Your entire South Downs journey will surely be more than 100 miles! You could look at organising taxis and pickups for some of them or wild camp (see my heading below on wild camping). You can walk the Hangers Way, a 21 mile path from Alton to Queen Elizabeth Country Park through Selborne, Steep and Petersfield. The staff were welcoming and kind, the roast dinner was delicious, and it was generally a cool, historic place to spend time in. Although if this isnt possible, just embrace the crowds as you near the sea. Steyning:Uppingham B&B Such a lovely owner and bright, airy room! I did wonder if there are many shops on route to enable me to re-stock. Ultra hikers and runners often cover the distance in a 2-day 100mile challenge (hats off to them!). The first is weather and the second is how busy the trail is going to be. Alternatively, hop aboard one of the Breeze up to the Downs buses, a network of three bus services linking Brighton with some of the most popular South Downs destinations close to the city . And its so incredibly comfortable! Legally you are not allowed to camp on the South Downs. While the official mileage for the walk is 100 miles, we ended up tackling 121 miles in total. Arrival day if you need to overnight in Winchester I suggest staying at The Old Vine (140 for 2 people including a great breakfast) which is conveniently located for transport and to start the trail. Day 7: Lewes to Seaford 18 milesCamping at Foxhole campsite (Seven Sisters Country Park, Exceat, Seaford, East Sussex, BN25 4AG) close to the trail. Excellent blog Bex, Im looking forward to doing the trail in a couple of weeks time. Shop the Largest Selection, Click to See! Required fields are marked *. The rooms are comfortable, if a little dated, and the large TVs were great for watching England beat New Zealand in the Cricket World Cup sucks to be Dave. Day 3: Cocking to Washington (19 miles)Staying at: Holt House (88 for 2 people including breakfast), Day 4: Washington to Pyecombe (14 miles)Staying at: Period Cottage (131 for 2 people including breakfast), Day 5: Pyecombe to Alfriston (23 miles)Staying at: Wingrove House (170 for 2 people including breakfast). Thats always an added bonus in this country! Stretching the full width of the South Downs National Park . There is a baggage transfer option if you are keen on walking the South Downs Way without having to carry your bag. There are 1200km of bridleways spreading through the National Park for riders to enjoy - everything from a gentle trot along a country track to a hack up to the top of the Downs. We settled on eight days for our walk, although by the end of the adventure, we both agreed that one extra day would have been appreciated. Ah, thank you! The South Downs Way --Submitted by Mark Worthington. Of course, you can merge days to suit your walking pace: *please note distances are just an average*. Thanks for sharing, Fred :-). Three winter walks on the South Downs. It runs from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in Sussex.. You do pass the odd pub and (in peak season) cafes and ice cream vans in hot spots, like along the Seven Sisters way. The wind from the ocean can be strong and relentless at times. It usually takes most people 9 days to walk the entire trail, at an average of 12-15 miles per day. Matt Hancock and I have almost nothing in common. Most people spend 7 or 8 days walking the whole South Downs Way. In fact, due to the low-lying land surrounding the hillside, the horizon seems to go on for miles. The park has a resident population of around 110,000 people and 125,000 sheep. For the most part, youll be walking alone without any other humans in sight. Most consider West to East to be the best way and I agree! The provision of wonderful restaurants, cosy fireside pubs, rivers, seaside, hills, woods, walks and the transport links from London, Portsmouth, Southampton and beyond means this special part of the country consistently ranks as one of the most popular places to spend an afternoon, a day, a weekend or even a week! Mai 2022 . Website Design, Build & Digital Marketing by WRD. As I mentioned at the start of this post, the South Downs Way is regarded as one of the easiest of the 16 National Trails. Day 8: Alfriston to Eastbourne (11 miles)Staying at: Albert & Victoria (77 for 2 including breakfast.an AMAZING hotel!!). I remember reading Wild and deciding I was going to walk the PCT, too. This will also save you the job of having to hunt down supermarkets to stock up along the way although a couple of the villages you pass have small shops and convenience stores. download. If you have a period while on your trek then you might want to factor this in with rest days. If you have any questions, please do use the comments box below. There are 2 approaches: prepare the food yourself (cheaper) or eat out along the way (better suited if staying in accommodation rather than camping). HIKE, BIKE, OR RIDE THE SOUTH DOWNS WAY. The eastern end finishes at the sea from east of Brighton Marina to Eastbourne. The downside to having the views is that you are very exposed and this was our biggest challenge as we ended up hiking in some pretty poor weather (it was a rainy long weekend in May). No . The route provides the visitor with the opportunity "to get away from it all" without having to travel too far in this busy part of England. 