageous of them because it was very rough. Even Colin remarked that it was not an ideal day for canoeing the waves!

As we began our Walk on the shingle we found we were being followed by a large caterpillar-type digger and had to move out of its way as it passed us to join a second one a few yards further on; then we heard another one behind us! We skitted past the first two, then looked back to see all three of them lined up menacingly behind us as if they were going to start a race to see who could run us down first! But not so, for their drivers just sat back chatting to each other—it’s what you call a day’s work! Fortunately for us, at least one of these machines had previously been driven several miles along the top of the shingle, almost to Bexhill, and had packed down hard a double path making it much easier for us to walk. I don’t know if my so-recently broken leg would have stood up to 4½ miles of shingle walking if it hadn’t been for those caterpillar tracks.

For all their Private notices, the inhabitants of the beach properties had suffered in the recent weather—we wondered if they had foolishly bought their bijou residences in the balmy summer months. Shingle was heaped up in their Private gardens, sandbags were piled against patio doors, windows were replaced by sheets of wood and one house had a smashed window with several mattresses piled up behind it! Why do people live so close to the sea and think it will always be Summer? A few weeks ago there was a freak storm along this part of the coast, they called it a mini-tornado. It caused havoc! The three diggers we had left behind ‘working’ so hard had obviously been employed to bank up the shingle and minimise the damage. I remarked that if the owners of these properties did lay claim each to their own bit of ‘private’ beach then I hoped they were equally willing to pay the costs of the maintenance of same.

Even today with the tide right in, the waves occasionally splashed over the top of the shingle and gave me a fright at one point—I had to run for it to avoid a shower (and Colin laughed, but then he would!) All this land has been reclaimed from the sea anyway because 2000 years ago when the Romans built the fort at Pevensey which is now one mile inland, they built it on the coast. The fort has not moved, it is the coast which has because the marsh silted up and was eventually drained for farmland.

Further east the houses and bungalows gave way to beach huts, and here we could see even more storm damage. Some were full of shingle, some were partially collapsed and one or two were simply piles of driftwood. Colin public-spiritedly tried to fix the swinging door of one, but the bolt no longer met and all he could do was prop it up with a stick. He said there was a lot of bedding inside which will ruin if it continues to get wet; it looks as though the owners never think to check on their possessions once the season is over.

We kept stopping to watch the sea. The waves were enormous and with the sun shining behind them it was a glorious sight! We passed a Martello Tower with a Danger – Keep off notice affixed to it, then huddled behind a wall facing inland to eat our sandwiches and were only partially successful in getting out of the wind. We didn’t stay long, and were disappointed to find that the public conveniences there were locked—perhaps they don’t think of the needs of mad people like us on our epic trek.

Further on we started to pass the first houses of Bexhill. At least they were built a little higher than sea level, but even there we were noting the erosion of the sandy hills they were built on and concrete garden features of yesteryear which had slipped somewhat. The caterpillar tracks suddenly stopped in a pile of shingle, but we were very relieved to find that a concrete prom began just a few yards further on. Colin tried to kid me that there was a notice saying ‘private promenade for residents only’ but I was not taken in. Although walking was now considerably easier, even here the prom had practically disappeared under shingle brought up by the sea, but we managed to find a path through.

We stopped to look at a street plan and wanted to compare it with our own map so we could find out the location of the station. Our own map needed folding to the next part and we nearly lost it in the wind while attempting to do this. We dashed between some beach huts in order to fold it up again. About fifty yards before our turning the prom suddenly sloped downwards and disappeared under the shingle, so we climbed up to the grass behind the beach huts (again marked Private very prominently) because we were just too tired to wade through stones any more. We skittered round, squeezing out between a hut and a fence, jumped off a wall on to the beach and immediately climbed some steps on to a brand new tarmacked prom where there was a very clean public convenience which was open. Relief at last!

That ended Walk no.10, we shall pick up Walk no.11 next time at the public conveniences situated at the beginning of the newly surfaced prom in Bexhill. We returned to Pevensey by train and drove home.

Walk 9 -- Eastbourne to Pevensey Bay

Ages: Colin was 57 years and 179 days. Rosemary was 54 years and 320 days.

