Emma Cornthwaite hikes the South Downs Way

My name is Emms Cornthwaite, I am ‘Mrs Yes’. My lovely and wildly adventurous hubby started SayYesMore and The YesTribe and now I help him run them.

I have travelled and worked all over the world, often leading teenage groups or groups of runners or trekkers to developing countries to explore new cultures and raise awareness for global issues… yet for all of my travels, I have never really done a solo adventure. There never seemed to be the ‘right time’ (or so I told myself) but since Covid-19 halted all my work projects, I started thinking that maybe now is the time.

Adventure Prep

Choosing the route was easy - I grew up in Hampshire and The YesBus has been based within shouting distance of the South Downs National Park for three years so I thought, Boom! I’ve always been curious about the path and it made sense for my first solo trip walking and camping alone, that I do it in an area not too far from ‘home’ and where I knew there were people based not too far away if I got myself into any bother.

Timing was opportunistic as Dave was heading off for two weeks for his first job since the start of lockdown and my diary was flexible, and it just so happened that the weather also looked super sunny with temperatures in the 30’s for the whole week.

The retro National Trail Guide I was following backwards!

I decided I was going to go for the hike only three days before I set off and only spent about two hours in front of a laptop doing research, which mostly consisted of reading other people’s blogs. I figured there was no need for weeks of planning for an adventure so close to home and if I thought about too much I might talk myself out of it.

I had done no training (having sat on my bum the majority of lockdown!) and had no plan other than to follow a South Downs Way guide book from 1996 which I found in the Adventure Library on the YesBus… but had to follow it backwards as the route in the book went west from Eastbourne to Winchester and I decided to go the opposite direction.

Being a National Trail, I knew there’d be plenty of info out there - I found these National Trail leaflets really handy - and the signage on the trail was super easy to spot and follow the whole way, so I barely needed to use the guidebook.

Map courtesy of Cicerone. For an interactive Google Map with my saved spots scroll all the way to the end

With a dear friend and YesTriber leaving England the following weekend I decided to start on a Sunday and aim to finish by the next Saturday morning.

Originally, I thought 100 miles - over 5 days - 20 miles a day sounded like a decent challenge and definitely doable… I just didn’t account for the relentless hills and apocalyptic weather which dramatically altered my plans!

The only planning I really felt the need to do for this trip was how to travel to the start in Winchester and then how to get home from Eastbourne after I’d finished. I eventually settled on parking up at my mum’s in Southampton, begging for a ride to the start, then catching a train once I’d finished back to get my van.

I wrote a vague post on The YesTribe Sussex and YesTribe Hampshire group walls for tips from anybody who had done the South Downs Way and was blown away by the amount of comments I received - lots of advice on favourite spots to look out for and offers of help for parking, lifts, water, showers, camping spots and plenty of well wishes saying what a beautiful trek it was. With this I was fuelled with positivity for the journey and was ready to roll.

It is worth noting that The YesTribe is an ever-evolving online community of people all over the world and the group exists to encourage and empower individuals to become more brave, kind and curious and to make life memorable. This is a personal account of my through-hike of the South Downs Way and the help I received was purely good luck of having kind folk nearby who were able to help on that particular day. The YesTribe community can always be relied upon for advice and good feels during a journey but please remember not to depend upon acts of kindness during the planning of your adventure - just to welcome them if they appear.

Gear

Here is a list of exactly everything I carried with me and would recommend taking if you’re considering the trip yourself…

