The highlight of the week was on Friday, which was Jessica’s 23rd birthday, so I went over and her family got a take-away curry in for lunch and then we all went to watch Harry Potter at the cinema.  It was nice to have a Friday off work too!

This morning I went for a nice cycle ride at 9:30am.  It was quite tough in places, well, tough for me, I’m sure that a steroid induced rider would have found it simple.  It was a nice ride, through the flowing countryside of the Ouse Valley here in East Sussex.  I left Newhaven and went along the A26 and A27 to Beddingham and Gynde, then down the lane, past Gyndebourne Opera House to Ringmer, and then through Lewes and down the valley past Iford, Rodmell, Southease, Piddinghoe and back to Newhaven.  It was 19.9 miles, which saved my lazy week as far as cycling is concerned.  The hill from Glynde to Ringmer via Glyndebourne was a real git!  But I feel better for it; especially now I’ve had a nice lunch!

Hailsham Pond on Tuesday Evening

Riding to Brighton from Saltdean on Sunday afternoon

Monday 21st May – Walk (1 mile) – 17 Stone 8lbs, 18lbs total
Tuesday 22nd May – Polegate – Shawpits Bridge (10 miles)
Wednesday 23rd May – Rest
Thursday 24th May – Hellingly – Horam (7 miles)
Friday 25th May – Rest
Saturday 26th May- Hellingly – Horam (7 miles)
Sunday 27th May – Rest (Rain)

When I say the “whole thing”, I mean the “original” Cuckoo Trail from Polegate to Heathfield. This is about 11 miles (18km) long and is gently uphill all the way from Polegate to Heathfield.

The weather on Monday and Tuesday was foul, so I didn’t manage to get out the house really, but things chirped up on Wednesday, and I managed to get out….

When I say it’s 11 miles, the total I did was 23 miles, as I had to ride back, as it’s a linear ride…. (I know 11 x 2 ≠ 23!)….. I think 15 miles would have been more appropriate, and I also feel it wasn’t too clever to leave (in error!) my energy drink at home. Whoopsy!

It’s taken me two days to recover

I don’t think I’ll be doing the Horam to Heathfield section again…. it’s about 50% suburban, through the outskirts of Heathfield, and there are several crossings. By far the prettiest section is Horsebridge to Horam. The Polegate to Hailsham section was a first time for me, quite short but quite nice.

Here is the map and the data plots:

I was completely exhausted after! I am ok now (although generally tired!), and went for a ride to loosen up a bit, around Seaford, just the 4.5 miles, this morning.

Tomorrow I will ride to my parents’ house, from Shoreham-by-Sea, up the “Downs Link”, for the first time.

My first is an easy ride, from Barcombe Mills in East Sussex, on a short loop.

Barcombe Loop GPX for Satnav

The ride starts at TQ4307514930 which is a small road, just off of the main road from the A26 to Barcombe Cross. I have always parked by the cottages here. Alternatively you could use the main Barcombe Mills car park, just south from here.

Leave the car and head north on Barcombe Mills Road for about 100m until you reach the old level crossing. Here you will see a “Licenced Bridleway” starting on the right. Note the old level crossing gate still in the undergrowth on the left hand side of the bridleway, just before the new gate, and next to it, the sign regarding the right to use the railway “in times of flood”. You probably noticed the 6ft high depth gauges on the way to the parking area, showing how the road regularly floods.

Head down the bridleway, which, if you hadn’t guessed, is the old trackbed of the Uckfield to Lewes line, which was closed in the late 1960’s. The Wealden Line Campaign and local MP’s have long been trying to get this 7 mile stretch reopened.

The bridleway is about 1 mile long. Be careful of tractor ruts, admire the bridges and be aware that, almost at the end, the farm track diverges to the left, and you have to go through a narrow section, which is more overgrown, but perfectly passable. It is in this section where a wide old railway bridge is hidden away.

You will soon arrive at Anchor Lane, where the railway lines are still in the road! Note “Keepers Cottage”, now a private residence. The trackbed is privately owned and used as some sort of timber yard here, so continuing to Uckfield is not an option! You could turn right, and 200m down the lane is the attractive Anchor Inn, where you can hire boats to take out on the river. There is a nice field over the bridge, where maybe you could have a picnic, or maybe you just fancy a pie and a pint in the pub! I haven’t been there myself, but it looks popular. They have a website, which has lots of info on it.

Turn left at the crossing, past Keepers Cottage and continue on a slight incline down Anchor Lane. This has been quiet when I have used it, but I can imagine that you do get quite a few cars down here on a summer Sunday! It is single track with passing places, so take care. The incline is only slight, but there are some steeper bits, so it’s probably not the best for your first ride of the year, but most people should manage it with no problems.

Bend to the left and shortly you will be heading back down the hill. Be aware of the bend to the right, I almost met a Land Rover coming the other way!! You will soon arrive at Spithurst Road (TQ4232316347), turn right and coast down to the bridge of the Bevern Stream (Clappers Bridge).

Select a low gear for the final puff up to Barcombe Cross mini-roundabout. There are some local shops etc here. This is the main part of Barcombe Village, which is actually a village in three parts. The small place actually had two stations, both now closed.

Turn left at the roundabout and shortly you will be heading down a quite steep hill, back to the start. On the right, opposite the start of the bridleway, you can see the old station, now a private house, which was, for a time, a pub.

A nice, short ride, which is suitable for almost everyone!

The diet/exercise is going ok though, over 1 stone (7.26kg to be precise) lost in six weeks, and, as you can see, that’s well below my target weight!

Bank Holiday Monday 7th May – Rest – 17 Stone 13 lbs, 13lbs total
Tuesday 8th May – Hailsham to Almost Horam (7 miles)
Wednesday 9th May – Rest (Rain)
Thursday 10th May – Rest (Rain)
Friday 11th May – Barcombe – Anchor Lane Loop (3.25 miles)
Saturday 12th May – Hellingly to Horam (7 miles)
Sunday 13th May – Rest

Yay for me! Just got to keep it up now! Yesterday was a "rest" day from the biking, and today I did a nice 3 mile ride around Cooden. Maybe tomorrow I will try something more adventurous!

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