South Downs Way
South Downs Way, looking towards Chanctonbury Ring
Length	160 km (99 mi)
Location	South Eastern England, United Kingdom
Designation	UK National Trail
Trailheads	Winchester Hampshire 51°03′47″N 1°18′25″W / 51.063°N 1.307°W / 51.063; -1.307 Eastbourne, East Sussex 50°45′04″N 0°16′08″E / 50.751°N 0.269°E / 50.751; 0.269
Use	Hiking
Elevation Change	4,150 m (13,620 ft)
Highest point	Butser Hill, 270 m (890 ft)[1]
Trail difficulty	Easy
Season	All year
Sights	Long Man of Wilmington, Chanctonbury Ring

The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England, and is one of 15 National Trails in England and Wales. The trail runs for 160 km (99 mi) from Winchester in Hampshire, to Eastbourne in East Sussex with about 4,150 m (13,620 ft) of ascent and descent.^[2]

History[link]

People have been using the South Downs Way for approximately 8000 years (as a safer and dryer alternative to the wetter lowlands) throughout the Mesolithic era and early occupation began 2000 years after that in the Neolithic era.^[3] Early inhabitants built Tumuli in places on the hills and hill forts later once tribal fighting became more common. Old Winchester Hill is an example of one these hill forts along the path.^[4] The trail was probably used by the Romans, despite the fact that they built one of their roads across the path at Stane Street (Chichester), this use possibly evidenced by the existence of Bignor Roman Villa^[5] near Bury, very nearby the path.

Of Medieval historical interest, the village of Lomer, now only visible as a few small bumps in the ground,^[6] was most likely abandoned during the plague in the 14th century^[7] while the flat plain to the north of the South Downs Way where it passes Lewes is the site of the famous Battle of Lewes fought by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester and Henry III during the Second Barons' War. De Montfort actually took up position on the South Downs themselves before the battle giving him the high ground that, in part, led to his rout of a Royalist army that was twice the size of his.

During the Tudor era the downs were also in use and in particular Ditchling Beacon, which had been used as a beacon to warn of invasion in preceding centuries, was used again to warn Queen Elizabeth I of the Spanish Armada lumbering east along the English Channel.

One particular oddity, The Long Man of Wilmington can be found only a few metres off the path and down the hill as the path nears one end in Eastbourne. Its origin is unknown but the true age is probably later than most people think. The mystery surrounding its origin and its meaning make some ancient Celtic explanation quite desirable but recent study has shown that it was most likely created in the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries AD possibly posing more questions than it answers regarding its meaning.^[8] Yet still it attracts its fair share of Neo-Druidism and other Pagan interest with rituals and festival held there commonly.^[9]

During the Second World War much of the south coast of England was fortified with pillboxes, tank obstacles and machine gun posts in anticipation a Nazi invasion, the plan for which was known to the Nazis as Operation Sealion. These objects can be seen closer to the sea and require a diversion. The closest and probably best site is Newhaven Fort, a 5 mile diversion from the path, which is an attraction that houses many World War 2 artefacts and documents with impressive examples of the huge cannons used in coastal defence.^[10]

Route[link]

The undulating path begins in Winchester and moves past Cheesefoot Head, the towns of Petersfield and Arundel, the town of Steyning, Devil's Dyke viewpoint near Brighton, followed by Ditchling Beacon and miles of chalk downland across to Beachy Head, and finally ending in Eastbourne.

Several youth hostels are along the route to accommodate walkers. It also passes Birling Gap, a beach area with hotel and restaurant. The opportunity to swim here is irresistible to a perspiring rambler, despite the pebble beach.

At Rodmell on the trail, Virginia Woolf drowned herself in the River Ouse in 1941.

Geography[link]

Much of the South Downs Way is on high chalk downland and the views are always interesting. Perhaps the most dramatic vistas are on the high chalk cliffs on the Seven Sisters, Sussex towards Beachy Head and before the descent to Eastbourne. However, there are also superb views in clear weather from the ridgeway sections on the tops of the downs, especially on Ditchling Beacon.

The Way lies within the South Downs National Park. There is plenty of historic interest along the way, such as the Long Man of Wilmington near Eastbourne. Diversions are needed to visit Brighton or Lewes, the latter town being of great beauty with an historic centre. Without exception it is a very well maintained and signposted route. While it crosses various villages for provisions much of it is surprisingly isolated and quiet considering the density of the population in south-east England.

It can be walked at a leisurely pace in about a week while a good walker, horse rider or cyclist would take two or three days. It is closed to motorised traffic along the route and this rule is generally observed.

