Castles in the Sky
HEATHFIELD TO NORMANS BAY VIA VINE CROSS, FOUL MILE, COWBEECH, HERSTMONCEUX, WINDMILL HILL, WARTLING AND NORTHEYE Big gaps on my overall walking map often occur around areas that are awkward to get to and awkward to get across. Hurray for a walk that has both levels of awkward. Less hurray for a landscape that seems out to do me wrong and a pre-planned route that drains my phone battery, leaving me at its peril. Scooping up some little settlements, straddling the High and Low Weald, the route is less than direct and on paths that might not be so popular with anyone other than local dogwalkers. The OS survey does not appear to appreciate the level of tree and hedgerow this area has to offer, Some boundaries, ponds and buildings are overlooked. All in all, I felt fair abandoned and unwelcome, at times. Small diversions are made, electric fences impeded my passage and a lack of signage tried to persuade me to abandon my effort. To cap it all, I blundered into my old nemesis of the Levels....
