A casual 12 mile walk from Berwick Train Station to Eastbourne
We split this walk up into 3 parts with 2 stops at The Wishing Well tea rooms in Wilmington and the pub in Jevington.
Leg 1 - Berwick Station to Wilmington
Starting at 10:30 we walked north-east towards Arlington Reservoir and then cut back down along the east-side of the Cuckmere until we hit the main route taking us directly south towards Wilmington. This leg of the walk was mainly through / along the side of fields with many styles and great views of the downs. You can see the Long Man within 10 minutes of starting the walk, this the aim of the first leg. There are at least 3 or 4 fields shared with livestock, mainly horses and sheep. We had a very excited little dog with us who had to be kept on a lead for the most part. Crossing Lewes Road to get to Wilmington is horribly dangerous, unfortunately no bridge or crossing on this route, just be careful. Once at Wilmington you should stop by at the Wishing Well Tea Rooms for lunch, note they don't accept cards (last checked July 2015).
Leg 2 - Wilmington to Jevington
There are two good routes around toe Jevington, one takes you up past the Long Man and along the South Downs Way, the other takes you roughly parallel to the SDW but along the base of the downs through Folkington. On this occasion we chose the latter as it gave us a more varied walk since Jevington to Eastbourne takes us up on the downs. The path is very muddy when it's been raining especially when you hit the Weald Way half way. It's also not uncommon to meet bikes, motorbikes, quad bikes and even the odd car on this route. Continue along the Weald Way all the way to Jevington, here we stopped at the local pub for a few drinks to recharge before the last push up the hill to Eastbourne.
Leg 3 - Jevington to Eastbourne
Leave the pub and head down the road to the church, follow the path up to the church and then take the lane back down as the roach is treacherous.Join the South Downs Way and head up Bourne Hill, it's a long climb but not too steep. When you cross the Weald Way at the top you are granted a wonderful view of Eastbourne across to Pevensea Bay, from here we follow the SDW all the way along through the golf course and over East Dean Road. The SDW winds down into Eastbourne by the Universities in Meads, from here it's a short walk back to our home (or the Station is another 10 mins from there). Thank you Barney, Cat and Indy for joining us.
