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Some of Britain's best hiking is to be found on the high chalk
ridges or 'downs' of Sussex. Starting from the historic county
town of Lewes, for the first two days our route follows the South
Downs Way National Trail to the English Channel coast. Here the
Downs end abruptly at the famous chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters
and Beachy Head.
Further east on our route is the site of the Battle of Hastings
where in 1066 the invading Duke William of Normandy defeated the
English king Harold and changed the course of English - and world
- history. The little town of Battle grew up around the abbey
founded by the site of William's victory. Hastings itself was
in the middle ages one of the confederation of Cinque Ports, and
here fishing boats are still winched up the beach to the fishmarket
with its picturesque black 'net shops'.
Eastwards from Hastings the 'Saxon Shore trail' first follows
a line of dramatic sandstone cliffs where deep wild wooded valleys
sweep down to the rocky shore, then crosses the flat sheep pastures
of Romney Marsh to the two 'Ancient Towns' of Winchelsea and Rye.
Rye is indeed a gem, with its cobbled lanes - including the celebrated
Mermaid Street and quaint houses. The town has many other attractions,
including extensive views over Romney Marsh to the sea. Here at
Lamb House - open to the public just two afternoons per week -
the novelist Henry James lived from 1898 to 1916. For those on
the longer 7-night tour our route strikes inland from Rye for
two days across the orchards, hopfields and woodlands of the High
Weald to the magnificent moated castle of Bodiam (a National Trust
site, open daily - click
here for more on Bodiam), and the pretty whitewashed timberclad
houses of the market town of Cranbrook. A little way outside Cranbrook,
and also maintained by the National Trust, is Sissinghurst Castle
Garden, made famous by Vita Sackville-West. The garden is open
to the public 5 days each week.
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Seven
Sisters and Rye- tour details 2014
A Discerning
Traveller self-led hiking holiday
Duration. 5 or 7 nights.
Tour code: X5 or X7.
Dates. Start any date April to mid-October.
During some periods accommodation can be heavily booked. Please give alternative
dates if possible. If you wish to include a visit to Sissinghurst Castle
Garden (National Trust) near Cranbrook (night 7 of this tour) please note
that this is closed on 2 days every week. In 2009 the closed days are
Wednesday and Thursday.
Grade. Moderate. Daily distances range up to 20km/13 miles. Some
gradients on the South Downs Way (days 2 and 3) and Saxon Shore Way (Day
5) are steep and strenuous. However days can readily be shortened by using
buses, trains or taxis. Routefinding is generally easy on the well-marked
coastal paths (days 2,3,4); field and woodland paths in the Weald (days
6 and 7) require close attention to our detailed route notes.
Train stations. Start of tour Lewes; end of 5 night tour Rye; end
of 7 night tour Staplehurst (bus or taxi from Cranbrook).
Train service. To the starting point at Lewes there are hourly
direct trains from London Victoria via Gatwick Airport. Journey time from
Victoria 1 hour; from Gatwick 30 minutes. At end of 5-night tour hourly
train service from Rye: for Gatwick change trains at Hastings; for London
change at Hastings or Ashford. At end of 7-night tour hourly train service
from Staplehurst to London; for Gatwick change trains at Tonbridge.
Airports. The nearest international airport is London Gatwick,
where the train station is in South Terminal. From London Heathrow travel
to Lewes via London Victoria (underground from Heathrow) or via Gatwick
Airport train station (bus from Heathrow).
Overnight stops. 5 night tour: night 1 Lewes; 2 Alfriston; 3 Hastings;
4,5 Rye; 7 night tour: nights 1 to 5 as 5 night tour; then night
6 near Bodiam Castle; night 7 Cranbrook.
Accommodation. Specially selected guest houses or 'B&Bs'. En suite
or private facilities can be guaranteed throughout the tour on payment
of a supplement. Please enquire for details.
Meals included. Breakfast each morning; other meals can be obtained
locally without pre-booking.
Extra nights. These can be included at any point on the tour at
the time of booking the holiday. We already include an extra night at
Rye, which is a beautiful historic town from which many excursions
can be made.
An extra night at Lewes provides an opportunity for visits to the
nearby coastal resort of Brighton (20 minutes by train) or to the Glyndebourne
opera house. Please enquire re price of extra nights at any point: we
charge cost price plus a small commission.
For those who would like more opportunity for hiking on the South Downs
Way National Trail and other fine footpaths we suggest an extra night
at Alfriston (normally night 2). For those on the 5 night tour
who would like to include a visit to Bodiam Castle (open every day throughout
our season) or Sissinghurst Castle Garden (closed Wednesdays and Thursdays
in 2009), these can easily be reached by bus (no bus service on Sundays)
from Hastings (normally night 3). Battle Abbey and the adjacent site of
the 1066 battle (both open to the public every day) are only about 6 miles/10km
from Hastings and can also be easily reached from the town by train
(7 days per week) or by hourly bus.
Factsheet. These are more detailed information sheets, one for
each tour, which can be obtained from The Discerning Traveller before
booking. The Factsheet code for our Seven Sisters and Weald of Kent
tour is FSX. Enquiry
form
Seven
Sisters and Rye - tour prices 2014
- X5E (5 nights, ES or private facilities every night). £530.
SRS*: £100. STS**: £125.
- X7E (7 nights, ES or private facilities every night). £630.
SRS*: £120. STS**: £155.
- Extra nights: £45 per person per night.
- SRS* = single room supplement (applicable when 3 or 5 persons book
together).
- STS** = single traveller supplement (applicable when booking is
for one person only).
- Prices quoted are per person on basis of two people in double or twin-bedded
rooms. Included in the price are bed and breakfast each night, with
baggage transfers, maps and route directions. ‘ES’ (en suite) facilities
means that there is a private bathroom with shower or tub and toilet
within the main door of your room. ‘Private facilities’ means that the
private bathroom is outside the main door of your room. When the booking
is made for a party of 3 or 5 customers, a single room supplement is
payable. When the booking is made for a single traveller, a single traveller
supplement is payable. Maximum one single room per booking.
We also offer walking tours in Dorset (Dorset
Coast and Purbeck Ridgeway and
World Heritage Coast), and in the Cotswolds.
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About self-led hiking and walking tours
Click here for The Discerning Traveller
Home Page.
Our postal address is The
Discerning Traveller, 38 Canal Street, OXFORD
OX2 6BQ, United Kingdom.
Telephone and fax 0(044) 1865 515618. E-mail:info@discerningtraveller.co.uk
www.discerningtraveller.co.uk
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