SDW: Petersfield to Cocking

 

So a fairly early start to get to Waterloo for a 9am train to Petersfield. All went fine, I had a half-hour wait for my bus from Petersfield. Pleasant small town, quite affluent, has a statue of William III (William of Orange) in the town square.

Waited and waited, no bus. Called Stagecoach and they couldn’t tell me if it was cancelled or not. It mattered because they only go once an hour. Chatted a bit to a woman on the bench next to me, husband died of a heart attack on a cruise last year after 63 years together. He was a diplomat and they were always moving and travelling to different countries. She was waiting there for her son to pick her up to take her back to his house for the afternoon. Nice lady, didn’t look elderly but I suppose she must have been. Got the whole life story. 

Some other bloke told me the bus had broken down, so I walked to the station and got a taxi, an hour and a half after arriving. Good job I did as it would have got pretty late otherwise. I didn’t get to the start of the walk until nearly midday as it was. The first bit was very nice, a country park with beautiful woodland. Bright sunshine but not hot. 

Reached Harting Hill and there about six or seven parapenters there, enjoying the thermals. 

Had a chat with Mum and then a chat with Og as I walked. A bit muddy in places but I managed to walk most of it in my trainers. Hardly saw a soul most of the way, just a few people walking a variety of lovely dogs. There was a view from some points but mostly it was small roads or farm tracks.

My hips were hurting a bit by the end of the walk (which, by the way, was much longer and with twice as much ascent as the official website said). I think the hips thing maybe be because the ground is chalky and quite hard underfoot despite the mud. My trainers are fortunately quite bouncy. At the end I did an unnecessary mile into the nondescript village of Cocking because I didn’t have a signal to check where the bus stop nearest to the path was.  Never mind. It meant a shorter wait for the bus.

The last stretch

View from the bus

Arrived in Chichester in golden evening light. Walked past the cathedral and through its lovely gardens to get to my Airbnb. 

The B&B I’m in for tonight and tomorrow night is very nice - an attic room in someone’s house, with my own bathroom. Nice retirement-age couple. Friendly and welcoming After a shower I popped out to the nearest Indian for some sag paneer but it was disgusting - cheap melted cheese instead of the usual squeaky cubes, and a creamy sweetish sauce. Mere traces of spinach. Yuk. Didn’t eat most of it. They’re making me a cooked breakfast in the morning for 8.30 - similar distance tomorrow but will have the morning too of course, so more time to stop. Didn’t sit down at all today as there wasn’t much time. Better do some stretching tonight.