Notice the reduced mileage today? This is the danger of staying in pubs at night. It’s hard to get a saturated Bunny up in the morning. The rates for a night in a pub have gone up way faster than the stated inflation rates. We flat out refused to pay for a few we got prices for. If you’re going to pay as much as is being asked right now, you’re going to stay until the last minute, which is what we did.
The pub was outstanding. The food was excellent. The staff was friendly and courteous. The one hitch we found was that the pub has new corporate owners. Big business has finally invaded the English countryside. I hate big business and their profits over all else so some prick in a tower can get a 7 figure salary and has zero contact with customers.
Let’s get back to the English countryside. Turns out, we are just 3 miles (one village) ahead of Bear and Sassy. Our late start trying to get our money’s worth from “the man” worked out well for us meeting them at the junction of our side trail and the SDW. Reunited after 3 days apart. I’ll admit, Bear looked well for not having a valet the last 3 days.
Speaking of valets, there is a Victorian era manor house just a half mile off the trail from where we were reunited. Rumor has it, there’s also a cafe there. That’s all it took for me. Bear and Sassy have not watched Downton Abbey, but I started working on them last night about visiting the manor. Bunny wanted to hold out for Highclere Castle, but I convinced her, bird in the hand…
Once Bunny discovered a shortcut back to the trail from the manor house which didn’t require her backtracking, she was in. Off we headed to Uppark House. It was worth the chance of death walking on the shoulder of a busy highway until we got there to see it was closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays—including the cafe. Score: 0-1.
One of the benefits of the “shortcut” back was that it took us above tower hill which is aptly named for the unfinished tower there. I saw a mowed path off the “private” road which was our path and headed up to the tower. We could only see the top of the tower from the fence row. Behind said fence row was what appears to be the common denominator in all ruins in England. Viking marauders couldn’t take the hill, but the sheep have. They may seem peaceful enough, but they are quietly winning the long battle for Great Britain.
The minute Bear and I opened the gate to get closer to the ruins, a Tower time frame period appropriate Land Rover pulled up and asked what we thought we were doing. This is not public property or a public right of way. I did what you might think I would. No! I didn’t throw Bear under the bus and say he told me it was OK. I pleaded ignorance and apologized. We all did. When he heard our funny accents, he said no worries. Take your pictures and head on. Americans without cars are a rarity in these parts.
Once back on the trail, we entered the Harting Downs and would be in them for the next 4 miles. Downs are actually Ups. It’s a mixed up world in England. The downs are the rolling hills on the ridges above the valleys which contain the towns. This is also the area that was inhabited and fortified during the Iron Age.
A day or two ago, we passed an Iron Age hill-fort on Winchester Hill. Today we passed a formation from the Bronze Age called the Devil’s Jumps. It a series of ceremonial burial mounds which are aligned with the setting sun on the summer solstice. You might complain about getting so many calendars at the start of the year, but you can throw them out. These old calendars are cluttering up the English countryside and have been for millennia. Let’s not even get into leave no trace.
Beside the mounds stands a tower. It’s an obvious observation tower to get you high enough to see the six (or seven) mounds depending on the numbering system you are using. On the 4th step from the bottom is a sign that reads “No unauthorized persons beyond this point”. Rather ambiguous to Bear and me. Did they mean don’t go beyond this step on the ground? Who has the authority to authorize persons? With this much ambiguity, we felt confident in climbing the tower. It was not worth the risk of disobeying the law for the second time today. We could see six (or seven) mounds from a slightly higher angle.
One thing I have neglected to mention today was rain. Rain in England is not like the middle of the US. When the rain starts in the Midwest, it can go for days nonstop. Rain in England lasts for as long as it takes for you to take off your pack, get out your raincoat, put on your pack cover, put on your raincoat, put your pack back on, and walk 50 feet. If you neglect these steps, the rain will last for up to 20 minutes. If the weather detects your getting cocky in your calculations, it will hail. It’s best practice to just follow the proper steps. I merely mention this in passing because we experienced a few, brief periods of rain and we followed the proper steps in order. All was well.
Bunny and I still hadn’t decided where we were going to head to today. We came to a divide in the trail while I was looking at the map trying to formulate a decision. The trail had a high side and a low side. Sassy said “you take the high road and I’ll take the low road.” I was looking at the next town which I read as Cockring. This is a long winded way of saying I got an ear worm in my head for the rest of the day—“you take the high road and I’ll take the low road and I’ll get my cock ring before you.” Innocent enough until I noticed the town was Cocking and it just sounded mildly perverted.
Another trail highlight today was the giant chalk ball in the trail. A few years back, an artist made 4 giant chalk balls and placed them along the trail, partly for art, partly for science to see how well chalk weathers. Bear and I almost passed the ball up, mainly, because it was starting to rain. We were only 2, maybe 3 tenths of a mile from the next cafe, just prior to the Cocking (no R) turn. I decided to skip rain protocol and push on. I talked Bunny into joining my folly. Bear and Sassy didn’t break protocol.
The weather gods were not happy with the flaunting of the rules. The rain kept increasing. We didn’t slow down. The rain turned into a pour. We picked up our pace. The rain threw in some hail. We were committed to making the cafe. The wind picked up. We were too soaked to change our minds and follow protocol. A car turned onto our track. We saw it and moved aside where there was no puddle. It blew on by. The rain got colder. We made the turn to the cafe and got inside the exact moment the rain stopped. The time was 4:01.
Why do I mention the exact time? Because the cafe closed at 4:00. There is no slack on closing times. The woman said she had already shut off the register and coffee machine. We stepped outside just as Bear and Sassy caught up. They were much wetter than us. They had not stepped aside into a puddle free zone as the car blew by them at full speed throwing water 4’ high onto them.
We stood outside the closed cafe while Bear emptied his shoes off all the water. The woman closed the gate on the outside yard, crossed the path, and went to her house as two bicyclists came up asking for drinks. She turned away 6 customers in the rain so she could go to her house 50’ away. Closing time is at 4. When will she reopen? Some time between 8 and noon tomorrow.
Bunny doesn’t handle adversity well. In the moment, she thinks the way she is feeling right now is how it’s going to be forever. Right now, she was wet and cold. Therefore, she’ll be that way all night, unless we get a room in a pub to dry out. We had already talked about this exact scenario today. We knew we were going to get rain near 4 and then there would be no more rain the rest of the day and night. The sun was already shining. I was starting to dry. Now you know why we’re staying in a pub in Cocking tonight. Bunny has an R.
EFG