sussex 02-06 may 2024

well our annual trip to sussex for the boys birthday  

left mytholmroyd at 3am and had a good drive down the A1 A14 M11 before hitting the M25 around 7 am then it went tits up after crossing the QE2 bridge 

whoever designed the junction of the M25/M26/A21 was on drugs or something , why does the M25 which is a circular motorway just continue onto the A21!!! leaving us having to come off the M25 on a slip road to get back on the M25 typical british planning, then 6 miles of roadworks with only 1 group of workers with only one of them digging.

we were now fed up having being on the road for 6 hours so came of at the A22 stopping at Knights garden center for a rest.

arriving in brighton we parked up and found all the ticket machines are now "pay by phone" not a problem i have the app! just to throw some more fucks into our day the app needs updating so 10 minutes later i try to pay nope card declined try again the same. colette trys same thing! nice of brighton to discriminate people who dont have a smart phone. gave up and headed to brighton marina to stock up for the week at asda then headed to buckle holiday park near seaford 

well what a dump nearly every caravan looked dumped 

note gaffer tape over window 

also a dumped porsche brand new but flat tyres and mould on windows and ford capri, toilet block was shocking 

our pitch was flooded after the heavy rain the night before, set up in wet windy weather.

by 2pm i was ready for some birding so headed to Tidemills a short walk away 

Tidemills is a ruined village by the port in Newhaven 

lots of warblers including the years first sedge,reed, whitethroat and cetties 1 little egret and good numbers of greenfinch 

03/05 

Tidemills 

spent most of the day here usual warblers plus a very showy lesser whitethroat and some very nice stonechats 

back at the van i was checking the birdguides app when a reported kentish plover came up at Tidemills within 10 minutes i was on site to see nothing oh well.

sat on the beach at 21.30 enjoying a beer when a whimbrel flew over calling 

04/05

Tidemills 

weather better but same birds though another lesser whitethroat singing near the campsite and a very small movement of black headed gulls east 

mid morning finally headed to brighton to see the boy and his girl lots of hugs and chats as we walked along the seafront in sunny warm weather, we explored the lanes then the north laines.

i was shocked that the tapas bar i visited some 25 years ago was still going when i went out with a local lass who went to sussex uni good days 

05/05

wind gone se 

so i missed the pom skuas and black tern but i did get gannet 19 whimbrel and 9 common scoter before heading on foot to cuckmere haven some 4 miles away. a long boring slog along seaford front before reaching splash point. a few birders but no point chatting as the southerners are just ignorant so up and over the hill 

seaford

after getting to seaford head the view of the seven sisters is stunning birding took a backseat as i just gazed over such a wonderful view 

seven sisters 

cuckmere haven 

more lesser whitethroats great song lots of little egrets but not much else but a great walk one to be proud of.

got the bus back 

an evening seawatch produced 3 gannets 3 sandwhich terns 21 common scoter 3 whimbrel 

then a bbq with the boy 

06/05 

a day to forget 

woke to rain at 0630 rescued as much as we could given our pitch was 4 inch deep in water 

afer we had packed 

so spent 6 hours in ankle deep water tried to escape at 9am but the van didnt sound good and decided to call the AA who came quickly but said do not start and left by 1330 a truck arrived and took us to cobham services and waited for 3 hours for the next truck. left at 1930 got home at 0130 but great driver and still got 3/4 tank full 

ex AA on a AA truck