Make Haste into Battle
The misty morning resolved into dewy but unexpected sunniness. I was blessed on this October day with eventual T shirt weather. Hastings is a bit far, transport-wise but so ripe for exploration and I couldn't resist. Once again, my desire to get going meant poor sleep and inadequate provisioning. I really must get a handle on this because wearily blundering around with low blood sugars is not so much fun, even if you're not diabetic.
I'd wanted the hills to stretch my legs and this area provides well, even if the views within Hastings are more urban. The surprise is that much of the scenery is tucked deep within Hastings itself. It's not convenient but reaching eastward to the Country Park, puts you in mind of the Victorian day-tripper. The gills and glens offer special habitats beloved by the fern-crazed and the place is peppered with remnants of civic architecture and fascination persistent in seaside towns. A substantial amount of water has shaped the attractions of the town and beyond. I should have spent all my time within Hastings, as I omitted a trip up or down Fairlight Glen itself and it took a bit to long to get out towards Battle.
What I'm left with is a walk that, although full of interest, does neither place justice. It's not at all a bad thing because it requires a return journey to be done in the future.
Should you wish to follow on this taster, you can take a train, changing at Haywards Heath or Wivelsfield and then out towards Ore. On the way back, I caught a train changing no less than three times, at Hastings, Eastbourne and Brighton. The quickest route will vary considerably with the time and delays and I'm not convinced a bus thrown in there might not help a bit with cost and speed.
From the station, head south down Station Road and through the subway at the bottom of Harold Place. You'll be on the Prom. Head into the sun and the Landing Sculpture is on the right. Stick to the seafront as the path takes you to Winch Road and round the back of the Hastings Contemporary.
Over the road and by The Dolphin are the Tamarisk Steps. If, like me, you've arrived in Hastings quite early, these are your alternative to the East Hill Lift. You are on the Tackleway and already on the England Coast Path and the Saxon Shore Way. Follow the route up by the tracks from the Old Town. Looking out over The Stade, I already had a sense of the bustling seaside settlement and its history. I'd be following a route enjoyed by visitors through the ages. There are numbered bollards within the Hastings Country Park. I paused as I approached Ecclesbourne Glen to remove the jumper and coat I was wearing. Butterflies skipped about as did numerous happy dogs. Views down to the sandy beach are below, as you cross the water from the reservoir.
I had an awkward overtaking and catching up incident where I was outpacing another walker but they were forcing me to go faster than I wanted to. As they strode off with their stick, I found them later, recovering on a bench. I was then happy to divert up the side of Fairlight Glen and towards Dripping Well. I might have missed a trick though because the central route is probably more exciting. Time was not on my side for a beach visit. It seems surprising to find waterfalls but you can see the Ashdownian sandstone which allows for them. At the falls, head up and west to meet the Hastings Link of the 1066 Country Walk on Barley Lane. Turning right, along this will take you past the picnic site, over the Fairlight Road to a do a bit of gratuitous trig-bagging at North's Seat. At around 175m, I didn't get much of a view. The trig was amongst the gorse a little away from the plinth and no seat.
I descended a little haphazardly and came out at Brightling Avenue, Crowborough Road and Beacon Road to join Fairlight Road again. Don't miss the footpath through the metal gate on the left as it goes down hill. Cross the campsite and rejoin Barley Lane going back into the Old Town. This track is also the cycle route number two. I aimed to follow the paths on the northern side of the East Hill so you can leave the main track through a gate on the left. There's another trig point but I forgot to look for it. Leave the hill by going first west then north through the trees before decending southwest to Harold Road. Go directly over both this and the Old London Road. Head southwest up West Hill to join Croft Road and walk across the grass of West Hill. There are caves you can visit here and a small lighthouse.