Various events are held along the route; including the British Heart Foundation's annual Randonee. Part or all of the 100 miles is cycled to raise funds for heart disease, the fastest times are sub 8 hours with most riders taking under 14 hours.

Part of the South Downs Way is also run by the Gurkhas (normally the Queen's Gurkha Signals), for Oxfam's Trailwalker 2011, the UK's 'toughest team charity challenge'. It is a non-stop 100km endurance event along the South Downs Way to raise money for Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust.^[11]

Views[link]

• 

  The cape of Beachy Head at the eastern end of the path

• 

  Chanctonbury Ring

• 

  View from the summit of Ditchling Beacon towards the north-east

See also[link]

• Pennine Way
• Long-distance footpaths
• Pilgrims' Way

Notes and references[link]

• Millmore, Paul (2010), South Downs Way (National Trail Guides), London: Aurum Press, ISBN 1845135652 . Route indicated using OS maps.
• OS Explorer Maps (1:25,000) 120, 121, 122, 123, 132
• OS Landranger Maps (1:50,000) 185, 197, 198, 199

External links[link]

• The South Downs Way from NationalTrails.gov.uk
• South Downs Way Journal from kevanliz
• South Downs Way from southdownsway.co.uk - describes route broken into sections
• Photos of the South Downs Way on geograph.org.uk
• Route of the South Downs Way mapped in 2 mile sections

South Downs
Range
The Seven Sisters, near Eastbourne, viewed from Seaford Head
Name origin: Old English dün, meaning 'hill'
Country	England
Region	Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex
Part of	Southern England Chalk Formation
Highest point	Butser Hill
- elevation	271 m (889 ft)
- coordinates	50°58′39.61″N 0°58′53.4″W / 50.9776694°N 0.9815°W / 50.9776694; -0.9815
Area	260 km2 (100 sq mi)
Geology	chalk
Orogeny	Alpine orogeny
Period	Cretaceous

For the 2011 play of this title, see South Downs (play).

The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about 260 square miles (670 km²)^[1] across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose crest there are extensive views northwards across the Weald. The South Downs National Park forms a much larger area than the chalk range of the South Downs and includes large parts of the Weald.

The South Downs is characterised by rolling chalk downland with close-cropped turf and dry valleys, and is recognised as one of the most important chalk landscapes in England.^[2] It is one of the four main areas of chalk downland in southern England.^[3]

The South Downs is relatively unpopulated, although in Sussex there has been large-scale urban encroachment onto the chalk downland by major seaside resorts, including most notably Brighton and Hove.

The South Downs has been inhabited since ancient times and at periods the area has supported a large population, particularly during Romano-British times. There is a rich heritage of historical features and archaeological remains, including defensive sites, burial mounds and field boundaries. Within the South Downs Environmentally Sensitive Area there are thirty-seven Sites of Special Scientific Interest, including large areas of chalk grassland.^[4]

The grazing of sheep on the thin, well-drained chalk soils of the Downs over many centuries and browsing by rabbits resulted in the fine, short, springy turf, known as old chalk grassland, that has come to epitomise the South Downs today. Until the middle of the 20th century, an agricultural system operated by downland farmers known as 'sheep-and-corn farming' underpinned this: the sheep (most famously the Southdown breed) of villagers would be systematically confined to certain corn fields to improve their fertility with their droppings and then they would be let out onto the downland to graze. However, starting in 1940 with government measures during World War II to increase domestic food production and continuing into the 1950s, much grassland was ploughed up for arable farming, fundamentally changing the landscape and ecology, with the loss of much biodiversity. As a result, while old chalk grassland accounted for 40-50% of the eastern Downs before the war, only 3-4% survives.^[5] This and development pressures from the surrounding population centres ultimately led to the decision to create the South Downs National Park, which came into full operation on 1 April 2011, to protect and restore the Downs.

The downland is an extremely popular recreational destination, particularly for walkers, horseriders and mountain bikers. A long distance footpath and bridleway, the South Downs Way, follows the entire length of the chalk ridge from Winchester to Eastbourne, complemented by many interconnecting public footpaths and bridleways.

The dip slope of the South Downs, as seen from Angmering Park Estate near Arundel (panoramic view).

Toponymy[link]

'Downs' is from Old English dün, meaning 'hill'. The word acquired the sense of 'elevated rolling grassland' around the fourteenth century.^[6] These hills are prefixed 'south' to distinguish them from another chalk escarpment, the North Downs, which runs roughly parallel to them about 30 miles (48 km) away on the northern edge of the Weald.

Geology[link]

Geological map of south-east England, with areas that have chalk bedrock shown in light-green.

