Travel: Off for a pint at The Cricketers: David Hewson walks in the valley where the South Downs meet the shore, following the ribbon of the river Cuckmere from Alfriston to the sea

The English Channel is such a narrow little puddle you cannot help wondering why no invader has succeeding in crossing it since 1066. Today it may just be a question of taste.

From the Norman Conquest area of Hastings in the east to Bognor in the west, the shoreline of Sussex pursues a grim progress across a landscape obscured, almost entirely, by the dread excesses of the modern British seaside. Dull suburbs of bungalows and modern boxes, rotting Victoriana, congested streets and shabby promenades make this coast resemble a grey, sterile outreach of south London gone underground around Croydon and surfaced by the sea. Newhaven or Dieppe, Eastbourne or Boulogne, it's not much choice at all.

Before you book the ferry, however, it is worth casting an eye in the direction of a sliver of green running to the sea amid this depressing ribbon development. Quite why one oasis of coastal Sussex should have escaped the construction industry's attentions is anyone's guess. Perhaps, like most casual visitors, the builders just passed the unremarkable Alfriston roundabout on the busy A27 and never noticed the flat, verdant Cuckmere Valley beyond.

This is where the South Downs meet the English Channel, a pleasant, tightly contained glimpse of a time when the Sussex coast was truly rural. With the Seven Sisters Country Park and Friston Forest to the east, the valley provides a small refuge of unspoilt countryside, the best selection of walks, large and small, on the south coast east of Dorset, some unexpectedly interesting sights and a handful of superlative village pubs.

Surprisingly few outsiders know about the Cuckmere Valley, and it is not uncommon for people to confuse Alfriston with Alfreton in the Derbyshire Peak District. The hulking hills of the Downs, distinctly more muscular than those we expect of southern England, give the place a somewhat northern air, though it is one that disappears the moment you drive to Seaford Head for a view back along the undulating chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters running towards Beachy Head.

This is serious southern culture country, too. The valley is only 10 minutes away from the county's best-known operatic destination, Glyndebourne, and has enough artistic antecedents of its own to keep the coffee shops awash in local luvvie talk. Most were provided by the Bloomsbury set, when they were not playing musical bedrooms in WC1. Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell lived in Charleston farmhouse, close to the hamlet of Alciston. Vanessa's sister, Virginia Woolf, was a regular visitor to the farmhouse, which is now open to visitors.

A more interesting memorial to their presence, and one that makes a good starting point for exploring the valley, is the curious wall paintings in the little parish church of Berwick, close to the main road. The work of Grant, Vanessa and Quentin Bell, the paintings date back to the Second World War and show some very Sussex countryside and characters in biblical scenes. A wartime soldier, sailor and airman are depicted beneath a figure of Christ ascended, while a nativity takes place in a Sussex barn with a background near Lewes.

The then Bishop of Chichester, whose idea the commission was, fought some heated opposition from Berwick parishioners, and won his case in a Consistory Court hearing in October 1941, with the support of Sir Kenneth (later Lord) Clark. You must judge the work and the artists' intentions for yourselves, but it always strikes me that the crucified figure in The Victory of Calvary has a smirk on his face.

Berwick lies at a dead end running from the main road into Alfriston. On the way back, you pass The Cricketers, one of those little English pubs that has escaped the ravages of Muzak and 'refurbishment'. A fine, nutty pint of Harvey's, from Lewes down the road, and a bowl of home-made soup make as good a lunch as anyone needs hereabouts.

Back on the main road are two small tourist attractions. Drusilla's is an amiable family zoo, which has been on the site for more than 60 years and has a strong local school following. Next door at the English Wine Centre, you can taste several wines from Sussex.

Alfriston is a compact village set around a rather traffic-weary High Street, mainly of old, timbered buildings. The principal sights lie to the east on the river side.

The Old Clergy House, a small 14th-century timber-framed building, beautifully preserved, is the first building that the National Trust acquired. There is an attractive little garden and some small exhibitions. Nearby, on the banks of the river Cuckmere stands the strapping parish church of St Andrew, invariably referred to as 'The Cathedral of the Downs' although to me it looks like an oversized parish church.

From the quiet pasture by the church, the views extend to the Downs and along the flat valley bed to the coast. From this point, you may happily walk along well- established footpaths in almost any direction.

Few areas which are not publicly owned can boast as many footpaths as the Cuckmere Valley. For a short walk, a footbridge across the river leads back to the little hamlet of Milton Street, where another classic local pub, the Sussex Ox, provides an admirable lunch.

There are longer walks extending back to Berwick and Alciston, east to the heights of the chalk figure of the Long Man above Wilmington, south-west to the viewpoint of High and Over, or straight along the river, to the little pebble beach of Cuckmere Haven. With a standard Ordnance Survey map, such as the Landranger 199, you can work out your own itinerary, ranging from a slothful pub crawl to a route march making use of a rambler's barn on the clifftop.

There is little of interest on the west bank of the Cuckmere as it winds past the 'Meanders' wetlands that mark the river's original course before a more direct cut was excavated last century. On the east side, along part of the South Downs Way, lies the flint village of Litlington, with some charming gardens for afternoon tea; and on the crowded A259 coastal road, the small complex of farm buildings at Exceat, with a free car park, is the start of the shortest walk to the sea at Cuckmere Haven. Exceat is the administrative base for the Seven Sisters Country Park whose hills run along the coast like a steep rollercoaster cut in the chalk.

There is a fascinating creepy-

crawly zoo called The Living World where, besides seeing a wide range of international bugs, you can experience a 'mini-beast handling session' every Wednesday. This entails handling creatures such as huge millipedes and crested dragon lizards.

