We arrived for a late start due to heavy Monday morning traffic but still seemed to arrive the same time as the other coaches at Cocking Hill Barn farm where we all had to disembark en-mas, as there was very little space to park. Perhaps my most unfavourite bit about this year is there are around 80 more people walking in this west to east direction but sometimes, like this, it feels like so many more. 
However the steep climb for more than a mile up to Heyshot Down soon releases the pent-up speed hikers and they are out of our site before we spookily find we are with almost the same people once again. They all walk roughly at our moderate pace, some a bit faster but pause more, and some a bit slower that don't seem to stop at all......this gives the impression of keep passing or being passed by the same people...several times a day. Clive and Lizzy have shaken off, by chance or by plan, some of their overly-chatty females admirers and we are now walking and chatting with an Aussie, exchanging just banter about rugby or cricket, no surprise! We are in the main, quite sparse with conversations between ourselves and perhaps others, but we are not anti social by any means and find ourselves in conversations many times during the day....but prefer it not to be a constant chatter!
The day is warming already, hats and sunscreen are necessary and the feeling is pretty upbeat as the scenery and views are very pleasing on the eyes. Plenty of drink and snack-breaks but we seem to be well up on expected end of day finish time so we promise ourselves a really good break when we get to the promised ice cream girl.
I haven't sorted any landmarks on my digital map but we can see Butlins Bognor and even out to the new wind-farm some 9 miles out to sea and off of Worthing.(we still see these on our last day from Beachy Head) This means visibility has improved so probably means a weather change on its way! 
Walking through a short National Trust managed grass section that was just so wonderfully comfortable underfoot and with some amazingly large cows gathered to greet us by our kissing gate exit....as they do. They might be the local Sussex breed as they had the deep copper brown colouring but I am not Adam Henson so best not to put money on it!
Its now an up and up on to the not insignificant Bignor Hill. Maybe not the steepest ascent this week but in the warm sunshine it really did make us puff. As promised, and not before time the Ice cream girl again was at the top with the now familiar, discounted for walkers, 2 tubs of maple syrup and pecan ice-creams waiting for us again. 
Now suitably well rested we continued through Tegleaze Woods and down into the beautiful valley below with Littleton Farm at the bottom where we cross the A285. The path rises gently up to Sutton Down and Burton Down and then on across the fields passing by the Toby's Stone, Lesley posing for photos standing 
on the horse-mounting stone before the last push towards Whiteways Cafe and coach pick-up. The footpath turns off the SDW here and we follow through the overgrowth adding about 1 mile to our walk before we plop-out into the cafe carpark, with not a very nice cafe at the end.........or even for the beginning tomorrow but it is an excellent pickup point for the now, 5 coaches! Our coach back had a somewhat unusual seating configuration with an airplane style 2 seats on one side, a narrow aisle and 3 seats on the other, side with not enough room for my bum to sit down. We figured this lay-out to be ideal for small children or perhaps Japanese people but not us stout and sturdy walkers!
We arrived back in Shoreham and the weather was still perfect so we drove down to Shoreham Beach to dabble our feet in the cool calm sea. 
The sea was blue and enough low-tide sand to feel we were by the Mediterranean. Just the rest of the walk now to Eastbourne and only 4 walking days left !