A backpack with lots of external pockets and straps is super handy

The majority of my kit, minus clothes and food

35L backpack with plenty of pockets similar to this one (mine was a cheap and cheerful number from Mountain Warehouse about 10 years ago. No need to spend loads of money)
Trekking boots - definitely recommend having a solid boot with thick soles and ankle support. I read horror stories of blisters due to the uneven and harsh rocky trail and luckily I only got a tiny one under my toe thanks to the awesomeness of my boots! I’ve got KEEN waterproof trekking boots and I swear by them
Walking poles - I had barely any experience with these beforehand but they really helped my ankles and knees on the hills, especially towards the end of a long day and to prevent ‘walkers’ fat hands syndrome’! I borrowed this Leki lightweight set
For Sleeping: I borrowed a RAB Ridge Raider Bivi Bag from my friend Keith, took a lightweight sleep mat by Thermarest, a lightweight 2 season sleeping bag and a small and very squishable travel pillow
For sun protection: Factor 50+ sunscreen spray and a tiny 50+ face and lip sun stick from Decathalon. A sun hat, SayYesMore Buffs x2 and Sungod polarised sunnies - important as you spend a lot of time exposed to the elements and the chalky path is super bright
For eating/drinking: a small Jetboil, a spork, a lighter, mora knife (or penknife), a SayYesMore enamel camping mug, a 2 litre water bladder + two external 1 litre water bottles
What did I wear? The weather was super hot so I was aware of feeling breezy while avoiding chafing as much as possible! I wore leggings and a loose running top, walking socks & had a lightweight rain jacket stashed in an external pocket for a quick access if needed. I had a lightweight BAM hoody and BAM top, quick dry and lightweight shorts for the evenings, which I also slept in. I chose bamboo clothing as it’s lightweight, super soft and warm but also moisture controlling (in case I was sweating a bunch!). I took 1 spare pair of socks and 2 spare pants so I had a fresh pair in the evenings while washing the worn pair - no need to take a full week’s worth of underwear!
Gadgets: iPhone (on airplane mode while walking to save battery), smart watch recording activities (mine is a Suunto 5), PowerTraveller battery pack and solar panel. I did take my kindle but when it didn’t leave my bag for the first 3 days, I decided to part with it when I stopped over with a friend so I didn’t have the extra weight for no reason
First Aid Kit: I made up my own of blister plasters, Deep Freeze gel, ibuprofen, antihistamines, muscle tape and contact lens solution
And of course, a toothbrush, toothpaste, small bottle of shampoo (which doubled up as soap/shower gel) and my Mooncup (yep! it was my lucky week!)

Ok… that was everything! All except…

Food!

Who needs a meal plan!? I went to Tesco the morning I left home and bought a few packets of ‘just add water’ meals like macaroni cheese and cup-a-soups and some nut-free nature valley bars.

I then emptied my fridge of anything that would last a few days in my backpack such as celery, cucumber, sugar snap peas, apples, a whole pack of brie and bananas.

I thought I had a stroke of genius so boiled a few eggs as I thought they’d make good protein snacks too but tiny bits of shell did end up going everywhere in my bag. Needless to say, I didn’t really plan my meals very well but assumed I’d come across some shops and cafes along the way. Also took teabags and hot chocolate and coffee sachets we have collected from hotel rooms on our travels!

I find I don’t eat well early in the morning or when I am hot or exercising so I didn’t eat as much as I thought I would. I mainly snacked on veggies and cereal bars during the day and either grabbed a pub meal or a kind local friend supplied evening dinner :)

Water

There are plenty of official National Trail water taps situated fairly obviously along the trail. It’s well worth saying that many campsites, pubs and cafes along the trail are also more than happy for you fill up as you pass. As you walk the trail, you’ll cross many many MANY farms which have water troughs for cattle that are fed by mains water. You might want to boil this before drinking it though.

This link to the South Downs Way National Trail Guide to Drinking Water was super handy and I have plotted my own water stops on my map at the bottom of the page.

**Please note that I walked the trail during Covid-19 (mid August 2020) when many shops, pubs, hotels, campsites and hostels have different operating times and many weren’t open at all. If you are relying on any of the locations for food, water or shelter, always call ahead to check as these are constantly changing times and I’d hate to think that you were stuck stranded somewhere outside a closed sign after a long day.

The Summary of the Journey…

Day 1 - Winchester to Beauworth - 9.5 miles - half day - 32 degrees, not a cloud in the sky

Day 2 - Beauworth to Buriton - 17 miles - full day - 33 degrees - lots of ups and downs

Day 3 - Buriton to Cocking - 11.5 miles - half day - 35 degrees - heat exhaustion and rescue mission!

Day 4 - Cocking to Washington - 17 miles - full day - 34 degrees - a day of picnics, friends and ice cream

Day 5 - Washington to Pycombe - 12.5 miles - half day - 24 degrees - well rested and far easier conditions

Day 6 - Pycombe to Alfriston - 22 miles - full day - 23 degrees, moody weather - perfect for the longest and most exposed day

Day 7 - Alfriston to Eastbourne (via the inland route) - 10.5 miles - half day - 23 degrees and stormy - The first mistake of the trip on the final day (see below!)

Day-by-Day Happenings

Day 1 - I set out super chilled with no goal, only a willingness to see how I got on. No real plan, no idea of the distance I would cover, I just walked. I walked from 4pm to 8:30pm in 32 degree heat. When it started to get dark, I happened upon a pub so camped in their garden.

