Me and my trusty canine bundle of energy, also known as Sansa, are planning an adventure along the South Downs Way in aid of the RSPB. The South Downs Way stretches all the way from Winchester to Eastbourne, but we won't be walking the whole route. The idea behind this walk is to go back to Winchester (where I grew up) and walk to Shoreham-by-Sea (where I'm living now). You can see the route in this hastily edited low-resolution map, which should at least give you an idea of what we're doing.The total distance is somewhere around 100km, although I haven't worked this out precisely yet.

The plan is to do the whole walk in five days, and we'll be camping at various places along the way. While I'm on the subject of accommodation, I'd really like to thank Suzanne Hall at The Farm House, Corhampton, for letting me camp for free, as well as Janet Chew at Copper Beeches, who's kindly giving me a room for the night at half the usual rate.

I'm aiming to return to Shoreham-by-Sea on Sunday 27 September, where I'm going to enjoy a pint with the Beery Hikers, who will be returning to Shoreham-by-Sea from Tunbridge Wells on the same day.

I'm doing the walk in aid of the RSPB in recognition of the charity's excellent conservation work along the South Coast. I'm a keen bird watcher in my spare time, and it's sad to see so many species becoming increasingly scarce over the last few years. It would be great to know that my efforts on the walk will also help towards conserving the habitats of Sussex's diverse range of wading birds.

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