10 of us met up at Lewes station for our annual pilgrimage to The Little Cottage Tea Room at Glynde. We agreed to keep up a good pace on the flat as it’s a long way with 3 massive hills to negotiate, especially in the heat, & we absolutely needed to get to Glynde by 4. 

We went past  Anne of Cleves House which is a 16-century,  timber-framed hall &, on another day, would be worth a visit. Apparently it was part of her annulment settlement from Henry V111 in 1551 which was an infinitely better option than having her head chopped off. It now has a cafe run by Patisserie Lewes – further inducement for a visit. Unfortunately we never have time for such delights as we have to get up that first beautiful chalk hill & down again to Rodmell in good time. 

At Rodmell we had a swift drink stop & then continued along the valley floor to Southease church where Geoffrey & Lan awaited us. Lan’s train had been cancelled but she demonstrated her resourcefulness by joining Geoffrey on the train from Lewes to Southease & meeting us there. 

The second hill is very steep & completely open which gives us wonderful views in all directions from the top. From there it is a stretch along the top of the Downs & a steep descent to Glynde. 

By a miracle, we all arrived at the Tea Shop where the lovely owner had set a table for us in the garden. Her scones are strong contenders for The Best Scones in Southern England & we didn’t deprive ourselves.

The third hill is not as steep as the first two but, filled with cream tea, it always feels harder than it is. We went up & down again into a beautiful valley, up again, past the Golf Course & back into Lewes.

Harriet