While looking through old photos, I found some from a hike to the Seven Sisters cliffs undertaken a few years ago. The work year has just properly begun for me, and getting increasingly busy, so it is nice to find some time to relax and think back to simpler times. I also want to put this down in words before my memory of the trip gets more fuzzy.
The Seven Sisters cliff is not a particularly easy place to get to. I had not been before so I had to rely on my phone GPS and Google Maps to find the place. I stayed a night in Brighton and set off early next morning by bus for my destination.
The weather was surprisingly good, which was fortunate as I had experienced my fair share of the fickle British weather by then, so I was in a good mood and excited for the day ahead. After alighting at a bus stop, which was not particularly obvious from the bus and I would definitely have missed without the help of the GPS, I found my bearings and started trudging through the British countryside.
Having lived most of my life in cities, the countryside was a breath of fresh air (pun intended). Lush greenery stretched and unfolded as far as I could see, only yielding here and there to the meandering river cutting through the countryside. The cloudless blue skies was a constant wherever I went, and blanketed the entire area. I quickly discovered that there was no one near me; just me walking past sheeps and them looking at me walking past.
Okay, I did find someone there after all. There was also a stone arrangement of a message in Korean.
After getting slightly lost and turning around a few times to find the right trail to be on, I finally found the cliffs. The Seven Sisters cliffs are a series of chalk (hence, white) cliffs are a series of peaks and dips standing right beside the English Channel. Looking over the edge of one of these cliffs, one sees a straight drop right to a narrow beach area with gentle waves. Standing near an edge made me experience a dangerous combination of elation, fascination and light-headedness. You just can't help but wonder what it would be like if you accidentally fell off the cliff.
It turns out that pictures of the cliffs are nicer when taken from afar, rather than right on the cliffs themselves, but I wasn't feeling particularly excited at the thought of walking another few miles so I made do.
The final surprise of the trip was making my way down to the rock-covered beach for a rest. I've always liked the sound of waves slowly rolling in and breaking against the shores. This was the perfect relaxing end to a peaceful day. Despite the physical exertion from all the walking, I could feel myself being at ease and content. The simplest things in life can really have the most extraordinary impact on us.
I ended off the day by choosing a pebble for memories' sake.
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