VGW Section 9

About trip

BERWICK STATION - EXCEAT BRIDGE 106km from the suburbs of Croydon to the sea at Newhaven. On the way you will pass through a National Park, two areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a Heritage Coast, and 3 scheduled sites of national or regional interest. There are great views throughout the route, including two of the best in Britain: the Cuckmere meanders and the Seven Sisters. Nearly all of the route is on public rights of way, and goes mostly through open countryside and woodland. The route is well served by public transport, so you can easily walk it on day trips. A free printable description of the route is available at www.vanguardway.org.uk This section starts quite gently through rolling farmland then beside the winding Cuckmere River, but there is a sting in the tail as you surmount three shoulders of the South Downs. You must also climb two long flights of steps: the first of 68, the second an exhausting 218. These are the figures we arrived at on our last visit - they seem to work out differently each time, and may depend on whether you include tree roots serving as steps, and the duration of any previous pub stop. You will encounter tranquil Berwick Village, tourist-orientated Alfriston, the popular ramblers refreshment haunt of Litlington, lonely Charleston Manor, Friston Forest and the hidden village of Westdean. Your efforts are finally rewarded with a grandstand view of Cuckmere Haven, with its spectacular meanders, and the English Channel before a steep descent to Exceat.