On Sunday 22nd June, ten of us set off on a circular walk from Seaford Golf Clubhouse, Blatchington to Bishopstone across the Downs.

 It was a  breezy, sunny day and much cooler than the day before, We rang the bell before crossing our first fairway  on the golf course. Then we reached the bridleway that goes slightly uphill between trees and shrubbery. After crossing two more fairways, we went along a path that leads to Paul Earl’s Seat which is above Rathfinny Vineyards. Here we turned southwest passing fields of wheat and we enjoyed lovely views of the countryside as we walked downhill. Skylarks were singing above our heads. At the bottom, there was a small area of lovely bright poppies. We walked along a narrow overgrown path, through a gate to more open land leading to Norton Farm.

 At this point, we were joined by three more members who had managed to catch us up. At Norton Farm, our exit gate was blocked by sheep. However two sheep obligingly moved aside for us and the rest didn’t mind  us. After Norton, we continued southwest on a chalky path with more  glorious views and Bishopstone Church in the distance. Near the top of the hill, we crossed grassland to begin the descent through woods to Bishopstone. Here, we enjoyed a late coffee break sitting outside St Andrews churchyard. We saw a female blackbird and many butterflies flitting around us. After that, we walked up Silver Lane and took a narrow pathway on the left. This  led us back to the restricted road that runs along the southwest of the golf course. Then we were only a few minutes away from Firle Road where we had parked our cars. A walk of about 5 miles was led by Hazel.