What's Another Little Hike.....

I don't think I've ever been so busy in a single month...the great weather continues and since I have nowt else to do...and knowing I will need every bit of Serotonin provided by the sunshine to see me through the winter...I'm getting out as much as possible!

So then....a hour by bus to the Souths Downs....Walking west from Cocking to South Harting following the South Downs Way....7 miles and 4...count them...4 bloody great hills...sorry, why do I do this again...Oh yeah, this is why:

Hill No. 1 Cocking Down

After the long walk along the Down I entered woodland, at the edge of which the Devils Humps can be found...A Bronze Age burial ground dating back 3,000 years

Largely these are big lumps of earth and unfortunately not much was ever discovered in them....ie no million pound hoard of ancient artifacts as just found up in Staffordshire.....fyi the two hills at the center of the picture I will be walking over later.


Back in the woodland there is a shrine for a German Pilot in WWII who was shot down on the first day of the Battle of Britain August 13th 1940


Out of the woodland and looking back at Treyford Hill


Walking up the hill near Buriton Farm...Hill No. 2


Looking back at Treyford and Didling Hill...from whence I came


Upon reaching the top I realised that the steep incline in front of me was where I was headed next


The valley in between


Halfway up Hill No. 3 Beacon Hill...looking back on my journey...A Kit Kat wouldn't go amiss right about now...alas I only had an apple


During my rest to re inflate my lungs I heard a helicopter approaching and flying very low...A Chinook appeared seconds later and then spent the next few minutes carrying out various maneuvers over the surrounding Downland.


Finally I reached the top of Beacon Hill, 242 metres may not sound like much but it was the third time I'd reached such a peak today so I was little chuffed and most definitley puffed.


The view south...the hazy landmass in the distance is the Isle of Wight


Pausing before taking on hill No. 4


Damn this was steep.....extra care was taken due to my habit of taking a tumble before major events.


The view of the Village of South Harting and nearby Ruin from Harting Down...Hill No. 4 and the end of my journey......


Shortly after I took this picture my legs took on a jelly like consistency and so I lolled on the grass in the late afternoon sun before my lift showed up.