Day 4 Pyrecombe to Chichester 77k (the Politics blog)

Thursday 6th July 2017

Lying in bed this morning I reflected on the trip so far and I asked myself the question, ‘do I want to cycle today’ and the answer was no, not really. I was tired and had the prospect of a day where the route wasn’t obvious, was likely to be partly off road and hilly. But I put all that down to a heavy night’s sleep and one too many glasses of red wine, so I got up, showered and walked out my door to this breakfast

Given the tough day I had ahead I tried to load up on as many calories as I could, to the point where I started to feel sick, but by the time I was finished breakfast I was raring to go.

Once again I had the choice between busy, major roads or off road tracks on the South Downs Way. After yesterday’s experience I chose the latter, and for a long time it was fine, cinder tracks allowing me to keep up a reasonable speed. Then it started rising, and the surface breaking up. 5km from the nearest road it turned into broken chalky tracks. I had no choice but to go on, with at least another 5k to go. Really hard work especially up hill, and I struggled to do more than 8kph, and started to worry about my bike with it’s skinny 25m tyres and carbon forks….definitely need a new bike! Hard work, sure,  but it did feel epic and inspired to maybe get my mountain bike out one day and do the South Downs way. Anyone up for it?

Whilst off road and away from traffic, I took the opportunity to listen to some podcasts. I’ve got them lined up from Radio 4, BBC , Economist , Dicetower and the Spectator. The lead story for the last one was titled ‘The Myth of British Decline’. It’s a great piece, only lasts 10 minutes or so and I would urge any Brit, if you having post Brexit wobbles, to give it a listen……doesn’t matter if you were a remain or a leaver, still worth a listen. You can find it here https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/07/spectator-podcast-myth-british-decline/

I eventually found tarmac again and it felt great, it felt like I was gliding along with little or no effort and within 40 minutes or so I was rolling into Arundel. I had targeted Arundel and it’s a castle for a visit and as I arrived just before 1pm was able to do some touristing. Arundel is no ordinary castle. It was originally established in 1067, when Will gave one of his favourite Barons all of Sussex, provided he built a castle at Arundel to control the gap through the Downs. It does have a good Norman keep, but the bulk of it is a 1880’s rebuild to house the Duke of Norfolk and all his treasures. You can see the juxtaposition of the old and the relatively new in the picture.

I found it hugely distasteful. The castle has a real history, for example it was besieged in the Civil War, but all the focus was on the Duke. The opulence and extravagance of some well to do Duke was bad enough, but when I spoke to any of the attendants they spoke with such deference for the Duke it really stuck in my throat. I made a vow not to visit anymore of these stately homes, unless they had a place in history that is significant (Blenheim and Hatfield, associated with Churchill and Elizabeth I respectively, spring to mind). So Arundel village was tainted in my mind, but in truth it’s pretty enough but no more so than other places I’ve seen on this trip. Seems like Defoe agrees with me.

‘This river, and the old decay’d, once famous castle at Arundel, which are still belonging to the family of Howards, Earls of Arundel, a branch of the Norfolk family, is all that is remarkable here; except it be that in this river are catch’d the best mullets, and the largest in England, a fish very good in it self, and much valued by the gentry round, and often sent up to London.’

 

Whist at Arundel I went back to the net to book my accommodation and got a room at the Nags Head in the centre of Chichester, which is where I am now typing this up.

My next stop was Bognor Regis but before I got there I went through a village called Ford. Now Ford has an open prison, and it’s the only prison I have visited. To see a relative. 40 years ago one of my uncles was convicted of a fraudulent insurance claim. Nothing major, just a couple of thousand, and he got sent to Ford open prison. At the time the prison had all sorts of security at the front, but at the back there wasn’t even a fence, simply a wire marking the boundary. If the inmates ‘escaped’ and were caught making their way to Bognor they got an extra day on their sentence. If they were on the way to London it was an extra 10. Anyway the reason for airing my families dirty linen is to share the effect it had on my uncle. Not so much the prison, but once he was convicted he was a broken man. Just the shame he felt meant he was never the same person again.

Anyway that’s enough of the politics for this blog

So onwards, eventually I reached Bognor Regis. I had skipped lunch so I decided to have a plate of chips on the beach. First 10 chips were fantastic, the rest I had to force down. The setting was nice though.

The only time I have been here before was 30 years ago and I recalled it being quaint if a bit tired, so I was keen to see if it had come up in the world. No it hasn’t, and I couldn’t even rediscover the quaintness I recalled. There is nothing wrong with it but it doesn’t have the gritty realism of Hastings or the middle class comfort of Bexhill.

Final destination for the day was Chichester. I’ve been here before and recall it as somewhere pleasant. In turns out it still is a truly pleasant piece. Pleasant but utterly boring. Here is Chichester town centre on Thursday night at 9pm.

For some reason there are no bars or restaurants in the centre of the town, which means it is deadly dull and boring. There is more life in Chorleywood on a Thursday night. And referring to Defoe, again it seems it has always been that way:

‘and yet I cannot say much for the city of Chichester, in which, if six or seven good families were removed, there would not be much conversation, except what is to be found among the canons, and dignitaries of the cathedral.’

 

I have had a great day today, especially given how I was feeling this morning and how hard the morning ride was. Not to mention the heat. But I really got into the groove today, settled down to touring by bike and if I had to cycle another 2 weeks I wouldn’t have a problem with that. Still, happy to be going home tomorrow.

And so off to bed. 40k tomorrow to Pompey via Bosham, and then back home.