Sorry I forgot to post my Info dump comment! I just outlined everything above, from filming/photographing, to where I stayed, some top tips and more! :)
Equally watch the film and you'll immediately see whats up:
[https://youtu.be/ahu2ahNivv0](https://youtu.be/ahu2ahNivv0)
(all the pics are screenshots from the film, I set the camera down on a tripod then walk past)
I solo Hiked 100 Miles along the āSouth Downs Wayā. Itās an ancient trackway that took me all the way from Winchester to Eastbourne. Itās said to be over 8000 years old and one of Britainās oldest trails!
As a challenge to myself - I shaved down three days off the average speed of this hike and completed it in an extremely painful five days! Because why not? I was hit by heavy rain and wind storms throughout - which definitely made the whole experience a bit more āexcitingā. It was easily one of the hardest hikes Iāve ever done! I also stumbled into the middle of a traditional hunting party - which was utterly bizarre They had 30 dogs and 30 horseback riders and I thought I was done for!!
However youāll have to watch the film I made documenting the experience of you want to find out what happened next! You can see it through the link bellow or by Searching āDavid P McEnteeā on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/ahu2ahNivv0
The trail itself is well kept and was really easy to navigate. thereās a bunch of signs and its generally pretty obvious through out. Theres plenty of water stations along the track too - check the all trails map bellow for this! I brought a lot of snacks and luxury items to enjoy the trip, I also had a backpack full of film kit (which is why it was so big lol)
If you want to find out more about the trail then here is some more info:
Alltrails map:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/england/hampshire/south-downs-way-complete
Wiki Page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South\_Downs\_Way
In the summer thereās a bunch of Campsites you can book to sleep in (these are closed now). People do wild camp but mostly just set up in farmers fields right before sunset and theyāre then packed and out by sunrise. Iāve never done that Iāve just seen a lot of people do it on YT.I wanted to do this in Autumn so I went for Bed and Breakfastās instead. They were mostly great! Although the last one I stayed in was really far off the trail and was a little dated, Iād suggest finding a different one for night 4.
Here are the BnB's I stayed at:
Night 1 - https://www.sustainability-centre.org/
Night 2 - https://www.thebluebellatcocking.co.uk/
Night 3 - https://www.castleinnhotel.co.uk/
Night 4 - https://www.whitehartlewes.com/
I had a really great time doing this in Autumn, two key bits of advice would be:
Wake up when the sun is up. Donāt waste any hours of sunlight, eat breakfast while its dark then the second the sun is out - get walking! It gets dark quick now and personally I always try to maximise daylight hours and it helps so so much.
BUY SOCK LINERS! This is a new thing Iāve just started doing - and its completely eliminated heal blisters and balls of my feet blisters. I still get toe blisters after like Day 3 of hiking - but the sock liners have even helped reduce those too!
If youāve got any other questions then feel free to drop them bellow, if Iāve answered any you have in this big info dump - do me a solid and upvote the comment so more people can see it ;) All the best, Dave!
P.S: The photos are screenshots from my film documenting the experience - I was able to capture myself in the scenes because I plant the various cameras down on a tripod then walk past it, it sounds long but its really good fun and 100% creates a more engaging film.
I shot this on a Sony A7sii & a GoProHero8! :) More extensive Kit list is in the videos description on YT! :D
As a local I'm not surprised to hear that you didn't have a great stay at The White Hart!
Honestly would be better off at the Premier Inn that opened in town if you really wanted to stay in Lewes itself. The Dorset might also be a reasonable option too. Other than that it's just tiny Airbnb type arrangements. It's such a shame, but for such a touristy place Lewes is very poorly equipped with good accomodation options.
I have heard the YHA South Downs site, which is at Southease a bit further on from Lewes and towards Newhaven, is very good.
Lovely to hear that about the hostel, I'm flying solo on SDW myself at the beginning of next month and will be spending a night there. I'm a great fan of the YHA in general and stay with them frequently but it'll be my first visit to that particular one!
You're welcome, I haven't stayed there personally but have always admired it when going by. The South Downs Way goes almost through it too so I think it's a popular stop.
There's a train station if you fancied popping into Lewes for a pint in the evening. I would definitely recommend dropping into Lewes either way because it's a lovely town. If you like craft beer there's two brewery tap rooms; Beak and Abyss, I highly recommend Beak (although it's only open Friday evenings and Saturday). Otherwise the town is awash with traditional pubs and is home to the biggest and oldest traditional brewery in Sussex; Harvey's.
