Cuckoo Trail walk

I had a job interview at Wealden Council yesterday and the weather was good so I thought I'd walk into Hailsham along the Cuckoo Trail. As well as being a nice walk in its own right, it's also a reason for me to try out putting maps onto this blog. I wanted to add our walking routes while we were away but couldn't figure out how. Now either +Google Maps has made its interface more user-friendly or my brain has made the leap to understanding!

Map below and 'what I saw on my walk' below that ...

If you don't already know it, the Cuckoo Trail is a 14 mile disused railway line which goes from Heathfield to Polegate and has an additional section on into Eastbourne. It is popular with walkers, cyclists and horse riders and can get quite busy, especially on sunny weekends. Today it was pretty quiet and I only saw a couple of cyclists and a smattering of dog walkers.

Mouse on the Cuckoo Trail 

As soon as I got onto the Trail proper, I saw a grey squirrel. It also saw me and shot off up a tree. I also saw a small rabbit partly hidden in undergrowth, a robin, a great tit, several blackbirds and, especially exciting, a tiny brown mouse which must have thought it was well enough hidden to be safe because it stayed just by the edge of the path long enough for me to grab my phone and take a couple of photos. I don't think it's a particularly rare mouse though! Towards the Hailsham end of the walk I heard and then saw a field of ewes with very young lambs. It felt odd seeing them now as we saw new-born lambs in Portugal towards the end of last year. My seasons are all mixed up. I also heard a weird noise that almost sounded like a cat crying. Looking up, it was another squirrel high up in a tree yelling out a warning because there was indeed a large cat prowling around. I don't think I'd ever heard a squirrel being so loud before.

I've shown the route going to +Chapter 12 Wine Bar because I got to Hailsham much more quickly than I expected so stopped in for a good pot of red tea and to gather my thoughts before the interview. +Chapter 12 Wine Bar has several book exchange shelves so I indulged in a spot of BookCrossing too. I left Tears Of The Giraffe and West Side Story so if you fancy reading either, go get 'em!

I didn't get to walk back because the heavens suddenly opened when it was time to return and I jumped on a bus instead. I think the interview went well. I was certainly happy with how I answered the questions and should hear via +Sammons by the end of this week if I have been successful. Fingers crossed!