2 days bike packing the South Downs Way from Eastbourne to Winchester, May 2025
so it is4 to 6 on Saturday morning and I’m just at the station waiting for the train which will take me down to Eastborne and this weekend we’re going to do the South Downs Way from Eastborne to Winchester at least we’re going to try to do the South Downs Way from Eastborne to Winchester it’s quite a bit more climbing than I would normally do on my Sunday morning bike rides i think looking at the map it’s about 12,000 ft of climbing over the next two days so today from Eastborne to just over halfway and then tomorrow the second leg go about 60 mi today about 40 mi tomorrow and I’ll work out somewhere about 12,000 ft of climbing which is quite a lot for me so we’ll just have to see see how we do really [Music] [Music] heat heat [Music] good morning is this the way to Winchester [Music] not sure okay [Music] this is Windover Hill where history is written pretty bare up on the landscape the long barrow there [Music] in the same view as the chalk horse [Music] heat heat [Music] [Music] very skittish as they always are wool won’t get much closer before it goes you never do [Music] now that’s a view so that’s New Haven Harbor down below us now [Music] and then a very still very peaceful not sure what the time is right now uh just gone 10 very peaceful on the down still some bikers sat on top of another earthworks [Music] and then north of us the amazing view that you just get all the time when you’re up on top of the downs [Music] and that’s where we’re headed [Music] [Music] beautiful [Music] day don’t worry you’ll stay safe [Music] don’t know if the camera can pick it out there’s a skylight right there that also must be his nest right there [Music] [Music] so we’re heading down now down out of the Pearl Beacon area down into southeast down there i can see the UN making it way down towards the sea heading down off the downs and we’ll cross over the railway at southeast and then I can’t really remember but it must be back up again always up on the downs back up over the other side [Music] heat heat [Music] heat [Music] heat heat heat [Music] beautiful [Music] painted lady [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] heat [Music] [Music] heat [Music] heat [Music] heat heat [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] i’m out behind Bryson now just sort of circumnavigating it it’s gone very quiet very few people oddly very few bird sounds at the moment just just the sound of my tires and that’s about it and gunshots in the background but very peaceful [Applause] feel [Music] [Music] free to correct me if I’m wrong but I think that’s a very pretty little small heath [Music] [Music] there’s Brighton down there and then just visible through the haze in the distance hopefully [Music] is well just about is the wind farmer out at sea [Music] [Music] [Music] back on familiar ground now we just got over Ditchling Beacon never seen it so busy i guess people come here for the views which are incredible [Music] [Music] i can see Truly Hill in the far distance plenty of miles left to go yet today heat heat [Music] starting to feel like early evening now it’s a few more miles yet to go today spent quite a few miles cycling with another cyclist which is nice a lot of good tips for other bike racking bike bike racking bike packing routes for me to do but uh I’ve pushed on a little bit now cuz want to get to the campsite and have my tea but the downs is quiet again now that it feels like early evening and lots of people have gone home I guess for the tea and the sun feels low in the sky it’s a nice time to be cycling but my stomach’s starting to rumble pushing on [Music] so just passing the outskirts of Ambley now I think the campsite for tonight is the other side of that hill somewhere even nicer if it was this side of that hill but I don’t think it is i think it’s the other side bit further to go yet [Music] so here we are this is home for the night it’s tent all set up and ready i’ve had a delicious tea a very stodgy chocolate cake and now a lovely cup of delicious tea with bits of powdered milk floating in it there we are so this is Littleton Farm hang on there we are quite a few people yeah but quite a lot of space for even more very nice this is right on the south’s way [Music] so perfect for stopping over and lots of people with campfires cuz they give out logs and happy for you to have fires which is lovely not that I’m going to do so myself but pretty much all I’m going to do is have my cup of tea my powdered milk and then go to bed ready to hopefully recharge for tomorrow’s journey to Winchester good morning [Music] nice to be able to hear the birds without any human noises i don’t know if the camera’s microphone will be picking that up but this appears to be a dawn chorus with an owl in it a tornado [Music] now I was thinking while I was cycling along yesterday the hardest part of going on an adventure is definitely making the start getting yourself going on day one is my bike going to be ready am I going to be ready is the weather going to be okay have I planned enough for the route which in my case is almost certainly no because I’m just terrible at planning but even yesterday morning before setting off I still had doubts lovely warm day my family were going to be off to a lovely park run on a Saturday morning how easy it would have been just to stay home and not come out it’s It’s crazy but once you’re going my goodness me it just it’s so worth it saw lovely butterflies saw lovely views you just you just got to make that first step get up and go because once you’re going you just don’t regret it except when you go the wrong direction which I’ve just done and I’ve just missed my turn i’m just going to backpedal about 50 yards excuse me cows coming through [Music] i hope the camera can pick this out somewhere out there not sure I can actually see it there’s a hair running up over the field there he is oh what a lovely sight look at that well that’s already made the morning worthwhile i can’t think I’ve ever seen a hair running around a field like that maybe I’ve just got unlucky but I just don’t I haven’t seen very many hairs in my life that was fantastic oh [Music] beautiful [Music] [Music] beautiful [Music] [Music] [Music] this is beacon hill it’s just as the name suggests I suppose just keeps going up and up and up and up for [Music] the Red Arm just keeps going up and up and up forever or it seems that way [Music] oh turning into a beautiful morning what say you Mr feeasant yeah indeed beautiful morning i know for every down there is an up or for every up there is a down depending on your depending on your philosophical bent going down at the moment but I can already see a lovely lovely long uphill again over the next down i’m not sure if it makes it slightly worse when you can see the entire thing all in one go as well there we go that’s my next 20 minutes or so [Music] [Music] heat heat [Music] looks very new he’s still got the umbilical cord [Applause] [Music] there it is winchester and what I guess is the last great view of the South Downs Way so what can I say about the South Downs Way why did I wait 45 years to do this it’s extraordinary it’s just view after view after view it’s breathtaking and there’s so much wildlife there’s so much going on so many insects so many birds i’ve heard every bird song I can think of i’ve seen hairs i’ve seen pigs not that they’re wildlife but it’s just Oh it’s amazing absolutely amazing a lot of climbing and if you’re somebody who likes solitude when they cycle and I very much like my own company when I’m out my bike be warned it’s full of cyclists it’s full of hikers it’s full of dog walkers but everybody’s been lovely the cafes have been fantastic oh that’s just 48 hours well not really 36 hours of just some of the best cycling that I’ve done very very very pleased to have got out of bed yesterday and come and done this so just a bit further to go four miles I suppose into Winchester and then a long train journey home heat [Music] heat 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