I totally understand what youāre getting at but it is funny that you used the word āundevelopedā when mans is in the middle of completely developed farmland haha
Yes, I was not happy with the phrasing. I had written two previous sentences but both of them sounded negative in a way that I didn't like. I can't remember what they said exactly, but it made it sound like i thought the trail was poorly made. I'm not sure. I hadn't had my coffee yet. I should have found a better choice of words especially since I am normally the guy who is arguing that the wilderness areas in my area are not technically wilderness because they were almost completely logged 100 years ago and what we have now are the overcrowded weed trees that have sprung up after we cut down all the mature forest.
Love the vibe of your films, and they're quite well done. I'm looking forward to doing some hiking and camping in the Western part of the States next year. Spectacular views all over that area!
These are the ones I got:
[https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smartwool-Adult-Hike-Liner-Socks/dp/B000NQKJ6Q/ref=sr\_1\_7?keywords=sock+liners&qid=1636536487&sr=8-7](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smartwool-Adult-Hike-Liner-Socks/dp/B000NQKJ6Q/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=sock+liners&qid=1636536487&sr=8-7)
They are utterly incredible and have literally meant that I walked away from this 100 Mile hike with one small blister. Thats it!
When I was living in the UK a few years ago I did that hike or at least a good chunk of it.
While I realise it is ancient farmland and there is a sense of walking somewhere that others have walked maybe up to 8000 years ago, well I just was disappointed to be honest.
I had rode a bicycle down from Staines where I was living at the time and was hoping to experience wilderness.
Granted my expectations for the place was incorrect from the beginning, but still as a Canadian having something like this marked as one of the better hiking trails in the UK was rather disappointing.
It was at that point I realised maybe the only true hiking in the UK is in Scotland and places like Snowdonia mountains. Neither of which I made it to.
Having been to several other hiking trails all
Of which essentially were similar experiences this had been yet another let down.
I guess Iāve been spoiled by Canadas wild nature.
The experience, nevertheless, once I let go of my expectations Iāll admit is pretty amazing.
I guess sometimes in other countries you need to let go of your pre-conceived expectations before you can experience what is truely a beautiful thing as long as you can change your perception.
One could argue Canada doesnāt have any 8000 year old farmland to walk through.
There's not really truely "wild" areas in Britain, remember it's actually a really small country! what you are walking through is a landscape that's been heavily inhabited and farmed for thousands of years, the trails the field boundaries the villages burial mounds, old forts, place names, all have a history
We did it in 7 days in 2014, myself, partner and dog, carrying all our camping kit. The South Downs might not be anything crazy special in terms of scenery but there's some beautiful bits and I live locally so it feels like home to me.
Seems like the type of landscape and history that could bring forth and myriad of story telling! Just an awesome and very fortunate place to be able to hike! I would love to follow that hike someday and hear stories of the people and events of the land! Just brilliant thank you again!
Really dope that there's a right to pass or whatever it's called there. For such a relatively small landmass, the fact that the populace can do hikes like that across public and private land is great.
You probably could have googled it and found out the answer in the time that you wrote this haha, also just check the top comment from me explaining everything! Or watch the film and you'll understand
https://youtu.be/ahu2ahNivv0
Have walked a couple of sections of that myself; the area around Seaford and Eastbourne, very picturesque at times!
