PlanetSKI is Back on The South Downs Way – Part 2

28th July 2024 | James Cove, South Downs Way

Last modified on August 2nd, 2024

In 2022 we set out to walk the South Downs Way in preparation for summer hiking trip in the Alps. We ran out of time to complete the last couple of sections so now we are back.

We were never ticking boxes when we started the walk.

We set off on day trips from London planning to complete sections of the 90-mile route at will – it may take us two weeks, two months or two years.

It now appears to be the latter and we are now back to finish off the job.

In 2022 we hiked from Eastbourne to Amberley (60-miles) before heading out the Alps and other mountain ranges.

We posted at the time:

Last summer was either too hot, too wet, or too cold.

When it wasn’t any of them we were away in the mountains of Europe.

PlanetSKI visits the Tirol in the summer

Now it is Summer 2024 with Amberley to Winchester (45-miles) waiting.

See here as we knocked off the first section: Amberley to Cocking (12-miles).

PlanetSKI is Back on The South Downs Way – Part One

South Downs Way. Image © PlanetSKI

Now its Cocking to Buriton (11-miles) from our overnight stop at the Blue Bird Inn in Cocking.

The great thing about an overnight stop, as opposed to our more usual day trips from London, is that we woke up where we wanted to be – on the South Downs Way.

Breakfast was a leisurely affair, and we strolled out of the Blue Bird Inn shortly after 9 o’clock.

South Downs Way. Image © PlanetSKI

The weather was set to be fine and our final destination was the village of Buriton, about 11-miles away.

In fact the weather didn’t turn out to be fine and we never made it to Buriton after a set of rather unfortunate circumstances.

More on that later.

The start of the day was about as ideal as it gets.

We left Cocking on a bridal path that went under a disused railway line to reach the South Downs Way.

South Downs Way. Image © PlanetSKI

Soon we were on gentle meandering paths across the Downs.

South Downs Way. Image © PlanetSKI

The sounds were uplifting to with none of the planes flying into Gatwick in our airspace above as happens over other past parts of the South Downs.

Just the occasional light aircraft on a pleasure flight and we even saw one of those handgliders with a propeller overhead – the type preferred by Sean Connery’s 007.

There were some birds singing and the distant ‘phut’ of shotguns being fired.

Otherwise it was silence.

The South Downs Way passes near some interesting attractions and it is easy just to keep on going with the desire to get some miles under the boot.

In the mega-resorts of the French Alps, like Les3Vallees or Paradiski, it is all too easy to focus on arriving at one’s destination many kilometres away rather than enjoying the journey there.

Better to get distracted and enjoy the moment I say.

Yesterday on the South Downs Way it was the Graffham Downs Reserves that distracted us, while today it is the Devil’s Jumps.

South Downs Way. Image © PlanetSKI

We left the route by a rather obscure little footpath and found a spectacular group of large Bronze Age grave mounds.

They date back more than 3,000 years.

South Downs Way. Image © PlanetSKI

I wondered if this was about the time Oetzi the Iceman would have been strolling round the Italy/Austria border in the Alps.

I vowed to check later, but I think he was around a bit earlier.

Then we spotted what looked like a small, more modern shrine in the woods just by the main path.

South Downs Way. Image © PlanetSKI

It is dedicated to a German pilot from World War 2, Hauptman Joseph Oesterman, who crashed nearby on 13 August 1940 in his Junkers JU88A-1 plane after being shot down by British pilots from 43 and 601 Squadrons.

South Downs Way. Image © PlanetSKI

As we wandered on contemplating the futility of war an the current waste of young life in Ukraine a man coming the other way stopped.

“Have you seen a small black spaniel? I have just passed some people who have lost their dog and they are besides themselves.”

“No, sorry,” I replied.

“They are a couple with a younger girl in a wheel-chair and the dog seems to have vanished. I think he’s called Teddy.”

“We’ll keep a lookout,” I said.

Now I have to confess I am not much of a dog lover so I can’t say I was overly concerned and didn’t really give it a second thought.

Until about 30-seconds later.

South Downs Way. Image © PlanetSKI

Teddy looked tired, thirsty and frightened and he shot off the path into the dense wood at the sight of us.

I realised his owners wouldn’t dream of looking deep into the woods and if I didn’t find him then perhaps no-one would.

Fortunately I have my ski touring rucksack with me and in an inside pocket I keep a selection of things that can come in handy – a small first aid kit, duck tape, a safety pin, small and large carabiners, some rope and other odds ‘n’ ends.

I attached the small carabiner and strong elastic band to the end of my walking pole (which is, incidently, my adjustable ski touring pole in the winter months).

Hey presto, I had a dog lead.

South Downs Way. Image © PlanetSKI

Now all I had to do was find Teddy and into the undergrowth I went.

After 10-minutes of shouting “Teddy” in as dog-friendly a voice as I could muster a bundle of fur came running to me and I was able to grab his collar on the second attempt and attach my improvised dog-lead.

Once secure I headed through the thick woods back to the path and walked straight into the distraught owners of Teddy.

“Oh my God it’s been a lifetime trying to find Teddy. Thank you so, so much.”

“I can’t thank you enough but I know your efforts will be rewarded as I believe in Karma and what goes around comes around,” she said.

South Downs Way. Image © PlanetSKI

I am not a great believer in ‘Karma’.

But little did I know how soon the ‘reward’ would be coming.

And with that it was back to the South Downs Way and on to our final destination of Buriton.

We passed through some fabulous countryside.

And perhaps the most useless gate on the South Downs Way.

Then the pretty village if South Harting in the distance, which I was about to visit but didn’t yet know it.

Sadly the forecast weather didn’t quite turn out to be true and the falling drizzle quickly turned to rain.

On a steepish down hill section my boot slipped and my leg shot forward and I knew I had pulled a muscle.

There was about an hour and a half to go, and with heavy rain falling it was far from ideal.

I decided to hobble down to nearby South Harting instead where we could likely get a bus to Petersfield and then a train back to London.

It was not how the day was supposed to end.

As I stood by the road looking at the map and the steep descent I would need to make with my injured leg (and now hip) a car pulled up and the man inside asked if I wanted help.

“Jump in, I can give you a lift to South Harting,” he said.

As a qualified mountain first aider I have stopped to help many an injured skier over the years – some just needed some re-assuring words or a helping hand to get up.

Others have needed some of my limited skills and the ski patrol to be called.

The gent that stopped to help simply did what I have done many a time, and I was very grateful

5-minutes later I was in the White Hart and I checked the bus timetable to nearby Petersfield station.