Weather: Dull at first but turning sunny. A pleasant breeze and very mild.

Location: From Eastbourne Pier to Pevensey Bay.

Distance: 5½ miles.

Total distance: 73 miles.

Terrain: Promenade at first, then we alternated between shingle beach (which is hard going) and sandy beach where we had to scramble through gaps in breakwaters. It was entirely flat.

Tide: Out.

Rivers to cross: None.

Ferries: None.

Piers: No. 6 at Eastbourne.

Kissing gates: None.

Pubs: None!! (Since Colin had visited no less than five ‘real ale’ pubs the day before he actually declared that he wasn’t all that bothered---let this be put on record!)

‘English Heritage’ properties: No.1 at Pevensey Castle---a medieval castle first built by the Normans on Roman ruins and last used for defence in the Second World War. Excellent audio tour.

Ferris wheels: None.

Diversions: No.4 on Eastbourne Pier due to maintenance works. No.5 between Eastbourne and Pevensey where they are still building an harbour which is not yet on the map.

How we got there and back: We drove to Pevensey Castle, then walked to the nearest station and caught a train to Eastbourne where we walked down to the sea front.

At the end, we walked from Pevensey Bay across the fields to the castle which we toured because it is ‘English Heritage’ and we can get in free because we are members; then we drove home.

Is it really four months since we did our last walk? Well, we have been rather ‘busy’! At the end of June we went to Helsinki for a few days. In July we toured France, Germany and Austria with a tent for two and a half weeks. As soon as we got home, my cousin, Paul, and his wife, Sue, arrived from Canada to stay for a week. While they were here we had to help my brother, David, and his wife, Monica, celebrate their Silver Wedding. Then we took young Jamie, our grandson, on his first trip abroad to Verdun in northern France to view a total eclipse of the sun! Later in August we flew to Hawai’i and stayed a few days on three of the islands where we did a lot of snorkelling and swam with turtles! Then we flew to Las Vegas and hired a motorhome which we drove to the Valley of Fire, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Dead Horse Point, Arches, Canyonlands, Mesa Verdi, Monument Valley (where we went on a crazy jeep ride with the Indians!) and the Grand Canyon returning to Las Vegas via Zion and the Valley of Fire again. Having failed to win more than 25cents, we flew home FIRST CLASS! (at least as far as Chicago). We had hardly been home a week before we drove up to Cheshire and hired a 54 foot narrowboat for two weeks. This we took to Chester and then into Wales, rising up in locks a total of 227 feet and down again, and travelling 136 miles at the heady speed of up to three miles per hour! Then we had to go up to Manchester for a few days to visit our son, Paul, and his girlfriend, Caroline; thence to Blackpool to take Colin’s elderly cousin, Barbara, to see the illuminations; and we visited Ironbridge and Malvern on our way home. Lastly we had to help my sister, Veronica, and her husband, Bernard, celebrate their Ruby Wedding. Meanwhile my leg is almost back to normal (I left my stick in a taxi in Las Vegas which I thought was a fitting end to it!) and after three cortizone injections in my shoulder and a course of steroids, my arm (which I injured on walk 5) is also back to normal. As to that over-indulging in alcohol nonsense, it turned out to be a load of baloney—when I returned to the hospital for the results of further tests they had found nothing at all and dismissed me!

So at last we can do some serious walking! My doctor has given me some stuff called ‘Powergel’ to rub on my arthritic toe before I go hiking and it really works! Now I can enjoy walking again.

We picked up the Walk at the ‘theatre’ place just west of Eastbourne Pier, and since it is now ‘out-of-season’ all the chairs had been stacked away and it was just an open space. We were annoyed that the first lot of toilets were padlocked and the next lot had a turnstile costing 10p. Colin stepped over the turnstile in the Gents but I was ‘good’ and paid up—only because I wasn’t sure if loads of burglar alarms would go off if I tried jumping over the gate summoning half a dozen police cars. I had been tempted--I mean, two shillings to go for a wee! What would my grandmother have said?

