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The tracks of the South Downs Way have a rich history and have been used for thousands of years. The area was occupied in the neolothic era and remains of tumuli and forts can be seen along the South Downs Way today. It was approved as a National Trail in March 1963 and officially opened in 1972.
- The Way
The South Downs Way is a National Trail within the South...
- The Way
Start: Winchester, Hampshire. End: Eastbourne, East Sussex. Length: 100 miles (160 km) The 100 miles (160 Km) long South Downs Way National Trail follows the old routes and droveways along the chalk escarpment and ridges of the South Downs.
The South Downs Way is a National Trail within the South Downs National Park that stretches from Winchester to Beachy Head in Eastbourne and is 160km (100 miles) long. The South Downs Way route covers both the counties Hampshire and Sussex.
Trail Information. The 100 mile (160 Km) long South Downs Way follows the old routes and droveways along the chalk escarpment and ridges of the South Downs. Enjoy the stunning long distance views, picturesque villages, thatched pubs and cosy tea rooms.
- How to Plan Your Hike on This Unique 100-Mile Trail
- What Is The South Downs Way?
- How Long Does It Take to Hike The South Downs Way?
- Getting to and from The Trail
- How Much It Cost to Hike The South Downs Way
- Can You Wild Camp on The South Downs Way?
- Campsites on The South Downs Way
- My Kit List
- Water, Food and Resupply on The South Downs Way
- Navigation on The South Downs Way
If you’re planning on hiking The South Downs Way any time soon you’re about to discover a real gem. Especially if you avoid the biblical rain, hail storms and 50mph winds that I had to contend with. But who can plan for that? In May. When it should have been warm and glorious with far-reaching views. Granted, it may have been a bit wet but the Sout...
The South Downs Way is the only long-distance trail in England and Wales that wends its way entirely through a national park. And this is what makes it totally unique – and guarantees you fantastic scenery all the way. The trail’s also notable because it’s a bridleway most of the way, so there are cyclists, even horse riders, sharing the trail. The...
How I Work Out My Daily Miles
Generally speaking, I make a note of how far I can (or want) to walk on the first and last day of the hike, which mostly depends on travel times. Once I’ve got those miles worked out I deduct them from the total trail miles to see how many I’ve got left. My initial plan was to hike around 7 miles on day one and 10 miles on the last day, taking train times into account. So I took 17 miles off the total length of the hike (100 miles) to leave me with 83 miles. I decided on an easy 15 miles a da...
Public Transport
Winchester By Train Winchester is on several routes from around the country, including London, Oxford, Birmingham, and Manchester. Train operators are Southern Railway and CrossCountry Eastbourne By Train Eastbourne train station is on a route from London Victoria operated by Southern Railway Find out how to find the nearest railway stations to any trail and get the cheapest tickets withmy guide to ‘split-ticketing’ Coach Travel National Express coaches serve both Winchester and Eastbourne fr...
Travel – Train If you’re looking for the best price train tickets, try Split Ticketing.The website breaks your journey down into sections, showing the best price for each section which means you could make a hefty saving. The earlier you book your tickets the bigger the savings it’s possible to make. My costs were as follows: 1. Truro to Winchester...
It was straightforward on the first half of the hike if you just want somewhere to put your head down and get some sleep: pitch late, leave early. Illness forced me to find campsites on the latter half of the hike, but I noticed plenty of similar places that would have been suitable. Bivvy campingwould be ideal for this trail. It goes without sayin...
I’ve written a separate review of campsites on the South Downs Way that I actually stayed at. Hopefully, you’ll find all the details you need to plan a comfortable night’s sleep towards the end of the hike – without stepping off the trail.
I’ve listed my South Downs Way kit listseparately so you can have a good read through (it’s a detailed list!). However, the most important thing you need to know is this: I took too much! And, although I didn’t weigh my gross weight, I added at least 2kg of food and 3 litres of water. (I soon reduced that to 2 litres.) This was not going to be a fa...
Water I read that water was hard to come by on the South Downs Way. This is because the trail is on the crest of chalk hills and any rainwater just drains away. There are of course villages and settlements along the route, but they’re generally off the trail and down in the valleys. But a solution was found and public water taps can now be found at...
Maps And Guide Books I took a Cicerone guidebookthat came with a 1:25,000 map booklet. I always have a compass with me but I didn’t need it on this trail. It’s pretty well waymarked and mostly on good visible tracks so it’s unlikely you’ll get lost or come far off-trail.
For the first time along the South Downs Way the route follows the River Cuckmere south rather than just crossing it as with all the other rivers. The route passes though Friston Forest and then into Seven Sisters Country Park before reaching the coast and following the roller coaster route over the Seven Sisters.
The South Downs Way is one of 15 National Trails in England and Wales and was the first bridleway National Trail in England. It is also the only National Trail to lie entirely within a National...