A north-south cross-section through the Weald-Artois Anticline, East Sussex.

The South Downs are formed from a thick band of chalk which was deposited during the Cretaceous Period around sixty million years ago within a shallow sea which extended across much of northwest Europe. The rock is composed of the microscopic skeletons of plankton which lived in the sea, hence its colour. The chalk has many fossils, and bands of flint occur throughout the formation.^[7] The Chalk is divided into the Lower, Middle and Upper Chalk, a thin band of cream-coloured nodular chalk known as the Melbourn Rock marking the boundary between the Lower and Middle units.

The strata of southeast England, including the Chalk, were gently folded during a phase of the Alpine Orogeny to produce the Weald-Artois Anticline, a dome-like structure with a long east-west axis. Erosion has removed the central part of the dome, leaving the north-facing escarpment of the South Downs along its southern margin with the south-facing chalk escarpment of the North Downs as its counterpart on the northern side, as shown on the diagram. Between these two escarpments the anticline has been subject to differential erosion so that geologically distinct areas of hills and vales lie in roughly concentric circles towards the centre; these comprise the Greensand Ridge, most prominent on the north side of the Weald, where it includes Leith Hill, the highest hill in south-east England, the low-lying clay vales of the Low Weald, formed of less resistant Weald Clay, and finally the more highly resistant sandstones of the High Weald at the centre of the anticline, whose elevated forest ridge includes most notably Ashdown Forest.^[8]

The chalk, being porous, allows water to soak through; as a result there are many winterbournes along the northern edge.

Geography[link]

The South Downs is a long chalk escarpment that stretches for over 70 miles (110 km), rising from the valley of the River Itchen near Winchester, Hampshire, in the west to Beachy Head near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east.^[9] Behind the steep north-facing scarp slope, the gently inclined dip slope of undulating chalk downland extends for a distance of up to 7 miles (11 km) southwards. Viewed from high points further north in the High Weald and on the North Downs, the scarp of the South Downs presents itself as a steep wall that bounds the horizon, with its grassland heights punctuated with clumps of trees (such as Chanctonbury Ring).

In the west, the chalk ridge of the South Downs merges with the North Downs to form the Hampshire Downs. In the east, the escarpment terminates at the English Channel coast between Seaford and Eastbourne, where it produces the spectacular white cliffs of Seaford Head, the Seven Sisters, whose undulations reveal a cross-section through a pre-existing landscape of parallel ridges and dry valleys that has been exposed as the high chalk headland has receded through erosion by the sea, and Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain at 162 metres (531 ft) above sea level.

The South Downs may be said to have three main component parts: the East Hampshire Downs, the Western Downs and the Eastern Downs, together with the river valleys that cut across them and the land immediately below them, the scarpfoot.^[10] The Western and Eastern Downs are often collectively referred to as the Sussex Downs. The Western Downs, lying west of the River Arun, are much more wooded, particularly on the scarp face, than the Eastern Downs. It is the bare Eastern Downs - the only part of the chalk escarpment to which, until the late 19th century, the term "South Downs" was usually applied - that has come to epitomise, in literature and art, the South Downs as a whole and which has been the subject matter of such celebrated writers and artists as Rudyard Kipling (the "blunt, bow-headed, whale-backed downs") and Eric Ravilious.^[11]

Four river valleys cut through the South Downs, namely those of the rivers Arun, Adur, Ouse and Cuckmere, providing a contrasting landscape. Chalk aquifers and to a lesser extent winterbourne streams supply much of the water required by the surrounding settlements. Dew ponds, artificial ponds for watering livestock, are a characteristic feature on the downland.

The highest point on the South Downs is Butser Hill, whose summit is 270 metres (890 ft) above sea level. The plateau-like top of this vast, irregularly shaped hill, which lies just south of Petersfield, Hampshire, was in regular use through prehistory. It has been designated as a National Nature Reserve.

Within the boundary of the South Downs National Park, which includes parts of the western Weald to the north of the South Downs, the highest point is Blackdown, West Sussex, which rises to 280 metres (919 ft) above sea level. However, Blackdown geologically is not part of the South Downs but instead forms part of the Greensand Ridge on the Weald's western margins.

A list of those points on the South Downs above 700 feet (210 m), going from west to east, is given below.

History[link]

Plan of Cissbury fort showing shafts

Archaeological evidence has revealed that the Downs have been inhabited and utilised for thousands of years. Neolithic flint mines such as Cissbury, burial mounds such as the Devil's Jumps and Devil's Humps, and hill forts like Chanctonbury Ring are strong features in the landscape.^[12][13]

It has been estimated that the tree cover of the downs was cleared over 3000 years ago, and the present closely grazed turf is the result of continual grazing by sheep.

