South Downs Way

[hatler]

Friday was my 4th attempt at cycling the South Downs Way in a day. 100 miles from Winchester to Eastbourne and over 4000m of climbing, almost all on flinty, chalky, loose or turfy surfaces. There are a handful of really short sharp and vicious climbs and quite a number of long slow tedious lung-busting climbs.
I left Winchester at 3.05am and was in Eastbourne by 6pm. Quite possibly the toughest thing I have ever done. I'm delighted for two reasons; one, that I have done it, and two, that I won't have to do it again.

I fell off in a deep rut at a reasonable speed about 20 miles in and had to fettle the bike a bit to get it going again. I had managed to turn the handlebars through 180 degrees (scratching the top tube in the process) and had to unclamp the handlebars to get them turned back. At this point I made my first serious error, though it didn't become evident for some time. I had failed to zip up my under-saddle tool pack. Somewhere in the next 30 miles all my tools fell out. (In fact I felt the main lump hit my right heel, but I put it down to a rock being kicked up. Agh !) So, no spanners, allen keys, etc, but more importantly, no tyre levers (though I did still have four spare inner tubes). Punctures are a big issue on the SDW with all the flints. Half a mile after discovering this, I got a p*nct*r*. I managed to improvise with the over centre clamp and bracket from my Hope Vision 1 and managed to get the tyre off (it took about 20 minutes of finger wrenching nastiness). Up and running again. Half distance had taken six and a quarter hours, but the p*nct*r* had slowed me, and realising quite how difficult it was to get the tyre off I started going down the descents (where you can go really really fast) really really slowly to try to prevent getting another p*nct*r*. Going slowly down hill is hard work on the arms. Net result is that the second fifty miles took eight and three quarter hours. Plus I was shagged out. Immediately after the p*nct*r* came gross error Number 2. I left the pouch on my pannier open, and my phone bounced out. So, toolless and phoneless I felt quite exposed.

A mile before Ditchling a nice chap let me borrow his phone to let mrs hatler know I was OK.

At Firle Beacon, secure in the knowledge that I would make it to Eastbourne before dark, I took the opportunity for a lie down for quarter of an hour. Hot sun, a perfectly cooling breeze, legs that felt used but still with energy in them, and a completely empty head. I haven't felt so peaceful in years.

I've previously done the whole route except for the last descent into Alfriston, and the stretch from there to Eastbourne. I'm not sure if the two climbs after Alfriston really were the worst, or whether it just seemed that way through unfamiliarity and extreme knackerdness. Alfriston is effectively at sea level and the climb out (200m ascent) is up a nastily lumpy track, very hard to get any regular rhythm going. A quick run along the top there and you are back down to Jevington at about 100m. One final climb out of there (to 200m again) is also up a rubbly, lumpy track. By this stage of the day I wasn't proud about not stopping on the climbs. It wasn't a race and I didn't want to kill myself. I think I must have stopped for a breather at least five times on both of these ascents. At the top of the last climb you can see the dreaming spires (ha) of Eastbourne. Never has such an ordinary looking town evoked such a feeling in my breast.

I had a great chat with a farmer, a couple of the walkers, and a horse rider. Everyone was in such a good mood.

I saw three owls, and a deer and a badger really close up. These last two were completely unphased by my presence. The badger rooted around about 6' away for a few seconds, then as I went for my camera he shuffled off into the undergrowth. The deer just stood looking at me from about 12' for 30 seconds. Utterly calm.

Anyhow, the sun shone and the scenery was outstanding. And I had the perfect excuse on Saturday to do absolutely nothing.

Pics

Sunrise on the move.




Solitude. Some way to go.




Still early morning. Top of a hill somewhere




Poppies




Well over half way




Somewhere East of Lewes




Jevington Church




On top of the last climb (thank god)




Back "home"




My first century !!

[PaulF]

Sounds great. I'm sure in a couple of weeks your legs will have recovered and you'll be ready to do it again in reverse

[Chris L]

Chapeau! indeed.  Having bailed out after 45 miles on the SDW, I feel your pain (well 45% of it).  Paul F's right, it's only a matter of a few days before the memories of the pain recede, and the trans-Siberian solo seems like a sensible thing to do.

Well done, again.  Inspiring stuff!

[hatler]

Sounds great. I'm sure in a couple of weeks your legs will have recovered and you'll be ready to do it again in reverse

Right at this moment, I can think of nothing more horrifying.

Edit. Actually, the prospect of towing little Miss hatler up Streat Hill on Saturday morning was pretty horrifying. (But I didn't have to do it. Phew !)

