Having reached the top of Wolstonbury Hill the rest of my Sussex Day walk could only be downhill.
I considered the best way home, I could go west and down to Newtimber and Poynings and catch the bus. However that would have meant crossing the busy A23 which I wasn’t keen to do.
So instead I headed east, a path lead south a short way from the top of the hill and joined an east-west path which slowly descended towards Clayton. About half a mile along the path, another path lead north, into some shade and continued downhill and eventually out onto New Way Lane.
About a quarter of a mile east was the village of Clayton, there were only two things I knew about Clayton, the railway tunnel and the twin windmills of Jack and Jill. I discovered there was also a lovely little church with some quite stunning wall paintings, and a splendid graveyard with wonderful views of the South Downs, in fact it was almost on the Downs.
A path lead north from Clayton along the side of the railway line for about a mile, straight to Hassocks railway station, not surprising really considering it was following the railway line. It was just after four o’clock when I arrived at Hassocks railway station, just enough time to visit the local newsagents to buy some more drink, before catching a train to Brighton and a bus home.
-
- Descending Wolstonbury Hill
-
- Looking down the path towards Clayton
-
- Jack and Jill windmills, Clayton
-
- The entrance to Clayton Tunnel
-
- Clayton Church
-
- The wall paintings inside Clayton Church
-
- Clayton churchyard with the South Downs beyond