It was my first solo ‘wild camp’ in the UK and felt perfectly safe as all was quiet. It was a Sunday night during Covid times so the pub was shut and there was nobody there to ask permission. An old chap happened to walk by so I asked him where I might find someone to ask and he said just go for it, they wouldn’t mind so I thanked him and tucked myself into a corner of the field.

I set up my bivi bed and used the jet boil for hot water, enjoyed Mac ’n’ Cheese and a hot chocolate, a chunk of brie & some celery for dinner and felt thoroughly happy with myself. I sent a pin location to fellow YesTriber and good friend Stace Martin because he messaged to check in and said that someone should know where I was, just in case. I then buttoned down and set an alarm for an early start to beat the heat and leave early before anyone found my secret spot.

Night 1 Sleep Spot: wild camping in the pub garden at The Milbury’s Pub - thank you lovely (albeit unknowing) hosts!

Day 2 - Today involved a bit of country road walking to get out of the Winchester and Meon Valley areas. I met a couple of cyclists but generally nobody else as it was super hot. I did meet a guy traveling very light on a bike who was planning to cycle to Eastbourne and back again within 3 days so I was very impressed.

Lots of steep ups and downs, which were tough going in the heat but it was lovely to see Hampshire, where I had grown up, from a totally new angle. Lots of forest and woodland sections around the area so the shade helped with the heat.

I learned not to hang all your hopes on what people say - a cyclist will always have a different perspective of what is far away verses a walker! It was a hearty 30 degrees and I was on a mission to make it 11 miles during the morning to the Sustainability Centre for lunch. Note: their cafe has limited hours during Covid and was closed when I got there.

A nice kind cyclist told me the centre was ‘really close! Just over there, at the top of the hill at those pylons’ and so I struggled up the hill to the pylons, so ready to stop, and the centre was nowhere to be seen! It was a mile or so beyond the pylons and I was kicking myself for putting so much hope on what the helpful cyclist had said. Anyhoots, I made it to the Sustainability Centre and collapsed in the camp site under a tree where they had a compost loo and drinking tap within easy reach.

I had planned to do 19 miles but stopped at 17 that day after being offered a safe front garden to sleep in. I had stopped part way up a hill to take a photo of a gorgeous act of kindness - a lady was packing away a cute table, dressed with checkered tablecloth and fresh flowers adorned with big jugs of water and cups with a sign that said ‘Help Yourself’.

On closer inspection, there was another sign on the table that said ‘homemade flapjacks —> help yourself’. She was so kind! I got speaking to the lovely lady, Chris, who sets out this spread every day for tired travellers on the trail and she said there were no campsites nearby. Chris, her husband, son and two adorable dogs can be found on the hill on the way up Quarry Walk, just south of Buriton.

Night 2 Sleep Spot: in Good Samaritan Chris’ front garden next to her veggie patch and table of kindness!

Day 3 - This day was a scorcher - 35 degrees! I got up early to put the miles in and was glad I did as it was 33 degrees by 10am. I was struggling. The hills were tough but the long exposed sections with no shade were the killers.

I met a pair of local runners and that was all as it was so hot. Nobody was as mental as me to try the conditions it seemed! I found a temporary water bowser/tank which said ‘Drinking Water - Boil Before Use’ so I figured this was a perfect opportunity for a shower using my SayYesMore mug! I could rinse off 3 days of salt on my skin while also drenching myself to cool down. I dumped my bag and it was cool and GLORIOUS!! After that came a solid 2 hour hike with zero shade and I was ever so grateful for the now soaking wet sun hat and re-applied factor 50+!

By the time I reached Cocking I was utterly spent and starting to see double. Up until that point I had been reluctant to stray off the path into villages because it would often mean adding on 2 miles and a downhill to get there, plus another 2 miles and an uphill to get back onto the trail. But I made an exception for Cocking, firstly because I was starting to feel unwell due to the heat and also because the village name made me chuckle!

I was heading for a pub in Cocking called The Blue Bell (cue: more giggling) in hope of finding shade, iced drinks and lunch to replace some salts. I got there and must have looked like death, the first thing the bar lady said to me is ‘we don’t do food on Tuesdays’. I didn’t care by this point, ordered 2 pints of squash with lots of ice and sat outside in the shade for an hour to cool down.

