So a random suggestion made at the end of last year finally led us to
Hastings. On a "Ramble". Am I 60?! What the hell has my life become? I
consciously left the comfort, shops, pavements, street lights and bars
of London at 9am on A Sunday morning to drive 2 hours to Hastings to go
for a WALK!! Honestly, I no longer recognise myself.
Other
ramblers, looked at us as if we were lost and had wandered a little too
far East of Soho. This could be due to the fact that one of us was
wearing a white sheepskin/fur jacket, one of us had bright red Nike's on
(it was my way of proving I was trendy and not a 60 year old who liked
walking on cliff sides), one of us was wrapped in a picnic blanket with a
staff, clearly channeling Moses or Gandalf and one of us had a quiff
and a leather jacket. All in all we were ill equipped for the trip
(although we did have a stash of Brandy for emergencies). The side
glances we got from seasoned Ramblers in hiking boots, rucksacks and
hi-vis jackets was testament to this fact.
Did we have
blast? Errrmmmm Yah! The most amazingly unexpected time was had. Who
knew a cliff side in sleepy Hastings could bring so much joy?! The
company obviously had a lot to do with it, but the views were AMAZING!
The challenges some of the cliffs presented often had me wanting to turn
back, especially as it meant getting my Nike's dirty. But we
persevered, through slips and cliffs and nudists and were rewarded with
the most exhilirating experience. Who knew walking could be so much fun?!
Well, obviously those people who have been rambling for years knew.
