Stage 5: Amberley to Steyning
A special walk, this one: not only taking in parts of the South Downs Way which are closest to home and most familiar, such as Chanctonbury Ring, but also organised to coincide with significant birthday celebrations of a certain Strictly Lady Lloyd. Hearth Father dropped us at Houghton Bridge at around 8.45am on the 27th December 2022. We were just about ready to blow off the cobwebs and slough away the post-Christmas and Boxing Day sluggishness. It's fair to say that we were running a little later than we'd planned, having discovered that we are now both very relaxed about a mere half-marathon-length walk. When we began walking the South Downs Way, preparations rivalled those of antarctic expeditions. These days I barely remember to bring a water bottle (let alone the picnic blanket that might have come in useful at the top of Chanctonbury Ring). Views from Amberley Mount looking back We passed by the Arun River once more and regained the South Downs Way behind the tea room