[Tail End Charlie]

Excellent report and the stuff legends are made of. You'll remember that for a long time. Makes me want to do something similar near me, or perhaps in Wales.
Well done and excellent photos.

[Pancho]

Thanks for the write up - I need the inspiration.

I'm going to have to do it myself sometime - the route passes pretty close to me.

[LEE]

Is it easy to navigate?  I'd probably take a GPS but it would be nice if the way was well signed

[Martin]

Is it easy to navigate?  I'd probably take a GPS but it would be nice if the way was well signed

pretty much; it becomes RUPP/ Byway for some of the bit around the W Sussex / Hants border and leaves the footpath in favour of a few short on road sections but generally it's a case of just follow the blue signs.

+1 about it being extremely hard; I did it a week after my first 600; after all it's only 100 miles....

well done Hatler, as you say you'll never have to do it again; I've been meaning to go back and do it over 2 days but it's not happened so far.

[Riggers]

Very nice report Hatters, and I admire your stoicism and riding it on your own. It's one of those rides enjoyed(?) I think with a chum or two, so you can drink in the views together. Did the Winchester to Devil's Dyke route last year, and have done the Devil's Dyke to Eastbourne a couple of times. There's a lot of 'treeline' around the West Sussex Downs which can often hide magnificent views and my preference has always been for the East sussex Downs which are far more open. As you say, the lumpy house-brick slog out of Jevington can leave you drained as you bounce up it rather than ride a clear path up it. The previous long slog after Alfriston leads up round passed the Long Man of Wilmington which rests on the slope over to your left, which you can't see from the track.

[Riggers]

Lee? I've found this website which might prove very useful to you and to others. Looks extremely comprehensive on areas that one might reasonably dither over for directions. Excellent stuff.

bikedowns.co.uk Cyclist guide riding bike South Downs Way

The link came from ant55y who posted it on the CTC Forum website

[hatler]

I used a Harveys Map for navigation. The whole route on one map. You get a great sense of achievement every time you have to turn a page.

[hatler]

Thanks all for your nice words. I'll try to respond to each of them where appropriate when I get some spare time.

[hatler]

Excellent report and the stuff legends are made of. You'll remember that for a long time. Makes me want to do something similar near me, or perhaps in Wales.
Well done and excellent photos.

Thank you. In hindsight, I didn't take enough photos.

Thanks for the write up - I need the inspiration.

I'm going to have to do it myself sometime - the route passes pretty close to me.

Start planning now for June next year. In fact, put three or four dates in the diary in case the weather is wrong. I did no training as such for this other than my commute (10 miles each way with a little hill) and occasional runs up a tarmac route up the South Downs towing a small child on a trailer bike.

Is it easy to navigate?  I'd probably take a GPS but it would be nice if the way was well signed

Most of the route is very well signed, but a map gives you a decent warning when the path takes an unexpected turn to the left or right. One signpost had fallen over and it was not obvious from the way it had fallen which way it was pointing. Another was pretty well hidden in the undergrowth. I had a bit of an advantage because I've done the first two thirds three times in the last three years, so I'm pretty familiar with the route.

well done Hatler, as you say you'll never have to do it again; I've been meaning to go back and do it over 2 days but it's not happened so far.

That's sort of my plan. Head back and soak in the route over a long weekend. Not sure when though.

Very nice report Hatters, and I admire your stoicism and riding it on your own. It's one of those rides enjoyed(?) I think with a chum or two, so you can drink in the views together. Did the Winchester to Devil's Dyke route last year, and have done the Devil's Dyke to Eastbourne a couple of times. There's a lot of 'treeline' around the West Sussex Downs which can often hide magnificent views and my preference has always been for the East sussex Downs which are far more open. As you say, the lumpy house-brick slog out of Jevington can leave you drained as you bounce up it rather than ride a clear path up it. The previous long slog after Alfriston leads up round passed the Long Man of Wilmington which rests on the slope over to your left, which you can't see from the track.

The previous attempts have all been with friends, and whilst that has some distinct benefits (company, encouragement, shared tools/pump, etc), it does mean that you are more likely to be slowed by mechanicals. On the last run we managed four punctures in the space of two miles. That really knocked the stuffing out of us. But, as above, when I get to do it again it will be over a long weekend with friends.

And I agree with you about the Eastern end of the Downs, the openness means some stunning views.

[hatler]

A little update or two.

After much diary shuffling a plan to run this again over two days with three buddies came to nought; we couldn't all do the same days.

Aha !   Light bulb came on and caution thrown to the wind. Result ?

I spent Thursday and Friday two weeks ago doing this with one of them and Thursday and Friday of last week with the other two.

Amazingly we managed to pick holes in this fantastic weather we've been having and both times we completed as planned. Photos to follow.

