Boys Don't Cry: it makes their eyeliner run

My ride today took me in a northerly direction to Burwash and Stonegate.  The day was overcast  and their was a small amount of drizzle as my ride.  I rode out through Netherfield and down into Doctor's Hole (no sniggering at the back!), turned right and climbed up through the hamlets of Cackle Street and Twelves Oaks to Brightling.  From Brightling there was a long descent towards Burwash.

Burwash Needle is an obelisk built by Mad Jack Fuller. It is at one of the highest points in Sussex at 197 metres and stands at 20 metres.

As I crossed the River Dudwell my chain came off.  I soon put it back but managed to get oil all over my jersey hmmm!

Oil on jersey.  Any ideas on how to remove it?
The road took me past Bateman's, the former home of Rudyard Kipling, author of Jungle Book and the crappy poem 'If'.Batemans is an early 17th Century Manor House.

Bateman's is now owned by the awful National Trust who have turned it into a theme park for retired middle class people who are charged an extortionate £11 to walk round and gawp.  Today, they were having the chimneys swept and the chimney sweep had left the gate open so I was able to take a nice photo.
The climb from Bateman's to Burwash is quite steep.

Just outside Burwash were some early crocuses.
Burwash is a small village with a population of 2,713.

16th Century houses near the church of St Bartholomew in Burwash.

The church dates from 1090, although most of it is 12th Century.
    

















From Burwash the road dropped and then climbed back up to Stonegate, where it started to rain. From Stonegate, I rode through Witherden Hill where when I was a teenager there was a pub called The Kicking Donkey - its now a house, although the hop garden opposite is still there.
Just past Witherden Hill lives Roger Daltrey (out of The Who) and just around the corner from him lives Goth-god, teen angst-merchant and leading Widow Twankey impersonator, Robert Smith (out of The Cure).

Robert Smith (out of The Cure)

Widow Twankey

Robert Smith's house is ENORMOUS.  It looks a bit like the White House and is a very grand stately home.  I knew it was his house because when I looked through the bins there were a lot of discarded lipsticks, pie wrappers and a powder compact.  Thinking of Robert Smith (out of The Cure) made me remember this link to a little known duet recorded with Bryan Ferry (out of Roxy Music and also Sussex resident) recording of Joe Dolce's classic Shaddup you face.



From Gloomy Towers, the home of Robert Smith (out of The Cure) I rode back to Burwash and retraced my tyre tracks home.