Four pints of squash later I decided to call it a day, the heat was so intense and I had some sore spots on my lower back where my bag was rubbing the seams in my leggings. I put a distress call out to the local YesTribes asking if anyone knew anyone nearby who might let me shower with their garden hose and camp in their yard and within 3 minutes I had a phone call and a knight in shining pick-up-truck on his way to rescue me! I took the afternoon to chill, catch up with Nick who let me shower, use his washing machine and set up a gorgeously comfy picnic blanket under a tree in his back garden while his curious chickens investigated their new intruder!

Night 3 Sleep Spot: In YesTriber Nick Burrows’ bell tent in the back garden after he came and rescued me. But it turns out there is a camp site at Manor Farm with shepherds huts to hire right on the path at Cocking

Day 4 - An early start after a much needed rest (I think last night’s Chinese takeaway help restore some salts) and I was back on the trail by 6:30am after Nick dropped me back to Cocking (hehe). Super hot day!

Suzanne (another gorgeously kind and infectiously smiley YesTriber) met me for lunch after I’d done 10 miles, she brought a picnic and a tub of Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream so we lay under a tree in the shade catching up on each others’ news - heaven!! Suzanne had become my unplanned and impromptu support crew from this moment forward, which I was ever so grateful for - she even let me sleep there for half an hour before I set off again and she promised to come and find me to bring dinner later that evening.

I had planned to meet with my dear friend Vicky to camp overnight at an official site. The plan was for her to pick me up from wherever I got to that day but I made it all the way to Washington, which was awesome. I thought I had at least 4 more miles (about an hour and a half walking at my pace) until I got there but just after I messaged her to say so, I saw a sign which might as well have said ‘Vicky - 1 mile’.. Oh my gosh! Only 1 mile!?! My calculations were way off!!

I was so excited I practically ran down the hill into the small town of Washington where I knew she’d be waiting for me. Suzanne visited us in the campsite and brought us some yummy homemade aubergine curry for dinner and we enjoyed a lovely evening of giggles. This was my first real campsite of the trip and I really valued a hot shower to press the ‘relax and reset’ button of my body. I realised my lower back injuries were much worse now after a long 17 mile day of continuous rubbing and the thunderstorms were looming on the horizon as the sun went down.

Night 4 Sleep Spot: Washington Caravan and Camping Park - All the facilities of a Caravan Club site, families everywhere, parking, it’s opposite a pub which is handy, they do dog agility during the summer, a stream passes through so you can dip your tired feet and there’s a charging hut where you can plug in your electronics and shelter from the weather.

Day 5 - A restless night’s sleep thinking about whether to take a break or to continue plus, the open wounds on my lower back meant finding a comfy position was tricky. I decided that the forecast for three days of thunder and lightning plus my injuries were a recipe for infection, which wasn’t a fun prospect.

As I had to be done by Saturday, I knew I wouldn’t reach the end in two days anyway so I decided to rest up, heal my wounds and tackle the second half next week… so I took the next 4 days off. I spent them lying on my front watching nostalgic movies whilst nibbling Suzanne’s lemon drizzle cake, then had to catch a train back to Winchester where I’d left my van at my mums (it felt like forever since I’d left on that first day of walking) and headed to Wiltshire for a weekend with my migrating friend Janey surrounded by good friends, dogs and ponies - the perfect way to rest and recover!

Fast forward to Monday, four days later - technically my SDW Day 5 - up early, drive back to the YesBus, leave the van, grab backpack and get trekking again. I was picked up at The YesBus by the lovely Suzanne once again who took me back to Washington where we walked the first 6 miles together before she headed back to her car.

She did so well as she hadn’t trekked in months and shot straight up the first hill with me, our paces were perfectly matched. It was then I realised that although I had set out to do this journey solo, the adventure was made far more enjoyable by the people who had met me along the way and answered my calls for help.

Day 5 was a great day of walking, I think it was because I was so well rested and I got a good send off from a beautifully happy and kind friend.

That night I rocked up at the National Trust Saddlescombe Farm outside Poynings. I’d read they had a campsite but couldn't find details on how to book it so I crossed my fingers as I wondered in at 7pm! A blackboard at the gate to the camping field said it was fully booked, my heart sank into my throbbing feet.

The rain was coming, the temperature had dropped 10 degrees since last week, there were no other campsites around and I really didn’t fancy wild camping if I could help it so I went in search of someone who worked there. Luckily I found a lovely Hagrid lookalike who was locking up for the night and he graciously let me into the campsite where 7 other people had verbally booked but not shown up - excellent! I set up my bivi in the field and headed off a mile down the hill in search of a hot pub meal to balance a day of snacking on little things.

