October and November 2019

Renewing, changing and developing The Vanguard Way is on-going. Challenges in the last couple of months include: the use of permissive paths, gas repairs, fallen or leaning trees, stiles with or without barbed wire, signs and finger posts mislaid, hidden or overgrown, brambles growing everywhere, poor visibility, wet feet, mud, names made-up or real, unexpected detours, ambitions achieved and thwarted and finally finding taxis and pubs all make the Way more interesting

Croydon council are proposing to improve the network of paths in the Borough including The Vanguard Way

The Vanguard Way is mentioned in the latest Martello Magazine. The new editor of the Magazine is keen for walkers to know about and visit the Museum. 

Contact details: membership@seafordmuseum.co.uk

Congratulations to Ed and Sarah who have completed the Vanguards Way between April and November 2019. The route was well marked and very enjoyable in most parts. They found the gpx routes that have been published on the ViewRanger app particularly useful

Charlie from Sussex Coast Series has told us The Vanguard way is in their latest newsletter http://bit.ly/2Xg3hhK

  

November 2019

Hello all

Good news about The Vanguard Way. Colin has taken part in a podcast, one of a series produced for the Sussex Coast Series of Love Sussex.  Click: http://bit.ly/2Xg3hhK

The video is 11m 33s and Colin is featured prominently in this episode and can be seen near the start of the clip after the section in Newhaven, the end of the Vanguard Way. We hope you enjoy the clip. 

October and November 2019

We have two ramblers who have completed the Vanguards Way recently. Congratulations to both John and Jeff 

John completed the final section of the Vanguard way despite the adverse weather conditions of rain, wind and probably storm! John thanks us and makes very positive comments about route directions, waymarking, the use of the ‘helpful and comprehensive’ and the ‘absolutely brilliant’ commentary that developed his knowledge of the surrounding area and, in conjunction with OS Explorer maps, developed his knowledge of what he sees away from the path, which also lets him know where the main road is.

Jeff has been walking The Vanguards Way since 2014, finally completing in 2019. He is also a solo walker and confirmed that the directions were most helpful and that he was unlikely ‘to have undertaken the walk without the detailed directions given on the website’. As he says ‘I am particularly impressed that directions are given for both north to south and south to north, something that most authors omit (not even pointing out potential problems when walking in the ‘wrong’ direction)’.  

On moving back to Kent following a career that became increasingly sedentary, Jeff set out to walk as a way of getting exercise. He came across the Explore Kent programme, in particular the award of a certificate on completion. As he says, it was ‘an incentive to complete the walk, which I felt I needed’.  Since then he says he has looked to complete walks with similar ‘rewards’, including The Capitol Ring and The Vanguard way. Jeff says he is a fair weather walker and since the death of his mother may spend more time exploring other aspects of the Vanguards way. His favourite places were Cuckmere Haven and Ashdown Forest but he will check the walk descriptions before he starts.

The VGW got a good write-up on the My London website on 12 October.  If you wish to read it, click here and scroll down to ‘The Vanguard Way’.  It also provides a link to the route description for Section 1.

From MYLondon

 

                                         

           East Croydon Station                                                                  Cuckmere Haven

August and September 2019

Whenever we walk or join the Vanguards way there are usually buses and trains to help join up the section of the way. The frequency of these means of transport depends on the day of the week and sometimes the time of the year!

Independent walkers give us information about the condition of the long distance path and we really appreciate this. East Sussex County Council, Highways England and other organizations also give us information about the way and its condition. 

One up-date is about the installation pedestrian refuge to be installed on the A27 at the point where the Vanguard Way crosses to Berwick village.  

Sections 3 & 4 changes are happening around Edenbrigde and Forest Row thanks to East Sussex County Council who have been carrying out repairs to the Vanguard Way (footpath 26a). These include construction of a stone path, reprofiling and ditching, laying of drainage pipes, clearance of a neighbouring wood. We will keep Forest Row (FP 26a) as the signed definitive route of the Vanguard Way as in the route description but the unsigned alternative will be kept as an option. This takes walkers closer to Tablehurst Farm with its café and toilets, past historic Tablehurst Manor, and with a magnificent view across the fields surrounding Windmill Cottages.  

Section 8.8 - The public footpath crosses the field towards Ludlay and it is hoped walkers will use the path that turns before the garden and across the prepared path

A long-term resident of Seaford has added this piece of historic information Bishopstone railway station is I believe unique in that it has two wartime pillboxes on its roof. These offered their occupants panoramic views over the sea and would have been a strong deterrent to any approaching forces. In addition, on the western side of Marine Parade, between the A259 and the railway bridge, there was a large underground reservoir of oil. The small brick building, still visible in the field, was a pumping station, to pump the oil to the sea, where it could be ignited, thus setting the sea on fire. This facility was however never used. Desperate measures for desperate times!

Different aspects of the Vanguard Way courtesy of Keith & Linda

The Vanguards Way blog is back. We're on a catch up for the last year. 

There have been butterflies on Oxted downs in June 2019.

http://www.edenbridge-chronicle.co.uk/article.cfm?id=131132&headline=Oxted%20Downs%20chalk%20downland%20named%20one%20of%20best%20sites%20for%20butterflies%20in%20Surrey§ionIs=news&searchyear=2019 

Successful walkers in 2019 include Axel, Charlotte and Mark during the year. Congratulations! These are the ramblers who have told us about their success in completing the walk. We would like to know of others who also have completed this long distance trail.

Route clearance continues at a regular pace. Thanks to those who have given our working party information about overgrown paths, illegible and overgrown signs and unclimbable stiles. Route descriptions are regularly reassessed and reprised 

Our sad news is the recent death of Graham Butler who worked tirelessly for our long distant path and many other walking groups. The Vanguards are going to have a kissing gate erected in his memory.