26. The route passes by it on the way out of town. On the South Downs Way, I especially appreciated the hand-drawn maps for every part of the trail (heres an example from my copy of how great they are) Im not sure I would have been able to find my own way without them. "The Palestinians are a miserable people and they deserve to be.". I can recomend checking out: Here are some useful links to other resources, as well as links to blogs to give you a different perspective from others who have hiked the route: Thank you for reading my guide and I hope it was helpful I really do love this hike and I hope this will make it easier for you to plan your own adventure. Miserable goes way beyond sad it means absolutely wretched. License: CC BY-SA 3.0. Of course, this figure is trail distance only as most walkers stay in accommodation located another few miles away from the Way. The South Downs Way Is Beyond Miserable FOR SALE!. theo coumbis lds; the south downs way is beyond miserable; 30 . The route covers the length of the South Downs National Park, the UK's most popular and most visited National Park.. With plenty of accommodation options, dozens of fantastic pubs, and hundreds of spectacular views, Im convinced its one of the best National Trails in the country. I loved Winchester and wished Id had more time to explore its beautiful buildings. This splits the South Downs Way stages across 6 days. I highly recommend staying here. You do still need to be able to complete a long day hike comfortably with a day pack (or more if you are planning to camp). South Harting:The White Hart We loved the White Hart! battled the censors a @RandPauld helped many of us learn: More 6. Fantastic breakfast with homemade sourdough bread (the owner runs classes on how to make sourdough bread, so you know its going to be great!). Kingston near Lewes:Airbnb in Kingston Another wonderful place to stay! While blisters tend to go numb after ten minutes of walking, the exact opposite occurs on the soles of your feet when walking on a rigid surface. You can take the coach or train from London to Winchester! Ive done long sections of this walk and Im now going to be completing the final 40 miles (Steyning area to Eastbourne) over two days in 2 weeks time. A big section of the South Downs is privately owned farmland which you shouldnt be camping on without permission. The SDW is a very popular trail, especially the Seven Sisters section as you near Beachy Head and Eastbourne. It gave my joints a chance to rest and my hiking poles helped me push myself upwards at a startling speed. Once you complete the trail you can get a completion certificate to keep! the south downs way is beyond miserable. The room was spacious with an en-suite bathroom, supplies for breakfast, and a little terrace to sit out on. There are also a few cafes where you can treat yourself to a hot drink and ice cream. For this reason, the only suitable places we found were small flat spots very near to the trail itself. We spent a couple of hours hitting up the main attractions: Winchester Cathedral (one of the largest in Europe), The Great Hall (a 13th Century hall featuring a round table thats falsely linked to King Arthur), and the City Mill (where the walk starts from), and decided wed return at some point to spend even more time there. Up there you'll find the most [] Keep this in mind when planning out your days, as it quickly adds up. Just search restaurant and it will highlight all the cafes and food options in your area. If you are attempting the South Downs Way in stages, be sure to remind whoever is collecting you at the next stop to bring water for your horse before you load them. 5. As with any other hack, we strongly recommend you bring your mobile phone, allowing you to contact someone for help should it be required. Not only is the scenery breathtaking, but the pubs are cosy, the locals friendly, and the walking challenging but in a good way. Thanks for reading :-). One of my highlights of this year has been successfully walking the South Downs Way. I also invested in a new backpack for this walk and I freaking love it! This is such a wonderful trail through a beautiful part of the country. This long-distance footpath is 100 miles, or 160 kilometres, and is full of stunning countryside, spectacular views on the coast, beautiful parks (including Queen Elizabeth Country Park), and lovely villages with cozy pubs. There are a number of steep inclines and descends but once on the top of the ridge, the majority of the Way is flat and not too strenuous. The South Downs Way comes in at 100 miles and runs between . Dig a hole at least 6inches deep and then cover it up when finished. I. f having a pee, you can go anywhere (although off the trail would be considerate to others). Subscribe to leave a comment. This would require you to cover around 12-15 miles a day. The South Downs Way Route. I also enjoyed spending a night in Eastbourne after finishing my walk. 21. There are some moderately steep slopes but the path mostly runs on farm tracks across rolling open chalk downland. What a great article Im not British and had never heard of the South Downs Way before your recent posts, and I am really enjoying learning about it in so much detail! at Ye Olde Smugglers Inne for something nice but more basic (95 for 2 dinner available for an additional 20). It would usually take a solid nights sleep for my feet to stop hurting each day just in time for me to start walking again. We encountered far more cyclists than walkers, but only a handful of horse riders. Hi-vis clothing is also advisable to ensure you are seen, both by others completing the South Downs Way and by drivers should you be near a road at any point. 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