A little tip - the fish and chips in The Royal Oak pub in Poynings is the BEST I have had in years! Not to be missed if you’re in the area!

Night 5 Sleep Spot: National Trust Saddlescombe Farm, £10 per person in an honesty box. Loo with hot water taps but no showers. During Covid, they are limited to 10 people per night as the camping field is tiny. The sign said fully booked but 7 people didn’t show and as I arrived late in the day, they said I could stay. Worth calling ahead first if you can.

Day 6 - The heavy rain had finally found me overnight and so it took forever to pack up a wet camp and get going. I knew I wanted to cover 21 miles which would be my longest day so I tacked it in three sections: Poynings to Falmer (10.5 miles), Falmer to Southease (7 miles) and finally Southease to Alfriston (7.5 miles). Stopped for ‘breakfast’ at midday at a motorway food van where the trail crosses the A27 and later stopped to brew a cup of tea under a footbridge on the banks of the River Ouse. There, I called around in search of a campsite booking for that night to spur me on to do the extra miles and get a shower.

I arrived late at a campsite full of screaming children and barking dogs but found a quiet(ish) spot and set up as the sun went down. Only then did I realise that my sleeping bag, mat and bivi were all TOTALLY soaked through from the night before!

Turns out that my top notch borrowed bivi wasn’t waterproof after all! I summoned up my courage and approached the nearest family with a campfire to ask if I could try and dry my sleeping bag at least. They were super lovely - Jesse, Sunny and their three kids Missy, Jasper and Connie were really kind and welcomed me to join their campfire for a couple of hours while I kept rotating my sleeping bag around the heat. Although I was aching for an early night after a 22 mile day, the thought of crawling into a soggy bed was not appealing and it turns out, I really appreciated their company and kindness.

Night 6 Sleep Spot: Alfriston Camping Park, £10 per person camping. Also a Caravan Club site so lots of families, hot showers, tennis court, horse riding and fire pits available to hire.

Day 7 - It rained more overnight. I probably got about 3 hours sleep in a cold wet bed and I knew more thunderstorms were on their way to chase me towards the finish line. So, up at first light, packed and set off for the last time, nibbling on my last carrot as I left the sleeping campsite. This was it, my final 10 miles and I can be done by lunchtime.

Having had such a long Day 6 and a miserable night in a swamp, I didn’t get around to reading the guidebook about the final section of the trail. I knew that at some point this morning there’d be a cross section where the path split for horses and cyclists to go one way and for walkers to go the other - so I kept my eyes peeled. It turns out that this was a minor mistake!

I wasn’t worried at all about directions as the signage along the route had been so clear from the very beginning. I thought the fork in the path would be obvious when choosing between either the inland bridleway or the coastal walk taking me over the iconic chalk cliffs of Seven Sisters… alas! It was NOT obvious and I missed it!

I missed out on the epic Seven Sisters scenery and ended up hiking the bridleway through Jevington, which was still a lovely route passing lots of friendly horses… just a very underwhelming finish compared to the one I was expecting!

Final Thoughts

I absolutely loved my time on the South Downs Way National Trail. Although I originally set about to do the whole thing alone in the space of five or six days, I was much happier giving myself a break in the middle to rest and having other people join me on the trail.

Staying flexible and playing each day as it came had its advantages as there was less pressure to stick to a set itinerary. If I wanted to keep going further than I planned that day, then I could. Equally, having a goal to reach at the end of the day and knowing a hot shower and meal were waiting for me at the end of a day was also a great incentive to keep moving.

The main thing I struggled with mentally was motivating myself - normally I have a group to lead and keep spirits high for them but this time I only had myself to keep myself going and thats where voice notes from friends came in so handy. My friends are incredible and they know how much more a voice note means to me than a text and they really lifted my spirits when I was struggling. It’s another thing I didn’t plan for but was so glad when I turned off airplane mode if I stopped for a break and I had a few voice notes to make me smile and giggle, I really loved those moments.

I would recommend the trail to anyone, however if you didn’t want to carry all your camping gear and explore more of the villages along the way, I would stretch the journey over 10 days, pre-book shepherds huts, inns, glamping pods and AirBnBs every 10-12 miles or so and make a real holiday out of it. That’s what I plan to do at some point with my mum who is unable to carry a heavy bag due to injury. That way, we can enjoy the journey together, walk for only a few hours each day and see it a lot more of the area than I did.