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Rolling Landscapes of Southern England
  Exactly
100 miles of chalk downland walking separates the Victorian seaside town
of Eastbourne and the ancient Saxon Capital of Wessex and England –
Winchester. Stretching over a rare large area of outstanding natural
beauty in crowded Southern Britain, the walk generally follows the chalk
(soft limestone) ridge just to the north of the popular seaside towns on
the Sussex and Hampshire coast. Most of the route is ancient, made up out
of the old droving roads that took animals and goods between the market
towns of the region. On the way ‘Dew Ponds’, ring forts, cross dykes
and tumuli reflect a history stretching back into the mists of time.
You have two options, the classic 80 mile (8 day) original route to Buriton, or the extended 100 mile route (10 day) to Winchester. Your first walk introduces you to some of the finest coastal scenery in Britain, climbing past wind swept junipers up to the 500-foot Beachy Head chalk cliff with great views over the English Channel. After a rollercoaster walk over the ‘Seven Sisters’ cliffs, the way follows the lazy Cuckmere River to The beautiful Saxon town of Alfriston. Next you are back up on the high downs until you meet the River Ouse at Rodmell. The Way climbs over its highpoint on the Ditchling Beacon (248meters), before dropping passed the twin ‘Jack and Jill’ Windmills and then over the ‘Devil’s Dyke’, claimed to be the deepest chalk dry valley in the World. After the River Adur, you climb up to the embankments of the Chanctonbury Ring Fort familiar with druids and
mid-summer rituals. The way follows a hilly balcony high above the towns of Steyning and Storrington, before dropping headlong into the stunning Arun Valley and the quaint village of Amberley. The route continues over Bignor Hill and Cocking Down past a group of large burial tumuli called ‘The Devil’s Jumps’ and the shorter tour ends at Buriton. The extended route avoids this village and continues undulating along until it reaches the site of another great hill fort – Old Winchester Hill with views extending as far as the Isle of Wight on a clear day. You descend by the clear chalk streams, gliding with Trout, down into the broad Meon Valley. The last section of the walk takes you into an arable landscape before your journey’s end in Winchester.
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Accommodation
7 nights/8 days - Places to stay along The South Downs Way are found rather sporadically. This can mean that in order to find places which are on or just off the route, day stage lengths vary somewhat. We use a range of small attractive guesthouses and country inns of a good standard. Although we aim to provide ensuite accommodation this may not always be possible. Our first two nights are spent in
Alfriston, in one of Britain’s oldest inns from the 1300s. Rooms are furnished to a high standard. In
Rodmell we stay in a cosy guesthouse. Next we stay in a quiet country pub in
Clayton situated within sight of the Jack and Jill windmills, with ensuite rooms. In the attractive village of
Steyning we alight at a highly rated hotel. In picturesque
Amberley our accommodation offers home from home hospitality
in a traditional inn. A mile or so off the Downs in
Cocking we are at a simple country pub with good beer, rooms are not ensuite.
9 nights/10 days - The 10 day tour includes a country guesthouse at East Meon and on the final night a comfortable B&B in
Winchester, near to the historical centre.
Sherpa Notes
Waymarks
Ubiquitous white Acorn National Trail logos on finger posts, stiles and fences.
Accommodation and Meals
On a bed and breakfast basis, in comfortable guesthouses and Inns.
Start
and End of Tour
On your first evening arrive at Alfriston in East Sussex. Nearest train station is Berwick reached by trains from London Victoria (approx. 1 per hour, less on Sundays) change at Lewes. Journey time approx. 1hr 30mins.
Then local bus or taxi to Alfriston. 1mile. The Inn there will transfer you to Eastbourne on Day 2 (included).
From Buriton, taxi pick up and transfer to Petersfield Railway Stn. Or from Winchester in Hampshire there are direct trains to London Waterloo. There are as many as 4 direct services an hour, taking just over an hour. |
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