Fellwanderers freshers walk across the Seven Sisters

Early on Sunday morning, more than 70 sleepy freshers made their way to Victoria and began to congregate around the Fellwanderers banner which was proudly flying between two poles. Once everyone had purchased their tickets and handed them to Heather, our responsible adult, we made our way to the platform. The group’s size quickly became evident, much to the dismay of the ticket collectors - who promptly opened the gates and waved us through without much question.

We settled on the train and prepared ourselves for the journey ahead with (hopefully) everyone informed of which station we would need to change at. Typical train journey conversations began with quick introductions and the standard “Name/Course/Halls” questions, followed shortly by a comparison of hangovers amongst some of the committee members. We had a short wait at Lewes where much coffee was consumed after reports of “delicious coffee and hideously good service”. It was indeed hideously good.

We arrived in Seaford and while the few who had forgotten to bring packed lunches got things from the highly convenient Morrisions, the first Fail Of The Year was had by James and I who went to look at the sea and were lured in by deceivingly small waves and then caught out by a big one. We should have known better, and suffered the consequences of soggy feet for the rest of the day.

We then made a start on the walk itself which largely uneventful before lunch. The educated amongst you will know that preparing pasta in advance of a trip is always better than squished sandwiches and is best served with beer and preferably on a cliff looking outto the sea and blue-ish skies. Some of us had all 3.

After lunch, we continued our walk across the sisters, and most of us stopped at the pub conveniently located in the middle, where we able to witness a frantic phone conversation between a table in the pub and the top of the next hill (ooops).

Finally, about an hour ahead of usual schedule we arrived in Eastbourne and regrouped again to organise fish and chips. We were led to the “best fish and chips in Eastbourne” by Nathaniel. It was also the only one open – coincidence? It took rather a long time for everybody to be served, but we were soon all munching on our well earned dinners.

Unlike many previous years, trains were actually running from Eastbourne and this Sunday walk was devoid of dreaded bus replacement services. The journey home was much quieter, and while many took the chance for a quick nap, there were some evaluations made of the trip too. The general consensus amongst the new members was that the trip was a “success” and “good”, however one not-so-satisfied newbie did state “Beachy Head wasn’t all it was cracked up to be”.

If you want to join us on a trip, either just for the day or for one of our weekend trips then come and meet us in Beit Quad where we meet every Tuesday at lunchtime. Always feel free to email fellwa@imperial.ac.uk to find out more!