Walk from Hastings to Battle...

We set off on our walk from Hastings to Battle, via Crowhurst, Saturday morning, hence the 5K Hastings Park Run going on in the background in the photograph above, the successful Saturday morning Park Run, which runs along the seafront (from 09.00 every Saturday), and having been held in Hastings for over 4 years now (blog), excellent! Oh yes, and we spotted this amazingly constructed bumble bees and flowers presentation, a good 100 metres to the west of the Royal Victoria Hotel (blog).

Entrance to Filsham Reedbed

We had been walking up by Combe Haven before entering Filsham Reedbed, which I love visiting, and which I have written about before (eg blog). This is the view from the Viewing Platform, which is reached by a raised boardwalk; for more information go to the Sussex Wildlife Trust's Filsham Reedbed Nature Reserve website.

We then carried on north of west, roughly 290 degrees from the north west edge of Filsham Reedbed Nature Reserve (photograph), until we met the 1066 Country Walk - Bexhill Link, where we headed roughly north towards Crowhurst.

After walking under the new bypass we continued northwards into Crowhurst, where we visited St George's Church, whose origins are from early Norman times, probably still the nave and chancel, but has mostly been rebuilt in the following centuries; the tower is 15th century (Sussex Parish Churches website).

In the churchyard of St George's is a historical yew tree over 1300 years old (not to be confused with the yew tree in the church of St George's in Crowhurst, Surrey, or you're well lost, though it is a threefold coincidence indeed!). For more information of the history of this famous yew tree, and more, go to the Forestry Journal website.

Battle Abbey Gatehouse

We then walked further north, through the RSPB's Fore Wood Nature Reserve (website). Soon after exiting Fore Wood we walked up by the 'battle field' below Battle Abbey, which was built by William the Conqueror, or William the Bastard as he was called in 1066, in penance to the Pope due to the loss of lives during the battle, up to 50% of those who took part (of up to 20,000 probably involved), depending on where you source your information (1066 country website).

Anyway, we carried out a similar walk recently, which includes heading back to Hastings via Bexhill, as we did this time too, next blog is about the ales and return...