With a major change in the weather bringing a chance of rain, 10 walkers set off from Southease station uphill on the South Downs Way. At the top of the hill, Tony, the walk leader, pointed out the various homes of Virginia Woolf in the area and how various times she would have crossed our route travelling to her homes and post offices, train stations and her sister’s home at Charleston.  We walked along the SDW past Firle Beacon parking area where we had our morning break; sitting down overlooking Firle and Glynde, our final destination.  We then descended into Firle Plantation, actually a wood, along a seemingly ancient deep path. We eventually made our way down to the Coach Road and then headed into Firle. We detoured to the church, mainly built in the early 1200s, to see the Piper stained glass window and the Gage Altar Tombs along with the graves of Woolf's sister, Vanessa Bell and of Duncan Grant.  We then passed Virginia Woolf’s first house in the area, which she shared with her sister as a holiday home in 1911. In her words: “an eyesore”. From there it was across the cricket ground and out along the busy A27. After a short distance we were off on the Glynde road and a brief wait at Glynde station for our train home.  Fortunately (for us) the rain stayed away and we had a pleasant walk.