It was a short final stage heading from Exton to Winchester, just 13 miles and thankfully the rain had stopped.

Upon reaching Winchester I quickly found the cathedral grounds were preferable over the high street, and after a brief lunch headed back after successfully completing the South Downs Way.

The initial stages of the walk were by far the most interesting, with some fabulous views, though I am sure as autumn develops the woodlands of the western end will become much richer and vibrant – and more worthy of a visit.

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By the time I had got to South Harting the best of the day had seemed to have gone. The northerly wind had dropped but the rain had started. Walking on chalk with a light drizzle falling meant it became very slippery underfoot – those almost polished chalk paths that had been easy walking became almost impassible skating rinks.

The limited views across small fields and copses were even more limited through the steady drizzle. A couple of good viewpoints that were reached only allowed views of distant gloom. It was not the most interesting stretch of the South Downs Way, and the cafe at the Queen Elizabeth Country Park adjacent to the A3 was too crowded to allow for much comfort.

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The Downs by now had lost some of their steep escarpments, and had become more wooded – thankfully providing some shelter from the north wind which was still blowing strongly. I was also glad that I had brought my hat along with me today.

The gliders were still overhead, though perhaps as I was further to the west there were fewer and much higher above the Downs.

The more modern second world war pill boxes had dwindled in number, only to be replaced my more ancient fortifications from the iron age and roman times. The South Down Way also crosses Stane Street, signposted at the top of Bignor Hill.

With the broader, sweeping landscape, the only vantage point of note to be crossed today was Beacon Hill (one of a few places crossed with such a name).

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It was the third day of 18 miles of walking, my legs were just about getting into a stride and I hoped not to repeat the mistake of yesterday to walk several miles further. Having diverted to the south I had missed out on the view to the north from Devil’s Dyke yesterday – however I chose the car park with more care today and was rewarded with a glorious view.

Arriving at the Adur, with a great view of Lancing College on the horizon, I got a bit of a shock – the bridge had been closed. Thankfully the diversion was short as it took in the main road.

Back up on the Downs, and approaching Chanctonbury Hill, I was buzzed by a flight of gliders making the best use of the north wind providing lift as it hit the north side of the downs. At any one time there were seven or eight gliders flying up and down the ridge, some gaining height, others sweeping in low and fast.

The view across the River Arun Valley was superb, with the small village of Houghton adjacent to the bridge – which was thankfully open.

Even better, the George and Dragon pub was open in Houghton, and they had lit their open fire – the warmth was most welcome as I was chilled almost to the core.

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It was unfortunate but I had forgotten my original map, but a new one was procured in Lewes and I was able to set off in glorious ignorance to the mistake that would cost me more than the £7 for a new map.

As I started to walk up out of the valley of the River Ouse I was quite glad that the wind had dropped overnight. It was still from the south west, and it was warm with a blue sky and fluffy white clouds. To the north I could see the town of Lewes, with the castle on the horizon, much clearer than the day before.

There was also signs of life, with a farmer working on the fields – preparing the soil for a new crop to be planted.

This part of the walk along the Downs is my favourite, with the steep escarpment to the north and fine views of the Weald. It is also one of the highest parts of the walk and crosses Ditchling Beacon.

The Downs drop slightly after the Beacon at Ditchling, but not by much and it must often be windy along this stretch with the number of windmills that can be seen. The most famous of which at Jack and Jill at Clayton.

The South Downs Way drops down to cross the A23 after the Clayton Windmills, but then climbs again to reach the top of Devil’s Dyke. This is where my mistake became apparent – looking at the map there were 3 possible car parks to have chosen that were closer to the finish, I passed each one of them as I walked south for 2 miles. It was quite a detour at the end of a very long day.

The actual Devil’s Dyke is not the most beautiful of places, but impressive enough when looking down into it. Because of my detour south to find the car I missed the most stunning of views to the north, something to savour tomorrow in the morning light.

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I had read the book, studied the map, and planned to spend 6 days to walk the 100 miles from Eastbourne to Winchester along the South Downs Way. I was set to go…

Yet it seemed to be another unauspicious start to a long distance walk. The weather was horrendous as I woke, gale force winds and heavy rain were sweeping across the country. I hit the snooze button on the radio and snuggled down for a little while longer.

Thankfully the winds were that strong that they blew the rain away and by mid morning the sun was out. I headed down to Eastbourne and made a start. I had walked most of this section before, but never in this direction – and I was soon wishing I had started from Winchester. The strong south westerly winds almost swept me off my feet whenever I reached a top along the Seven Sisters, blowing me backwards into the valleys from where I was struggling up from.

Making it to the end of Seven Sisters I was rewarded with a fantastic view of the Cuckmere Valley…

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