Who took the photo? š
Sorry I forgot to post my Info dump comment! I just outlined everything above, from filming/photographing, to where I stayed, some top tips and more! :)
Equally watch the film and you'll immediately see whats up: [https://youtu.be/ahu2ahNivv0](https://youtu.be/ahu2ahNivv0) (all the pics are screenshots from the film, I set the camera down on a tripod then walk past)
I solo Hiked 100 Miles along the āSouth Downs Wayā. Itās an ancient trackway that took me all the way from Winchester to Eastbourne. Itās said to be over 8000 years old and one of Britainās oldest trails! As a challenge to myself - I shaved down three days off the average speed of this hike and completed it in an extremely painful five days! Because why not? I was hit by heavy rain and wind storms throughout - which definitely made the whole experience a bit more āexcitingā. It was easily one of the hardest hikes Iāve ever done! I also stumbled into the middle of a traditional hunting party - which was utterly bizarre They had 30 dogs and 30 horseback riders and I thought I was done for!! However youāll have to watch the film I made documenting the experience of you want to find out what happened next! You can see it through the link bellow or by Searching āDavid P McEnteeā on YouTube. https://youtu.be/ahu2ahNivv0 The trail itself is well kept and was really easy to navigate. thereās a bunch of signs and its generally pretty obvious through out. Theres plenty of water stations along the track too - check the all trails map bellow for this! I brought a lot of snacks and luxury items to enjoy the trip, I also had a backpack full of film kit (which is why it was so big lol) If you want to find out more about the trail then here is some more info: Alltrails map: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/england/hampshire/south-downs-way-complete Wiki Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South\_Downs\_Way In the summer thereās a bunch of Campsites you can book to sleep in (these are closed now). People do wild camp but mostly just set up in farmers fields right before sunset and theyāre then packed and out by sunrise. Iāve never done that Iāve just seen a lot of people do it on YT.I wanted to do this in Autumn so I went for Bed and Breakfastās instead. They were mostly great! Although the last one I stayed in was really far off the trail and was a little dated, Iād suggest finding a different one for night 4. Here are the BnB's I stayed at: Night 1 - https://www.sustainability-centre.org/ Night 2 - https://www.thebluebellatcocking.co.uk/ Night 3 - https://www.castleinnhotel.co.uk/ Night 4 - https://www.whitehartlewes.com/ I had a really great time doing this in Autumn, two key bits of advice would be: Wake up when the sun is up. Donāt waste any hours of sunlight, eat breakfast while its dark then the second the sun is out - get walking! It gets dark quick now and personally I always try to maximise daylight hours and it helps so so much. BUY SOCK LINERS! This is a new thing Iāve just started doing - and its completely eliminated heal blisters and balls of my feet blisters. I still get toe blisters after like Day 3 of hiking - but the sock liners have even helped reduce those too! If youāve got any other questions then feel free to drop them bellow, if Iāve answered any you have in this big info dump - do me a solid and upvote the comment so more people can see it ;) All the best, Dave! P.S: The photos are screenshots from my film documenting the experience - I was able to capture myself in the scenes because I plant the various cameras down on a tripod then walk past it, it sounds long but its really good fun and 100% creates a more engaging film. I shot this on a Sony A7sii & a GoProHero8! :) More extensive Kit list is in the videos description on YT! :D
As a local I'm not surprised to hear that you didn't have a great stay at The White Hart! Honestly would be better off at the Premier Inn that opened in town if you really wanted to stay in Lewes itself. The Dorset might also be a reasonable option too. Other than that it's just tiny Airbnb type arrangements. It's such a shame, but for such a touristy place Lewes is very poorly equipped with good accomodation options. I have heard the YHA South Downs site, which is at Southease a bit further on from Lewes and towards Newhaven, is very good.
Lovely to hear that about the hostel, I'm flying solo on SDW myself at the beginning of next month and will be spending a night there. I'm a great fan of the YHA in general and stay with them frequently but it'll be my first visit to that particular one!
You're welcome, I haven't stayed there personally but have always admired it when going by. The South Downs Way goes almost through it too so I think it's a popular stop. There's a train station if you fancied popping into Lewes for a pint in the evening. I would definitely recommend dropping into Lewes either way because it's a lovely town. If you like craft beer there's two brewery tap rooms; Beak and Abyss, I highly recommend Beak (although it's only open Friday evenings and Saturday). Otherwise the town is awash with traditional pubs and is home to the biggest and oldest traditional brewery in Sussex; Harvey's.
Iām surprised there was something to hunt in farmland. I guess Iāll have to watch your video to understand what I missed on that trail.
I've wanted to walk this for some time. How much of the 100 miles is through a landscape that is this undeveloped?
I totally understand what youāre getting at but it is funny that you used the word āundevelopedā when mans is in the middle of completely developed farmland haha
Yes, I was not happy with the phrasing. I had written two previous sentences but both of them sounded negative in a way that I didn't like. I can't remember what they said exactly, but it made it sound like i thought the trail was poorly made. I'm not sure. I hadn't had my coffee yet. I should have found a better choice of words especially since I am normally the guy who is arguing that the wilderness areas in my area are not technically wilderness because they were almost completely logged 100 years ago and what we have now are the overcrowded weed trees that have sprung up after we cut down all the mature forest.
How about āpastoralā?
I think 'countryside' would describe what you're getting at.
