speck, singing all the while. No song could better conjour a landscape than this; it is the unmistakable soundtrack to the South Downs.
Typical butterflies, such as the adonis blue, chalkhill blue and common blue all feed on chalkland plants like the horseshoe vetch, while the marbled white is attracted to thistles on rough grassland.
Animal life ranges from tiny spiders and grasshoppers to roe and fallow deer. Rabbits and hares graze the open grasslands; badgers, being nocturnal creatures, usually emerge from their setts in the evening to feed, while foxes can be quite brazen in their daylight journeys.
Used by the SDW, this track carries the walk beyond the Clayton windmills (Walk 15)
Walking on the Downs
Discover some excuse to be up there … and, if not, go without any pretext. Lands of gold have been found, and lands of spices and precious merchandise; but this is the land of health.
Richard Jefferies (1848–1887)
The very best of the Downs can only be enjoyed on foot, and the 40 walks described in this guide have been chosen to serve as an introduction to some of the finest countryside in southern England. Stretching throughout the National Park, each of the routes is circular, beginning and ending at the same place; wherever possible, these places can be accessed by public transport.
No walk is more than 11 miles/17.5km long – the shortest is just under 5 miles/8km – but there’s as much enjoyment to be had in a ramble of modest length, as may be found in a march that covers 20 miles or more. Size and distance have no meaning here: it’s what you experience as you wander, and what you remember afterwards, that count.
Enthusiasts know full well that walking should not be confined to the summer months, for every season has its own unique brand of beauty, its own rewards, and a frosty winter’s day can hold as much magic for the walker as any in balmy July. Nature serves each season well: spring’s vibrant eruption of flowers and jubilant birdsong; summer’s warmth and long hours of daylight encouraging full growth in field, meadow and woodland; autumn’s touch of Midas, its mists, migrations and mushrooms; and winter’s stark outlines of naked trees, long shadows and harsh frosts.
As someone once remarked, there’s no such thing as bad weather when you’re properly dressed. But being properly dressed will make all the difference to one’s enjoyment of a day spent wandering the Downs.
Choose clothing suitable for the season; clothing that is sufficiently adaptable to accommodate the vagaries of our climate. Footwear needs to be comfortable: if it is you’ll feel almost as fresh at the end of the day, as when you set out at the start. For summer walks, shorts may be adequate on the majority of footpaths described in this book, but bear in mind that brambles and nettles often stray across infrequently used paths. An inexpensive pair of overtrousers (preferably with a zipped ankle-gusset so they can be pulled on or off without removing walking boots) will prove useful. A lightweight collapsible umbrella can be worth carrying for protection from a sudden shower. Since much of the region covered by this guide is open high ground, windy days can seem much colder than they really are, so remember to carry some warm, windproof clothing.
The escarpment near Devil’s Dyke (Walk 16) makes a popular launch site for paragliders
Carry a few plasters in case of blisters or the odd scratch; take a flask of liquid refreshment, and something to nibble should energy wane. An Ordnance Survey map will be needed in the unlikely event of your getting lost. It will also present you with a broader picture of the countryside through which your walk leads than may be gained from the OS extracts included within these pages. Details of the specific map sheets required are provided at the head of each walk described. I’ve also noted the availability of refreshments, where they occur. Most of these are to be found at country pubs, although I stress that I have no personal experience of the majority of those mentioned, so no endorsement is intended (I’d sooner chew on an apple while enjoying an open view than sit in a pub!). There has also been a spate of pub closures in recent years, so be warned that you may find the one you’d planned to visit is no longer open. If this is the case, a note to me via the publisher (address given at the front of the book) would be welcome, and I’ll ensure a correction is made in the next edition of this guide.
Amberley (Walk 24) is one of the most attractive villages at the foot of the South Downs
Should you plan to stop at a pub or café during your walk, please be considerate if your footwear is muddy and either leave your boots in the porch, or cover them with plastic bags.
It is assumed that anyone out for a walk in the countryside will have a love for that countryside, and treat it with respect. Sadly, evidence contradicts that assumption, for litter is still found where only walkers go. So I make a plea that all who go walking in the South Downs National Park will be careful not to leave litter, and help make the Downs even more attractive for all by removing any you find. A plastic bag is useful for carrying rubbish away – keep one in your rucksack for this purpose.
It has taken millions of years of evolution to create the South Downs. It has taken thousands of years for Man to mould it into the living landscape we cherish today, and more than 60 years to establish it as a National Park. Let each of us treat it with the love and respect it deserves.
Using the Guide
Maps
This guide contains sections of the Ordnance Survey map relevant to each walk described, and are taken from the 1:50,000 series which it is hoped will be sufficient at 1¼ inches to the mile (2cm = 1km) to provide an overview and a general outline of the route to be walked. However, for greater detail and a wider perspective the Explorer series drawn at a scale of 1:25,000 (2½ inches to 1 mile; or 4cm = 1km) is recommended, with the individual sheet information given at the head of each walk description. Most of these Explorer sheets cover several walks.
Grid references are frequently quoted to enable you to locate a given position on the map. Each OS sheet is divided by a series of vertical and horizontal lines to create a grid. These lines are individually numbered, and these numbers are quoted at the top, bottom, and sides of each sheet. Numbers increase from left to right for vertical lines (known as ‘eastings’), and from top to bottom for horizontal lines (‘northings’).
Each grid forms part of a much larger 100,000m square identified by a unique two-letter code. These letters are printed within the section headed The National Grid Reference System found in the key to each sheet, and are quoted in this guide immediately before the six-figure grid reference.
To identify an exact position on the map from a given grid reference, take the first two digits from the six-figure number quoted. These refer to the ‘eastings’ line on the OS map. The third digit is estimated in tenths of the square moving eastwards from that line. Next, take the fourth and fifth digits referring to the ‘northings’ line, and then the final digit estimating the number of tenths of the square reading up the sheet. Using this grid reference you should be able to pinpoint the exact position referred to in the text.
Times and Distances
Distances quoted in the text have been measured on the individual OS maps and double-checked using a pedometer, so they should be reasonably accurate. Please note that heights quoted on OS maps are in metres, not feet, and grid lines are spaced at intervals of 1km.
Allow