Next door, at the park's interpretation centre, rangers run walks and brief tutorials as the mood and the local flora and fauna take them. The farmhouse offers good food, and from Easter, good accommodation too, a scarce commodity in the valley.

Behind Exceat, walks criss-cross the vast tract of Friston Forest. Here, you must abandon your car and set off on foot for the hamlet of Westdean, almost hidden by the forest, with a duck pond, Norman church, rumours of a Saxon palace and not so much as a pub. The tourist England of cream teas and charabancs seems a million miles distant.

From Westdean, it is a pleasant, uphill walk to the South Downs Way that winds back to Alfriston. Or you may carry on along the valley side, past Litlington to the Long Man.

Here is the counterpart view to the one at High and Over on the other side of the valley, and a memorable pastoral scene for the photograph album. Nearby, the A27 provides a constant reminder that, for all its apparent remoteness, the Cuckmere Valley lives solidly in the middle of grubby, overcrowded southern England.

It's an engaging, unexpected little corner of the country, and does is best to create some distance from the urban morass that surrounds it. Sadly, the atmosphere obeys no planning laws. On the solitary heights of Lullington Heath, where entranced twitchers gingerly stalk the local birdlife behind the prehistoric chalk figure of the Long Man, the air pollution monitoring site regularly records the heaviest levels of ozone pollution in Britain.

GETTING THERE

TRAIN to Berwick, two miles from Alfriston, on the Hastings to Brighton line. Bike hire available from Berwick Station, 0323 870310. A handy biking holiday service, based in Alfriston, also hires cycles and will transport your bags between destinations. Prices vary according to itineraries. Details: Sussex Peddlers, 0323 870973.

SIGHTS

The Old Clergy House, Alfriston, open daily April to October. The National Trust's first building, a 14th-century, timber-framed house with medieval hall, next to the church. Berwick Church, open daily. Colourful decorations by artists of the Bloomsbury set. Wilmington Priory, daily except Tuesdays from the end of March to October. Ruins of 11th-century Benedictine priory, farming museum, good views of the Wilmington Long Man. Alfriston Church, the 'Cathedral of the Downs', open daily. Charleston Famhouse, guided tour of the home of the Bloomsbury Bells, April to October, 0323 811265. Seven Sisters Country Park and Friston Forest. Magnificent coastal park. The Living World, Exceat. Educational creepy-crawly zoo in the Seven Sisters park, open daily. The park's interpretation centre, open weekends in winter, daily April to October. Alfriston Heritage Centre and Blacksmith's Museum, daily 11am to 5pm, Easter to end of October. Drusilla's, Alfriston. Award-winning small zoo, popular with children, open daily. Firle Place, near Lewes. Georgian mansion with art and porcelain collections, open daily May to September, 0273 858335. Alfriston Festival, 24- 31 August. Music, exhibitions, walks and dancing, 0323 870650. English Wine Festival, 5-6 September, English Wine Centre, 0323 870164.

WALKING

East Sussex County Council runs regular organised walks in the area. Details from 0273 481654. An organised Sussex Heritage Coast Walk from Seaford along the Seven Sisters to Eastbourne leaves from the Martello Tower, Seaford seafront, at 10am on Sunday 11 April; bus back to Seaford, price pounds 3; you will need plimsols to ford the Cuckmere, a towel and something to drink; picnic lunch and pub stop at Birling Gap.

SHOPPING

English Wine Centre, Alfriston. Wine and cider shop, small wine- making exhibition. Middle Farm Shop, Firle. Superlative 'real' farm shop, with meat including wild boar and home-made sausages, cheese-tasting, local apples and English wine and cider. Open daily, meat section closed Sundays. Situated on the A27.

ACCOMMODATION

Most of Alfriston's hotels are grossly overpriced and, consequently, at present largely empty. I suggest that ruthless haggling may pay dividends. Bed and breakfast places are limited and reasonably priced. White Lodge, Alfriston. Best-situated of the town's expensive hotels, in attractive, privately run mansion with good views of the valley, away from traffic. From pounds 60 bed and breakfast for two, 0323 870265. The George, Alfriston. Timbered inn, reasonable restaurant. From pounds 60 for two with breakfast.

Local bed and breakfast from about pounds 15 per person: The Tannery, quiet location in centre of the village, 0323 870449; Lucy Ann, next to the English Wine Centre, 0323 870662; Chestnuts 0323 870298; New bed and breakfast accommodation will be available at Exceat Farmhouse from Easter, in a handsome farmhouse and restaurant in the Seven Sisters park, 0323 870218. Frog Firle Youth Hostel, from pounds 9.40 a night, 0323 870423. Basic accommodation barn for walkers in the Seven Sisters park, pounds 2 for children, pounds 3 for adults, 0323 870280.

EATING OUT

The Hungry Monk, Jevington, 0323 482178. Award-winning, imaginative restaurant in old cottage. Set menu pounds 19.50. Evening meals and Sunday lunches only. Booking advisable. Sussex Ox, Milton Street. Excellent beer and reasonable food in a friendly pub with a family room named The Sty. Garden with views, 0323 870840, fax 0323 870715. Rose Cottage Inn, Alciston. Marvellously eccentric cottage pub with stunning beers, above average food and grey parrot in the bar, 0323 870377. The Cricketers, Berwick. Classic real ale, real food country pub 0323 870469. Ye Olde Smugglers Inne, Alfriston. Steaks and huge local trout, reasonable prices, in village centre pub, 0323 870241. Exceat Farmhouse. Home-made food and cafetiere coffee in the Seven Sisters park (see accommodation).

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