Eastbourne and
Wealden’s brand new Coast & Country Walking Festival starts this week from 27 September to 5 October, and we can't wait to see some of the highlights which range from foodie tours
to Bloomsbury art.
Featuring more than 70 guided walks - most of which are
free, the nine day festival will showcase the sights, sounds and
tastes of the South Downs National Park, Sussex Weald and stunning Eastbourne
coastline.
Ranging from Nordic Walking to
photography and even a brewery walking tour, foodie fans can browse the Farmers
Market on the Proms and Pickles tour, or discover behind the scenes with
tutored tastings on the Two Brewery Tour.
The fascinating full day tour stops at the Beachy Head Brewery, home of
the ‘Legless Rambler’ and Long Man Brewery in Litlington – the team behind the
charity Craft Pier beer, raising money for Eastbourne’s fire damaged pier.
Walks range from short family walks to strenuous day-long
hikes with more than half of the walks on offer being completely free of charge.
For those seeking more of a challenge, Great Outdoors
writer, Daniel Neilson, will take walkers on one of the more steep and
strenuous free walks from the foot of the South Downs cliffs in Eastbourne to Beachy
Head, Birling Gap, Friston Forest and past the mysterious Long Man of
Wilmington, discussing a range of subjects including outdoor writing and
walking gear.
Fans of Victorian architecture can enjoy a free Victorian
Eastbourne walk and discover many historical gems along the way, or a free walk
along Pevensey Levels sees the eerie ghost port remains of the continuing
thousand year battle between man and sea.
In Hailsham, the opportunity to try out Nordic walking
includes a special torchlit tour along the Cuckoo Trail. A fitness sport with walking poles that uses
90% of skeletal muscles, Nordic walking is increasing in popularity, and a more
progressive walk through the Seven Sisters Country Park should also offer a
great challenge and some fantastic views.
A photographic tour along the Cuckoo Trail may provide great
inspiration to begin a new hobby, or for art lovers, the Abbots and Artists
tour is the perfect walk from the market town of Alfriston to the monastic
grange at Alciston and its magnificent tithe barn, finishing with a visit to
see paintings by the Bloomsbury group of artists at Berwick Church.
Several seafront walks include the opportunity to raise
funds for charity including Promenade of Pride on 28 September, raising money
for the Royal British Legion, and Sussex Association for Spina Bifida &
Hydrocephalus SASBAH Stroll on 4 October.
The Coast & Country Walking Festival is organised by
both Eastbourne Borough Council and Wealden District Council.
Free walks include:
- On the Edge of Sussex
(with Great Outdoors Magazine) 27 Sept
- Fore Twos are Eight (Butts
Brow to East Dean with Gill Mattock) 27 Sept
- Bede’s Coastal Path (with
Age Concern Walking for Health) 27 Sept
- Victorian Eastbourne (with
architect Richard Crook) 27 & 28 Sept
- Downs, Cliff & Forest
(Long Distance Walking Association) 28 Sept
- Promenade of Pride (Royal
British Legion sponsored walk) 28 Sept
- Nordic Progression Walk at
the Seven Sisters Country Park (with Peter Williamson) 28 Sept
- Photographic Walk along
the Cuckoo Trail (with Hailsham Trust) 29 Sept
- Two for the Price of One
(Eastbourne to Birling Gap with Gill Mattock) 29 Sept
- Hampden Park Healthy Walk
30 Sept
- Hailsham Nordic Walk
Taster Session (with Nigel Bentley) 30 Sept & 3 Oct
- Inns, Inning & the
Ghost Port (Norman’s Bay & Pevensey Levels with Graham Kean) 2 Oct
- Shinewater Healthy Walk 3
Oct
- SASBAH Stroll sponsored
walk 4 Oct
- Abbots and Artists (Alfriston to Bloomsbury church paintings at Berwick, with Graham Kean) 5 Oct
Charged walks include:
- Two Breweries Tour 27 &
28 Sept
- Various seafront, Beachy
Head, pub and history walks (with Harry Pope) 27/28 Sept & 4/5 Oct
- To the Manor Bourne
(Eastbourne Historic Old Town Group) 29 Sept
- Where the Bourne Springs
(Eastbourne Historic Old Town Group) 30 Sept
- From Proms to Pickles
(Eastbourne to East Dean Farmers Market) 1 Oct
- Nordic Walk on Cuckoo
Trail by Torchlight (with Nigel Bentley) 3 Oct
- Berwick to Arlington Ramble (with Nigel Bentley) 5 Oct
Many walks are free of charge, however booking is required
on all walks. For more information or to
book a place, visit www.SussexWalkingFestival.org.uk.
