I like to think that the air in Lewes is in a different league to that of London. Admittedly, at the point of comparison my judgement has no doubt been tainted by prolonged and close proximity to my fellow passengers, and London is nothing more than a distant memory, but – still – there’s something cleansing about taking that first breath as I hit solid ground. Never mind that I’m alighting at a busy station, negotiating the four-wheel drives in what must be one of the largest car parks in town, and that I’m about to stand my ground on the unforgiving pavements of Station Street – I insist on giving Lewes the benefit of the doubt.For what air hasn’t been improved by its backdrop? With the first sights of Lewes before me (Harvey’s Depot still proudly supporting its name if not its purpose, the elegant yet unshowy backs of Friars Walk, the chalk cliffs bringing to mind the sea), the whole thing is bound to feel good.
And this is a good time of year to be reflecting on such things. I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t been glad to see the back of GMT and the arrival of ‘plus one’, but there can’t be many better placed advocates than we Lewes commuters. At a stroke, the charms of Lewes become even more acute.
So the pleasure is all ours as we alight from the train. And who wouldn’t rather step down from the train and into a crevice of the Downs than into Croydon? The earlier starts, the longer journeys, the later finishes than our suburban counterparts – there are so many things that at times seem to sit so heavily on our shoulders. But, right now, with a couple of lungfuls of our native oxygen inside me, all is most definitely forgiven.
