The English South Downs Way →
In the South of England is a scenic walk called the "South Downs Way" - one of England and Wales' 15 National Trails. It's a gently undulating walk running 160 km from Eastbourne, on the Sussex coast, to Winchester, in Hampshire.
The South Downs Way - Near Pyecombe village, with Clayton windmill on the horizon - © Duncan Smith
The Downs are a range of chalk hills once covered in trees 3,000 years ago but are now grassy hills grazed by sheep. The route follows linked ancient bridleways, roads, byways and footpaths, to take advantage of extensive views of the English countryside. They have been used for over 8000 years as evidenced by many tumuli and hill forts along the route. There is evidence of Roman occupation at Bignor, where a large Roman courtyard villa can be visited.
The South Downs Way - Eastbourne, the start of the South Downs Way - © Duncan Smith
Judy and I began our walk from Eastbourne on a scorching June day. To get on top of the Downs, we climbed a steep grassy slope towards Beachy Head. This famous landmark is Britain's highest cliff at 162 m and plunges vertically into the sea. It is sometimes called "Lovers Leap", the name says it all.
The 360° views from the top revealed wave upon wave of rolling hills leading away to the west. To the South, a sea sparkling like scattered diamonds, melting to a purple haze. To the North, a mélange of tiny fields, edged by dark green hedgerows and sprinkled with myriads of different trees that led gently away. Among these could be glimpsed the rooves of hidden villages, centuries-old, whose local church spires penetrated the foliage like insects' antennae.
The South Downs Way - Green Alkanet, Ragwort and Wild Mignonette wildflowers on the Way © Duncan Smith
Chalk soils in England are renowned for their abundance of wildflowers, and we were not disappointed. Peppered throughout the springy turf were purple orchids, yellow rattle, blood-red poppies, dark blue cornflowers, pure white marguerite daisies and many others.
After 12 km we found ourselves in the small village of Alfriston, boasting three pubs. The oldest, "The George Inn", dating back to 1397. We'd booked into the local YHA, a charming Sussex flint house built in 1530, Tudor times. Complete with an oak-beamed lounge, open inglenook fireplace and studded leather-bound furniture. It set the scene for a pleasant stay.
All accommodation on the SDW is set in villages below the tops of the Downs. Every morning began with a vigorous climb back onto the tops again, sometimes really gut-busting, other times more benign.
The South Downs Way - Mountain biker cycling the Way in two days, from Winchester to Eastbourne - © Duncan Smith
We left the YHA early the next day and soon met a small group of mountain bikers who were cycling from Winchester to Eastbourne, in two days. Talking to one of them it transpired that we both lived in a small town outside London, Thornton Heath, and were almost neighbours once. Small world indeed.
We decided to drop down to the village of Rodmell to find accommodation, but their YHA there was full, as was all other housing. We popped into the local pub to decide what to do next. The landlord told us that a bus was just leaving from outside to Lewes, a large town a few miles away. Here would be plentiful accommodation.
Lewes started out as a Saxon village in the 6th century and in the 11th century, the Normans built a castle there, still dominating the town today.
We discovered the beautiful, secluded gardens of Southover Grange, a hidden gem in Lewes. The 16th century Grange was built from stones taken from the ruins of a nearby Priory, after the dissolution of the monasteries. King Henry VIII, in a huff, disbanded the Roman Catholic priories, monasteries, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland between 1536 and 1541.
The South Downs Way - Southover Grange and gardens, Lewes - © Duncan Smith
We walked passed the historic Wealden Hall, a 15th-century timber-framed house that was given to Anne of Cleves as part of her divorce settlement from King Henry VIII.
The following day we caught a bus to drop us off at Plumpton, a point much further along the SDW, and walked back to Lewes again for the night. This was a much more pleasant way to walk, as we only needed daysacks for food and water instead of our full packs.
The South Downs Way - Judy on the trail- © Duncan Smith
We climbed the Downs and got lost! So many paths criss-cross the top in the long grass that it was hard to know which one the SDW trail. Eventually, we found the right one and with another blue-sky day and a cooling breeze we strode off.
Blisters! I hate them! With the hot days, one of my feet sported three of them, like grumpy little pink limpets. I chose to snub them, but sadly they didn't ignore me, and they carried on with their evil plan! Despite them, it was a beautiful 20 km walk, and we were pleased to return to Lewes.
In the cool of the next morning, we returned to Plumpton to walk in the other direction towards our next stop at the Truleigh Hill YHA, 18 km away.
The South Downs Way - Judy looking at lone of the dew ponds we encountered - © Duncan Smith
To the South, the sea lay oily and sluggish beyond vast fields of golden wheat, rippled by the wind. Green and red combine harvesters, looking like small toys, were busy clawing their way slowly across them, to bring in the harvest. To the North, the scene was very different, indeed, with just small fields dotted with livestock and tiny villages. It appeared to look like a child's model from our lofty height.
We came across "dew ponds", artificially made ponds for livestock that grazed the Downs. These ponds were dug by hand, with sloping edges, and as chalk soils are porous, a mixture of clay and straw were puddled inside them to hold the water. Rainwater collected in them over winter and would sometimes last all through the summer.
We reached the YHA late in the afternoon, hot, sweaty and tired, but content.
An early start the next day saw us leave before anybody else had stirred. It had promised to be an even hotter day, and we wanted to do as much walking in the cooler part of it as we could.
