Kandersteg Practice Hike #3

This was our best attended hike yet - 15 of us out for a walk on the Downs, although only 13 of those are actually coming to Switzerland. Still, everyone who comes gets a Hike Away, and no doubt the remainder of our party are training for the rigours in their own ways.

We met up at Devil's Dyke at 10 (ish) and got our high viz vests on. I dished out the maps, although I think they got much use on the hike. Still, the thought was there!

We headed south along Mount Zion and the Fulking Escarpment (pic 1), passing lots of horses in the fields. We stopped for 10 minutes at New Barn Farm, which is just to the north side of the A27 near the Foredown Tower (pics 2 & 3). One of the Scouts had a snack of a pack of dry Super Noodles, which makes sense from a carbohydrate point of view, if not from a taste one!

From there, we went down through the farm and some very muddy tracks, before climbing up the Monarch's Way (pic 4), so named because it marks the route of King Charles II's escape in 1651. You can read about it here, but suffice to say we only followed 2 of its 990km!

At Brighton & Hove Golf Club, we stopped for lunch with a great view over the gentle dip slope to the south and the sea. I explained a little about the old Dyke Railway, but you can read more here. We then went across and looped south of the Dyke golf club before dropping down to Poynings (pic 5).

Some of the kids nipped into the Royal Oak to "use the facilities" and then it was just along the road before cutting through to the base of the Downs.

Our scheduled end time was 3pm, but at 2.55 we were just at the foot of the scarp slope. It was pretty clear we were going to be late!

There are lots of stairs but I forgot to count how many. Even when those are done, though, it is still uphill from there. On the way up we passed the plates that were used for a short-lived funicular railway and separate cable car (see here) - with my nervousness of heights, I am happier walking up. The foot of the climb is 70m and the top about 215m, so 145m of climb in 800m horizontal, i.e. an 18% gradient.

Before anyone gets carried away, though, Kandersteg is 1,200m, our overnight at Oeschinenhutte is 1,800m, Schwarenbach is 2,061m, Frundenhutte is 2,562m and the Three Valleys hike gets to 2,700m. High, then!

We'd managed to get pretty spread out on the way up the Dyke but it is worth it for the views at the top (pic 6), although these are nothing to what we will see in just over a week's time!

Dave