An Adur Valley Walk in the Wilderness
11 people attending
4 places left
I'll be leading this walk at the height of Summer 2019 to get us ready for the late summer months and allow us to enjoy the views across the South Downs and the magnificent prospect of the English Channel and the mists beyond.
We'll see the River Adur, the South Downs, a profusion of prized and protected places, three nature reserves, three conservation areas, one national park, and the sea between us and our friends across the water. It'll be a great yomp to stretch our minds, body and souls.
We'll gaze upon Lancing College Chapel, with its soaring French Gothic revival architecture, St Andrew's Church in Steyning with its rich Norman carving throughout, St Mary de Haura Church in Shoreham with its Saxon nave and lofty Norman extensions, Tudor Steyning Grammar School with its timber framing and the fragments of Angevin Bramber Castle with its isolated pieces of wall.
We'll get to see New Shoreham's set of lanes with a High Street running down to the river that grew up when the new port was begun in the 13th century. It's pleasant and intimate in scale with much use of flint beach pebbles for building. The town is now a jaunty and prosperous place benefitting as a port and an outlier to Brighton. Also included is Steyning, which is halfway between a large village and small town, but one of the best of its kind in Sussex and very satisfying to walk around. There are many pretty buildings from the 16th century to 19th, tile-hung, timbered, or stuccoed. Finally, there is Bramber which has one street leading out from castle and church to Upper Beeding. It's pleasant enough despite only a few buildings being noteworthy.
See the route here.
What to bring
Water: bring at least two litres, as it is high-summer and likely to be hot.
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Day rucksack: typically 20-25 litres, they are comfortable to wear and allow you to use your arms freely
Boots: waterproof and breathable and designed for hiking, trainers are OK if the ground is dry and has been little rain, however, some parts of this walk will be on river flood plains.
Socks: proper walking socks will keep your feet dry and help prevent blisters
Layered clothing: lets you quickly adapt to changes in the weather and body temperature. Go for a base layer (vest or t-shirt) and a mid layer (a microfleece or shirt) and in cooler weather add an outer layer (a windproof jacket or thick fleece)
Trousers: ideally no jeans as they become heavy and cold if it rains, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry and on warm days shorts are OK
Waterproof jacket: essential when hiking in all but the calmest of weather, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry
Hat or cap: stay warm in winter and shaded in summer
Sunglasses: for any sunny day
Sun cream: can be useful even on cloudy summer days
Snacks: bring biscuits, energy bars, gels, bananas, chocolate or dried fruit for example and put them somewhere easy to get hold of
Lunch: bring a packed lunch
Food & drink
Please bring a packed lunch or buy one in Shoreham. We'll have half an hour to explore and have tea and cake or alcohol in the lovely town of Steyning. Bring plenty to drink if the weather is warm.
Once back at Shoreham, we can go to a pub there, perhaps the Bridge Inn (http://www.thebridgeinnshoreham.co.uk), which is well-known to south coast 'Lads.