The South Downs Way - Chanctonbury Ring a few of the trees that make a circle of the beeches, to the right - © Duncan Smith
Passing high above the villages of Upper Beeding and Steyning, we came upon an unusual clump of trees known as the "Chanctonbury Ring". This is a prehistoric hilltop fort that commands extraordinary 360° views. Carbon-dated pottery found there, indicated that it was from the 6th to 5th century BC. Later, it became a Roman religious site, with two temples erected there. Chanctonbury's fame is due to the circle of beech trees that were planted within the earth banks of the fort in 1760, by the then landowner, to beautify the site. They were still prominent when we saw them, despite a devastating storm in 1987 that blew many of them down.
We stayed at the "The Sportsman" pub in the village of Amberley, next to the River Arun. It is known locally as the "Pearl of Sussex", and rightly so. It is a ridiculously, beautiful and picturesque village, with a mix of stone, brick, thatch, split flint and timber. They all work together seamlessly to create one of the most beautiful communities in England. A quaint village café, a tiny store and one of the most beautiful medieval castles anywhere, it really is a village to be admired and slowly relished.
The South Downs Way - One of the delightful cottages in the village of Amberley - © Duncan Smith
A colossal overnight electrical storm threatened to delay our walk from Amberley, but by morning it had passed. The day dawned cooler and less humid after it had moved on. The next part of our trek would lead us to the ancient city of Chichester.
The South Downs Way - The Roman Villa at Bignor. - © Duncan Smith
Our pace was much lighter now, and we soon reached Bignor Hill. Here were the remains of Stane St, an old Roman Road. Leading off the Downs, we followed a road that took us to a large Roman courtyard-villa below. It is known for its high-quality mosaic floors, some of the most intricate in the country. It was accidentally discovered by a farmer in 1811 when his plough hit a large stone, since then it has been extensively excavated.
The city of Chichester has a long history as a settlement during the Roman period and was also crucial during Anglo-Saxon times. It has a splendid cathedral founded in 1075 and exquisite architecture in both the Norman and Gothic styles. It has two unusual features, a separate bell tower placed metres away from the main building, and double aisles.
The South Downs Way - Chichester Cathedral - © Duncan Smith
The next day dawned bright as our trek began towards South Harting, 18 km away. This day was to turn out to be very different. A mountain bike race was underway from one end of the SDW to the other, from Winchester to Littlehampton. Fortunately, the hundreds of riders taking part were riding towards us, so we able to step aside to let them pass. Had they been coming from behind us, it would have been very tiresome.
The South Downs Way - The cooling shade of some woods a long the Way - © Duncan Smith
We plunged into the first shady woods of our journey since leaving Littlehampton, a welcome relief from the heat we'd been experiencing so far on the walk. In one of these, we came across "The Devil's Jumps", five large conical-shaped mounds 5m high and about 30 metres in diameter, and shallow trenches around the edge of each. They are Bronze-Age burial mounds, believed to be between 3 to 4,000 years old and perfectly preserved.
We found an excellent bed and breakfast near Elsted village, and next morning our kindly host drove us 18km further down the SDW. This gave us the chance to walk back to his home again, carrying our just our day sacks. Passing over Old Winchester Hill, we came upon an Iron Age fort with extensive views of the countryside. Fenced off from livestock, it was covered with a happy profusion of wildflowers.
Later that day the highest point of the SDW was reached, Butser Hill at 270m (More like a Gut Buster Hill!!). There is an annual Fell Run here called the "Butser Hill Challenge" that involves running up and down the hill three times. Once was certainly enough for us.
The final day of our SDW walk began with a climb up to another "Beacon Hill". We'd passed many of these along the South Downs, put in place during the reign of Elizabeth 1st. They were lit to warn of the possible approach of 130 ships of the Spanish fleet, set to invade England. The fires would signal the land below that enemy troops were approaching.
The South Downs Way - The scenery beginning to change as we near Winchester - © Duncan Smith
The scenery began to subtly change. Instead of rolling hills, the slopes were gentler, as the Downs seemed to sink gently back under the earth again. Gone were the vast skies with ever-present skylarks we'd seen so far, fields were now smaller, bounded by high hedges that veiled the views.
We found unusual crops of blood-red opium poppies, pale-blue linseed and bright yellow oilseed rape.
The butterflies were different. Brimstones, with lime green wings; Peacocks, with red velvet wings dotted with four "eyes" and Red Admirals, with their buff wings and distinctive red flashes.
The South Downs Way - Jude sits among poppies to take in the last view of the Way before we descend into Winchester - © Duncan Smith
We crossed many roads indicating that we were close to our final destination, Winchester. The city eventually hove into view, and we chose to sit down amongst swaying corn poppies to admire the scene for the last time.
The city of Winchester, once the capital of England, is steeped in history dating back to the Iron Age. Winchester Cathedral is one of the largest in Europe, with the greatest overall length of any Gothic cathedral. It was founded in 642 on a site immediately to the North of the present one.
The South Downs Way - Winchester Cathedral - © Duncan Smith
The city is also home to Winchester College, founded in 1382 by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester. It is the oldest public school in the United Kingdom and still uses many of its' original buildings.
The South Downs Way - Winchester College - © Duncan Smith
The first 70 poor scholars entered the school in 1394. The specific requirements were that scholars had to come from families whose annual income was less than £3 6s 8d (NZ$8.58!). In comparison, a reasonable living income, in those days, was £5 per annum, or NZ$9.00! It was founded in conjunction with New College Oxford, for which it was designed to act as a feeder. Judy's great-grandfather went there before going on to Oxford to become a Doctor.
The South Downs Way is another of England's most beautiful long-distance walks and one to be savoured slowly to gain maximum satisfaction.