Roughly : -

Take 1  Two of us. Train to Winchester arriving at 06.40. Overcast, the odd spit of rain, very windy. One puncture. Brunch at the QE II Country Park alongside the A3.

One absolutely magical moment. I found myself cycling alongside a barn owl for about 100 yards. It was about 20' to the left of me and slightly ahead. Wow.

Made it safely to The Sportsman at Amberley for 3.45pm. Great evening meal and limited number of beers. Deep chats about all sorts of stuff. Next morning, huuuuge full English fry-up (whoops). Out of the door and straight up Rackham Hill (approx 250m climb). Still overcast. Lunch (sandwiches bought at the Truman Show style village shop in Amberley) atop Streat Hill at about half distance. Sun came out here and stayed with us to the end. I am now absolutely sure that the second half is harder than the first half. Confirmation that the climbs out of Alfriston and Jevington are absolute pigs. That out of Jevington is like cycling up someone's rockery.

Take 2  Three of us. Same train to Winchester. Grey, occasionally clearing skies, but the trail was very wet and very slippery. After just three miles I was doubtful I'd be able to complete as my tyres aren't great in the mud. Still, it didn't rain any more and we kept plugging on. I've never really done off-road mud like this before. That lovely sensation when you put the rear brake on and the pads shovel the accumulated filth onto the back of your ankles. Yum.  Made Amberley in time for tea and scones. Another great evening meal at the same pub. They have a shed for locking bikes in and a hose to clean them off. (But no masseur - dang !) The sun came out and we sat on the terrace overlooking a large flood plain, half expecting to see herds of wildebeest. Had to make do with a few Jersey cattle and an odd deer or two. Avoided the full English the next morning (porridge instead) and set off in something approximating to sunshine with the promise of no rain and clearing skies (according to the Beeb). First spots hit us about 10 miles in and this steadily increased. At Truleigh Hill we stopped for water and took shelter under a tree. It was grey, damp, cold and very dispiriting. Turning out of there was like entering a wilderness. Got somewhere north of Brighton and found a delightful tea stop in an NT farm. Spent an hour there wrapping ourselves around toasted bacon, brie and tomato sandwiches, out of the rain and the cold. Underway again and we were caught (horrors) by three women who had arrived at the pub the previous evening well after us and were heading the same way. They had kept going through the rain. A brief bike fettling session followed (brakes and gear adjustment) and we were off again, waterproofs packed away. Only a few miles further on and we were caught in another really heavy downpour, but we toughed this one out and kept going (weren't going to get caught again !)

Once that was over it got brighter and brighter until the sun poked through and stayed with us for the rest of the route. Glorious views, no-one else around, fantastic company, laugh a minute stuff. A late lunch to reduce the load we were carrying on top of a hill overlooking Lewes (now named Pork Pie Hill), then down to Southease with the prospect of only three major climbs. As good as home (not). The last three climbs really do take the stuffing out of you. But there can be no finer sight than the concrete blocks of Eastbourne as you crest the rise out of Jevington.

Phew.

I won't be doing it again this week though.

[hatler]

The bug bites.

Mrs hatler and two of the 'caravan crew' (friends from Blackberry Wood) are heading off to do the last quarter of the SDW this weekend.

We've been a frenzy of puncture repair, wheel removal, etc instruction these last few days.

Great news.

[PaulF]

She's chosen a great weekend for the weather!

Wish her luck!

[Riggers]

With a westerly wind it'll be  but if it starts to rain on Sunday, it might be a bit 

Good luck to them!

[hatler]

Mission accomplished. The wind on Saturday made for some exciting moments apparently, there were more than one or two involuntary departures from the marked route.

The stretch from Streat to Alfriston is effectively a tea shop wilderness, so imagine their delight when they came across an open house at Southease that was raising funds for the local church restoration by offering tea and cake.

Both B&B and pub in Alfriston were great and the short final leg to Eastbourne was uneventful. They managed to hit Jevington just as it started raining so they saw that shower out in a tea room.

No punctures. No mechanicals bar a lost bolt in a pannier rack that was fixed with gaffer tape.

The only problem was at Eastbourne station where, because of the massed thousands of L2B cyclists spilling over from Brighton looking for a train home (not a single one), they were unable to catch the train to Plumpton, so had to be collected.

All in all a great result.

[hatler]

A bit later than promised, but here are photos of the two rides last Summer.

Take 1

What lay ahead of us in the early morn.


Breakfast


No, we didn't


The two of us somewhere



Take 2

Can you see the wildebeest ?


Low point on top of Truleigh Hill


Obligatory poppy shot


Pork Pie Hill


Nearly there


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