We walked along the pier and there was lots of loud music and various shops were selling tourist tat. We were by far the youngest people there who didn’t actually work on the site, most of those pushing wheelchairs looked as if they ought to be in them. Perhaps they toss up who has the turn for the ride each day—don’t mock! by the time we finish this circumnavigation we could be like that or worse! The west side of the pier was closed off for most of its length, also dying of old age, but although a couple of men in hard hats walked officiously into the area nobody looked as if they were doing any work. There was a lone fisherman on the end of the pier but he hadn’t caught anything.We continued east along the prom in the sunshine. We stopped to read a sign that told us why we should be out walking for 30 minutes each day and all the details as to how it was doing us good and how to go about planning a walk and how to walk and how they were ‘helping’ us by putting up a sign at every half kilometre and….(the ‘nanny’ State is at it again.) We were pleased to see that half the prom is a cycle lane (cycling is forbidden on pain of a fine on Bognor prom) though we did think that the pedestrians should be on the seaward side. We stopped to read a second sign all about three phases of work on seafront defences which will only take place during the winter and the shingle will be returned by each summer and they hope to have the whole thing complete by the summer of 1998—I wonder if they did! We stopped to read a third sign which told us that this area has been preserved forever as a site of ‘natural significance’ or something, and how they had all collaborated together to preserve this site forever because it is of such importance and it would never be developed and loads more of similar claptrap—it was a few yards of untidy shingle behind the prom!

When the prom at last came to an end there was a fence (such as you find round building sites these days) blocking the way over the shingle to a Martello tower. Since one panel had been ‘felled’ we carried on and began to realise the full hypocrisy of the last sign we had read—our way was blocked by a brand new harbour leading to a new marina complex which was still being built! A huge area was under construction and obviously the few untidy yards of shingle we had just passed had been left as a concession to the conservationists. Money certainly talks! We wondered how much they were flogging the houses for, and the annual cost of renting a berth for your boat. (A couple of years later, when there was widespread flooding in the South of England, we heard that the Environment Agency had warned against building houses on this site because the buildings are actually below sea level! As usual, where money is involved, the warnings were ignored.)

Since we did not want to swim across the harbour entrance we started to make our way round it, and fortunately there was another hole in the fence before our way was completely blocked by scaffolding and half-built houses. We thought we were going to have to walk inland for another mile or so to get round it all, but Colin kept finding little notices saying Pedestrians with an arrow and we ended up on a footbridge over the lock gates between the new harbour and the new marina behind it. We came off the bridge through a little gate, and looking back we saw that there was a notice on the other side of the gate which said No Access—oh well, too late now!

We made our way down the other side of the harbour to the beach where we found a handy breakwater to sit on and eat our sandwiches. It was here that my film ran out and I discovered that I had not packed another one, so no more photographs today, unfortunately.
The tide was out leaving a wide sward of smooth sand so we decided to continue along the beach. This was okay for a while, but the breakwaters were getting increasingly near to the water and we had to scramble through them like contortionists! Eventually my leg objected, so we walked up the mound of shingle because we could see the first houses of Pevensey Bay. But there was no prom or even footpath along the top of the shingle and we found ourselves walking along an unmade road with houses between us and the sea, then an unofficial path through wasteland. When we tried to continue this, a woman came out of one of the houses and told us, in a posh voice, that there was no way through and “you will have to walk up to the road!” So we went back down to the beach.

Now it was easier to get along the sand and we did so until we reached the fifth Martello tower (this one had been converted into a house) where we left the beach in the centre of the village of Pevensey Bay.

That ended Walk no. 9, we shall pick up Walk no. 10 next time at the same point on the beach at Pevensey Bay. We walked a mile inland to Pevensey Castle where we had left our car. After a refreshing cup of tea from the flask we had thoughtfully placed in the boot, we toured the castle before driving home.
A fortification was first built there in Roman times when it was by the sea and there was a natural harbour by its walls, long since silted up and drained for farmland. Pevensey is a medieval castle first built by the Normans and sieged at several points in history including Tudor times and the Civil War. It boasts a dungeon and an ‘oubliette’. It was last used for defence as recently as the Second World War when Canadian troops were stationed there to guard the south coast. I regretted not having any more film for my camera because it was beautiful in the setting sun with a number of spectacular lighting effects. We went on a audio tour which was very good and brought it all alive.

(At the end of Walk 10, I returned to the castle with my camera which had a film in it this time!)