We met, as we did last week, at Butts Brow car park and decided on an alternative direction to head off. We were to head west and down the steep incline through the protected path which, after a few gates and a short walk through a wooded copse ended up in Willingdon Lane. We were greeted at the gate by a couple heading into the field. We walked past numbers 1, 2 and 3 Marina Cottages that were adorned with brick and flint frontage. At the end of the lane we crossed over and walked a short distance to the foot of another chalk track which would lead a straight route to the top of the hill on the edge of Friston Forest.
The weather had been a little overcast and breezy as we headed into Jevington from the car park, however by the time we'd arrived at the bench at the top of the next hill, the sun was shining and the need for fleece and coats were unnecessary and were soon shed as we took a short break to look at the route from the Butts Brow.
The next stage of the walk was through the trackway in Friston Forest with the intention to find our way across the Lullington Heath. Without map in hand we arrived at the edge of the Heathland in a different place as planned and therefore found a different route through a field of sheep to arrive at the gate where the information to the Heath was positioned.
It was with some caution we considered options and thought at first we could walk across to the edge of Windover Hill where the Long Man looked across the Weald. However after walking to the next gate and crossing toward the field we reconsidered this idea and decided that after a refreshment break, we'd be better to head back down toward Jevington.
So we stopped and watched a nearby farmer in tractor and following seagulls. The sky was constantly changing in all directions. A little bit of cumulus nimbus with some stratus thrown in for good measure. The sea glistened in the sun across the channel and the breeze on this sheltered side of the hill seemed a pleasant change. We collected up our back backs and gathered our vertical pose once more and headed back a short way, then down into the deep gully that would eventually lead us back to Jevington.
Not before making a swift inspection to what sounded and by all the evidence available was a bee nest buzzing with activity in the deep hedgerow. A little further and we made another inspection. This time the organic produce of a house that displayed produce from a small shelter with a parasol over it to provide added protection. A price list gave all the different vegetables available which could still be seen across the nearby garden.
We eventually came out onto the main Wannock to East Road and dodged a few white vans that raced through the village.
Our final climb onto Butts Brow awaited and after the sudden ascent the remaining climb was a gentle slope which didn't tax us too much. The views continued to be amazing from this vantage point. We had spied eastwards along the coastline and could make out the white cooling towers at Dungeness power station beyond Hastings. From a distance we could look back at the forest and adjoining trees and see the first tinges of autumn showing in the changing colours.
Just as we were getting to the summit of the hill, the countryside sounds were disturbed by a Chinook Helicopter flying through the valley between us and the opposite forested area from where we had walked an hour before. We watched it gently navigate its way toward the coastline into the distance. However after 10 minutes it was making a return flight at low altitude below us, along the same valley and headed northeastward.
We turned the corner and were on the final stretch toward the car park again. Our 3 hour walk had taken us 6 miles in total and provided us with some marvelous sights.
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