Sussex Walks - Abbotts Wood and some thoughts on sobriety and clarity.

A relentless few weeks, an empty weekend - I looked out of the window. Rain. Perfect.

When things get mad, the trees call me. And the woods are beautiful whatever the weather but there is some about being among the trees when it rains that is magical. The droplets on the points of the leaves, the shaking of the foliage under the weight of the water and the feeling of natures umbrella keeping you dry and safe.

When I headed to the woods this rainy, Saturday morning I felt tired and ready for some solitude. This is a transcribed voice note I recorded in those woods:

“As for many, COVID has been a rollercoaster and adjusting to more time and space has been positive but the adjustment period has been real. Sobriety has bought so much good to my life but with it comes a clarity and a new, clear view on the things you thought you were done and dusted. So sitting with feelings of not enoughness from the ending of my last relationship, people pleasing tendencies that lay undealt with, suspicions that there are are more wild parts of my personality locked away. Sitting with these things as well as dealing with a pandemic has been entirely exhausting but also incredibly liberating. I know now that the temporary, uncomfortable period of sitting with the things that needed to be addressed, rather than masked with alcohol, will be so worth it as I move forward to live a fuller, bolder life. So while I’d always been fed the idea that alcohol makes us more fun, actually sobriety has unlocked my wilder side and I’m waking up most days excited about the other wild parts of me that I can discover.”

I observed Monty in a hurry, running back and forth between me and as far as he dared to go out of my site, to get to the last part of the walk because he knew a lake lay there. He forgot to check out all the smells at the side of the path because he was excited to get to his finish point and the gold at the end of the rainbow but what he missed were the little brooks and a couple of grazing deer. It made me realise that this very road I’m on isn’t all about the destination at the end, it’s about stopping to enjoy the view on the way. And time in the woods to take stock is just the way to do it.

Abbot’s Wood

Abbot’s Wood is an ancient woodland owned by The Forestry Commission with walking trails in Polegate. There are varying lengths of walk and a beautiful lake. The wood takes it’s name from when the site was gutted to Battle Abbey and was overseen by the Abbot. In bluebell season Abbot’s Wood won’t let you down and if you want a bite to eat after the Arlington Tea Gardens have got your back.

Parking

The car park at post code BN26 6SL is a pay and display/pay by app. Parking costs £2.30 for 2 hours.

Accessibility

There are clear paths but they do get muddy. See more here.