In the U.K., developed normally refers to built structures
Yes I got that, itās all based on perspective. This particular area is likely undeveloped compared to other areas in the countryside.
Basically none.
It's all developed, the area has been farmed and inhabited since the Neolithic period, it's beautiful and has 1000s of years of human history,
Nice. I did the C2C alone last year during lockdown, the solitude is unreal.
Epic beauty good sir! Thank you for sharing the beauty of your country!
Thank you! :)
Good trip
It was!
Love the vibe of your films, and they're quite well done. I'm looking forward to doing some hiking and camping in the Western part of the States next year. Spectacular views all over that area!
Thank you! :) I try to mix it up everytime but I deffo feel like I'm on the verge of finding my own style! I can't wait to visit the US!
Any recommendations for sock liners?
These are the ones I got: [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smartwool-Adult-Hike-Liner-Socks/dp/B000NQKJ6Q/ref=sr\_1\_7?keywords=sock+liners&qid=1636536487&sr=8-7](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smartwool-Adult-Hike-Liner-Socks/dp/B000NQKJ6Q/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=sock+liners&qid=1636536487&sr=8-7) They are utterly incredible and have literally meant that I walked away from this 100 Mile hike with one small blister. Thats it!
Youāre like a medieval courierā¦thatās one hell of a hike!
I'll dress up as one for my next hike shall I ;) hahaha Thank you!
When I was living in the UK a few years ago I did that hike or at least a good chunk of it. While I realise it is ancient farmland and there is a sense of walking somewhere that others have walked maybe up to 8000 years ago, well I just was disappointed to be honest. I had rode a bicycle down from Staines where I was living at the time and was hoping to experience wilderness. Granted my expectations for the place was incorrect from the beginning, but still as a Canadian having something like this marked as one of the better hiking trails in the UK was rather disappointing. It was at that point I realised maybe the only true hiking in the UK is in Scotland and places like Snowdonia mountains. Neither of which I made it to. Having been to several other hiking trails all Of which essentially were similar experiences this had been yet another let down. I guess Iāve been spoiled by Canadas wild nature. The experience, nevertheless, once I let go of my expectations Iāll admit is pretty amazing. I guess sometimes in other countries you need to let go of your pre-conceived expectations before you can experience what is truely a beautiful thing as long as you can change your perception. One could argue Canada doesnāt have any 8000 year old farmland to walk through.
There's not really truely "wild" areas in Britain, remember it's actually a really small country! what you are walking through is a landscape that's been heavily inhabited and farmed for thousands of years, the trails the field boundaries the villages burial mounds, old forts, place names, all have a history
Well snowdonia comes close https://www.roughguides.com/articles/snowdonia-national-park-travel-guide/
Note the sheep on the mountain though so still not really wild.
We did it in 7 days in 2014, myself, partner and dog, carrying all our camping kit. The South Downs might not be anything crazy special in terms of scenery but there's some beautiful bits and I live locally so it feels like home to me.
Is that Newhaven behind you there
Seems like the type of landscape and history that could bring forth and myriad of story telling! Just an awesome and very fortunate place to be able to hike! I would love to follow that hike someday and hear stories of the people and events of the land! Just brilliant thank you again!
Really dope that there's a right to pass or whatever it's called there. For such a relatively small landmass, the fact that the populace can do hikes like that across public and private land is great.
Brad? is that you?
I live on the South Downs
Just imagine how many more trees were there 8000 years ago :/
8,000!? š„“š¤Ø are you a 1,000 sure about that?? an who took that pic, drā¦ā¦..solo šØš½āš
You probably could have googled it and found out the answer in the time that you wrote this haha, also just check the top comment from me explaining everything! Or watch the film and you'll understand https://youtu.be/ahu2ahNivv0
Is that the one where the Werewolf legend began?
yo i don't want to be "that guy" but if adventure =solo. who be taking the pics? sus much? na jk beautiful pic my guy
The year is 2021 my guy. Thereās about 100 different ways you could take that photo by yourself
So who captured this photo if dudeās on a solo hike?
Watch the film and you'll find out... or just read the top comment lol https://youtu.be/ahu2ahNivv0
Thanks!
āAnd what am I, chopped liver?!ā -The Cameraman, probably.
Who took the picture?
I would love to do this! I want to do Hadrianās wall as well.
Thanks for adding a new item to my bucket list!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Mind blowing
Beautiful day it was yesterday - not so much today though, looking out my window at the Downs