National park[link]

Proposals to create a national park for the South Downs date back to the 1940s. However, it was not until 1999 that the idea received firm government support. After a public enquiry that took place between 2003 and 2009, the government announced its decision to make the South Downs a national park on 31 March 2009. The South Downs National Park finally came into operation on 1 April 2011. Within its boundary are included not only the South Downs proper but also part of the western Weald, a geologically and ecologically quite different district.

The South Downs National Park has replaced two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)s: East Hampshire AONB and Sussex Downs AONB. During the enquiry process a number of boundary questions were considered, so that the National Park contains areas not in the former AONBs, and vice versa.

National Nature Reserves[link]

The South Downs contains a number of National Nature Reserves (NNRs).^[14]

The NNRs on the Sussex Downs comprise Kingley Vale, near Chichester, said by Natural England to contain one of the finest yew forests in Europe, including a grove of ancient trees which are among the oldest living things in Britain (the reserve is also one of the most important archaeological sites in southern England, with 14 Scheduled Ancient Monuments); Castle Hill, between Brighton and Lewes, an important example of ancient, traditionally managed grassland; Lewes Downs (Mount Caburn), a traditionally managed chalk downland (and also an important archaeological site); and Lullington Heath, on the northern fringe of Friston Forest north-west of Eastbourne, one the largest areas of chalk heath in Britain.

The NNRs on the East Hampshire Downs comprise Butser Hill, near Petersfield, a large area of chalk grassland on the highest point in the South Downs (a large area is also designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument reflecting its historical significance, particularly in the Bronze and Iron Ages); Old Winchester Hill, a lowland grassland on the west and south facing scarp slopes of the Meon valley; and Beacon Hill, a high quality chalk grassland 5km west of Old Winchester Hill.

Tourism, leisure and sport[link]

In 1923 the Society of Sussex Downsmen (now the South Downs Society) was formed with the aim of protecting the area's unique landscape.^[15]

The South Downs is a popular area for ramblers with a network of over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of well-managed, well-signed and easily accessible trails. The principal bridleway, and longest of them, is the South Downs Way.^[16] The Monarch's Way, having originated at Worcester, crosses the South Downs and ends at Shoreham-by-Sea.^[17]

Sports undertaken on the Downs include paragliding, mountain-biking, horse riding and walking.^[18] The popular Beachy Head Marathon (formerly Seven Sisters Marathon), a hilly cross-country marathon, takes place each autumn on the eastern Downs, starting and finishing in Eastbourne.

Landmarks[link]

The Long Man of Wilmington, inscribed into the scarp face of the South Downs in East Sussex

Two of the landmarks on the Downs are the Long Man of Wilmington, a chalk carved figure, and Clayton Windmills. There is also a war memorial, The Chattri, dedicated to Indian soldiers who died in the Brighton area, having been brought there for treatment after being injured fighting on the Western Front in the First World War.

South Downs in literature[link]

Rudyard Kipling who lived at Rottingdean described the South Downs as "Our blunt, bow-headed whale-backed Downs".^[19] Writing in 1920 in his poem The South Country, poet Hilaire Belloc describes the South Downs as "the great hills of the South Country".^[20] In On The South Coast, poet Algernon Charles Swinburne describes the South Downs as "the green smooth-swelling unending downs".^[21]

The naturalist-writer William Henry Hudson wrote that "during the whole fifty-three mile length from Beachy Head to Harting the ground never rises above a height of 850 feet, but we feel on top of the world".^[22]

Poet Francis William Bourdillon also wrote a poem "On the South Downs".^[23] The South Downs have been home to several writers including Jane Austen who lived at Chawton on the edge of the Downs in Hampshire. The Bloomsbury Group often visited Monk's House in Rodmell, the home of Virginia Woolf in the Ouse valley. Alfred, Lord Tennyson had a second home at Aldworth, on Blackdown; geologically part of the Weald, Blackdown lies north of the South Downs but is included in the South Downs National Park.

Gallery[link]

• 

  Part of the Downs near Devil's Dyke, Sussex

• 

  South Downs close to Beachy Head

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Brandon, Peter (1998), The South Downs, Chichester, UK: Phillimore, ISBN 1-86077-069-X .

Further reading[link]

• Hudson, W.H. (1901), Nature in Downland, London: Longmans and Green, http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924022545093#page/n15/mode/2up .

External links[link]

• Sussex South Downs Guide

Coordinates: 50°55′N 0°30′W / 50.917°N 0.5°W / 50.917; -0.5