South Downs
Welcome to South Downs
The insider's travel guide to South DownsYou won’t find wilderness areas along the south coast between Kent’s ‘Garden of England’ and Poole Harbour. Instead walkers enjoy safe and generally easy, well-maintained paths with excellent infrastructure and access.
Expect a mix of coast and well-manicured countryside with long stretches of chalk downland between the two. Most walks include pretty river valleys and rolling farmland with a scattering of affluent villages and towns serving London commuters or escapees.
Accommodation and transport options are plentiful and varied, making the southeast suitable for most types of walking holidays.
The South Downs atlas
1 picks Places & Experiences You Won't Find Elsewhere-
Distance: 99 miles (159km)Duration: Nine daysStart point: WinchesterEnd point: EastbourneDifficulty: Moderate to easy – relatively short and very easy to navigate; few very steep climbs, though a lot of walking up and down small hillsSuitable for: Any reasonably fit walker, including families; can also be cycled You’ll walk through landscapes of rolling hills and breezy fields of corn, passing numerous pretty villages with thatched cottages, historic pubs and gardens bursting with blooms. And there’s a fitting final-day climax as you rollercoaster your way up and down the majestic chalk cliffs known as the Seven Sisters before reaching the beaches of Eastbourne for a celebratory ice cream. Most of the gradients are reassuringly manageable along the pleasant chalk hills of the South Downs Way, and the weather down here is usually pretty favourable.
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South Downs Way
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