On the far edge of the grass behind the playground is a drive marked with a sign to 'The Beacon'. You can take this but I was unsure and went along St Mary's Terrace. There are steps down from this road to the former, on the left side and then more keep descending. These are Whistler's steps, named after the place Whistler painted his mother. After Milward Street the line continues to Stonefield via Noonan's Steps, named after the Irish author Robert Tressel, who lived there. Both staircases are unassuming but significant and best approached going down. Continue in this direction on Nelson Road and Waterworks Road. A tunnel takes you under the railtrack. I stopped and chatted with owner of a small coffee shed on this route. He was all out of sausages but a bacon bap and a tea was more than welcome. This is how fortune smiled on me.
Over the crossing is Alexandra Park. 109 acres of grade II listed gardens with a Chalybeate spring, reservoirs, storm drain, cafe and bandstand and a converted pump house from the old waterworks the park contained. Head through this relatively narrow greenery as it winds vaguely northwest direction. Cross Dordrecht Way and past the tennis courts. At Buckshole Reservoir, access is reserved for anglers and you leave onto the bridleway of Vale Road. It is hard to believe that this increasingly wooded waterway is sandwiched either side within the heart of domestic Hastings. You pass under St Helen's Road further into an area known as Old Roar Gill, quite a special nature reserve. Parts of this were closed as I discovered because of a landslip. A series of footbridges take you along until you reach Little Roar, a waterfall. The bigger and presumably louder 'Old Roar' was not reachable or visible and I was spat out onto Ghyllside Avenue. The path at the far end of the nature reserve was accessible but only as far as Foxcote. I then skirted the Roundel to go west on Old Roar Road. Opposite the other end of the blocked footpath I left on another which joins a bridleway, pondering the Victorian experience.
Our last bit of Hastings takes us roughly west. Onto Walton Close, then comes Marlow Drive, Hollinghurst Road, Upper Church Road, Old Church Road and Wishing Tree Road. The wishing tree was once the Smuggler's Oak but allegedly renamed by a farmer who made up a children's story. It was destroyed during road-building and another new one lies at the far end. There are some nice trees here though. Go right through the Hollington skatepark and on to Kent Road. At the junction with Barn Road, turn left and take the bridleway opposite, behind the school. Nearing the edge, you join Napier Road and turn left to join Ingleside. On the right, take the footpath that follows the road just off the driveway of the Old Helipad. This takes you round its edge and to cross Queensway. Go straight over and into the wood in the reserve opposite. Follow the road west a little until you meet the sign for Marline Valley.
It seems I side-stepped yet another gill stream worth a wander along but descended directly down and over it towards Crowhurst. Enter the field with the pylon and skirt the top edge until you can access the next field. Take the path in the corner to Stonebridge Farm and beyond. The hunger was really kicking in and I could not decide whether to cross a railway and then a dismantled one or do the other side of the square. I plumped for the first route and got an opportunity to wave at a train. No honk was forthcoming on Swainham Lane leading in to Green Street. The highlight was the trig in the hedge before backtracking to find a brambly path on the edge of Hyfield Riding School. Some horses snorted with derision. It was difficult to tell I was crossing a bridge over a dismantled rail route on this muddy track. After Sampson's Farm you cross the powdermill stream and rejoin the Bexhill leg of the 1066 Country Walk.
Go visit the church and the supposedly 1300 year old yew tree which predates King Harold. There are two others here, a mere 600 years old. (Don't confuse this with the 4000 year old in Crowhurst, Surrey). Cross the churchyard and exit the other gate on Forewood Lane. The footpath is on the bend. Soon you enter Fore Wood itself. I took a little detour through the interior of this RSPB reserve and a little further away from the Powdermill Stream, the source of power for the gunpowder industry in this area.
Back on the 1066 route, follow it north through Peppering Eye Farm and the oast house, onto Telham Lane. The path runs alongside the Powdermill Lane for a while before skirting the supposed battlefield. No views of the interior and Battle Abbey are visible until you reach Battle itself. At the main road, you can follow it round and can peer inside the entrance to the English Heritage site. Follow the signs for the station by taking Upper then Lower Lake Road to Station Approach. I left the station with the thought I'd want to visit here again and maybe checking out Heathfield and 'Slaughter Common'.
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