I have just arrived home from two full days of hiking on the Sussex Border Path, boy did I choose well! I caught the train from Portsmouth to Hastings and then a bus to Bodiam. I camped, the site was over a mile away but a very pleasant grassy track with the River Rother to my left. I camped (£10, it did the job) and then walked back to Bodiam. Had a couple of beers and a meal, then walked back to my campsite. In the morning I walked back to Bodiam and had breakfast in the pub, then started my walk. The path goes through the grounds of Bodium Castle, I lingered a while here which is a very attractive place and then strolled on. The weather was perfect, a slight breeze and it was sunny.
The path was excellent, for most of my route it felt as if I was in a very rural area, just passed the odd house and farmyards. The route was not difficult, on the flat and up and down nicely rounded hills and except for a couple of villages kept well away from any population. Most of my walking was on grass, it was so comfortable! I eventually got to Hawkhurst and had a short rest, just watched the traffic and the people strolling by. I strolled, the views were great, everywhere was so very green, loads of bluebells and attractive woods to stroll though as well.
I camped the night near to Bewl Water, just south of Tunbridge Wells. One feature was very obvious as I walked along, loads of very attractive and very expensive individual houses, in their own grounds, with large lawns everywhere. Also, a lot of very expensively converted oast houses. All of the houses seemed to have highly polished and expensive cars on their drives as well. Mostly, Audi's it seemed to me.
Whilst on the campsite it rained very heavily for a while and was raining in the morning when I packed and set off again. I had to walk alongside Bewl Water for a few miles and eventually strolled through an area of young men and women limbering up to row on the lake. Is it called skulling, long very narrow boats with oars? The car park seemed to be full of highly polished Audi's as well, the cars and the fit and 'polished' young people seemed to fit each other very well.
The sun came out and the rest of the day was similar to my previous day, lots of rolling hills, woods, few roads, etc. I had a run in with a small group of cows that harassed me from one side of the field to the other. At one point I had to through my rucksack over an electric fence and then crawl under. My back touched the wire and I felt a large thump in my back! Later, I had to fend off a horse who took a fancy to my hat, pulled it from my head twice and then tried to eat my rucksack! To get across the field I had to prod him away with my hiking stick. I met the landowner, a nice chap, very polite, showed me the route out of his farmyard, so why do many of the ones I've met en route seem to wear the 'farmers uniform', a checked shirt, gold coloured rimmed glasses, brown easy care trousers, brown brogues and a flat cap.
I got to Crowborough earlier than expected so rather than camp and kill time until today I just caught a bus to Brighton, then a train home to Portsmouth. For me a really great two days! I did not see any other walkers in two days! Only a few people in the couple of villages I passed through.