Stage 8: Kingston to Alfriston
Stage 8 means that we are tantalizingly close to finishing the South Downs Way westward: 88 miles of the 100-mile long trek completed by the end of this walk. In all our walking thus far, we've seen plenty of sunshine but never seen the South Downs dressed for midsummer as we did last weekend, on Sunday 9th July 2023. This was the walk of wildlife: the flora and fauna of Sussex in summertime on full display from Swanborough Hill, through Southease to the sea. There were snails underfoot and butterflies galore, and wild flowers everywhere: poppies and heather, knapweed and mugwort, cowslip and clover, thistle and agrimony, bindweed and ragwort. It was a riot of colour, and snapshots from my phone don't do it justice at all. The song of the skylark was our anthem throughout the day. It sounds idyllic. And it almost was. Except there were cows. And there was a bit of rain. And a lot of hills. I know I shouldn't be surprised by the hills by now, but there we are. Since we kn