Bonfires and Fireworks this Weekend...

I'd imagine the vast majority of HBBS members will be in Lewes this evening, if not all, where one of the most famous and spectacular Sussex 'bonfire celebrations' takes place (website), but if you want to start earlier, closer to home, the Battel Bonfire Boyes are Battle equivalent is today too (website), with daylight events from 10am. 

Tomorrow, on the 5th of November, other large events close to Hastings include the Bexhill Bonfire Guys celebrations at Galley Hill from 4-7pm (facebook page), and the annual Robin Hood Bonfire Society in Icklesham (facebook page), where the gates at the pub open at 5pm, whilst the procession starts at 5.40pm by the Village Hall; the bonfire is lit at 6.20pm and fireworks should begin about 20 minutes later.

Whatever you do, be careful, and especially be safe if you're lighting your own bonfire and/or firing off your own fireworks. Also, remember to check under your bonfire for small resting animals, particularly hedgehogs who love to curl up in small protected spaces... and then you may enjoy yourselves!

Getting away from it all!

Yesterday, my brother and I caught the train to Lewes for a 15-16 mile circular walk, and we were well away from recent news, and, certainly for the early 5-6 miles of the walk, away from other people! This photograph is looking back down into Lewes from Chapel Hill, to the east of the town.

Before we reached Mount Caburn (Iron Age fort), we tried to get a pint of beer at the Trevor Arms, by Glynde railway station, but it has closed down, now a house, it appears, and only recently closed too, a shame! 

Undeterred, we continued on for another few miles and reached the 15th century Ram Inn at Firle (website). We last came here 5 years ago, and we only thought it as 2 or 3 years ago, but I confirmed it as 5 years just now from my old notebooks! Where do the years go? Anyway, this excellent old building has a wonderful walled garden, a suntrap, so, as we had been walking in the sun for a few hours, we stayed indoors and drank a fine pint of East Sussex brewer, Burning Sky's Plateau (only 3.5%, but a refreshing tasty pale bitter), admiring the wood panelled bar and interior.

We then walked through the Firle Place estate and up to the South Downs Way, a bit of a steep climb at times, but...

What a great view! Now, we were seeing quite a number of people, and walked 4 or 5 miles west along the South Downs Way, finally coming down Itford Hill, where we saw... 

This small meadow filled with wild flowers, quite impressive, and close by the River Ouse (East Sussex version), alongside which we walked another 4 or 5 miles back to Lewes. Whilst walking along the river, not that exciting a river here to look at, hence no images shared, but we did see what looked liked small white herons! Never having noticed these before, we later found out they are Little Egrets, a species that has gradually increased it's numbers in the country since their first breeding in Dorset in 1996, and their expansion from the Continent over the last 20 years, great stuff!

When we got back into Lewes we thought it best to have a drink before catching the train back to Hastings, so we visited the Lewes Arms (website), a pub that Dan had never seen, let alone been to, and he was impressed, a great pub indeed! Anyway, Dan drank something less interesting than I did, I'd hate to put it down, but the East London Five Points Brewing Company's (website) Five Points Pale was another step up in flavour entirely, 4.4% and a sharp bitter beer, I loved it!

Anyway, we then caught the train back to Hastings, suffering a short delay because a young man was sitting beside the railway line in the countryside, silly person!