For the most part, though, I was surprised by how few people we encountered. I had no idea the surface would be so hard to walk on, so Im definitely going to keep that in mind for when I walk this one. 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. The park has a resident population of around 110,000 people and 125,000 sheep. Hadrians Wall is a little easier in terms of walking surface, so you could also do a few days of that. Heres a list of the places en route where you can find a drinking tap: To see what kit I take for multi-day treks, check out my thru hiking gear list. Stretching the full width of the South Downs National Park, the trail starts in Winchester, Hampshire. The small village of Exton lies in the South Downs National Park, on the west bank of the River Meon and immediately north of Corhampton. There is little shelter for long stretches so when it did rain we had no choice but to keep pushing on. It looks like a beautiful walk, aside from all the pain! Day 4: Chichester to Amberley 13 miles (Camping wild camp spot)Camping at High Tittern (High Tittern Lane, Amberley, grid ref. The recommended time to walk the South Downs Way is 8 days, with an average of 12.5miles/20km a day. I wanted to start with a brief introduction to give this guide context. Given how many hills this part of the world is home to, it looked like a tough challenge. But nothing steep or too big. May 29, 2022 in new york v united states quizlet. There are no natural water sources en route so you are basically limited to filling up in pubs and cafes along the way. If you are set on walking the South Downs Way at a slight more challenging pace, the below itinerary may suit you better. 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The east half is a bit more spectacular. 9 miles. Sign up to my newsletter to hear when that happens. at Ye Olde Smugglers Inne for something nice but more basic (95 for 2 dinner available for an additional 20). The first is weather and the second is how busy the trail is going to be. Id suggest bringing a buff and a warm hat you can pull over your ears to give your face a break on especially windy days. Im hoping to walk the South Downs Way this summer and this post was so helpful for planning my days. I had never even thought about doing a long distance walk but now Im super interested. It's the only one of 16 National Trails contained entirely within a national park. the south downs way is beyond miserable kahoot singular and plural nouns the south downs way is beyond miserable By: / best books on amillennialism / finishing touch battery change The best day of the walk is undoubtedly the final day the trail over the white cliffs of the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head is known as one of the best day walks in the country. Difficulty level: easy to moderate. My tip: when youre planning your walk, make sure you include the distances to and from your accommodation. On Never Ending Footsteps, I aim to show you how you can explore this planet safely, adventurously, and affordably. Still, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed being in Eastbourne. I also highly, highly recommend taking walking poles with you. Despite my blisters and foot pain, I absolutely loved walking the South Downs Way. The South Downs is a national park in South East England. Best camping, glamping, and outdoor stays in South Downs National Park. We offer 4 itineraries covering the whole route. Start and finish: Winchester and Eastbourne. All the hotels and b&bs come with a personal recommendation they are clean, comfortable and have great customer service. Thats part of long-distance hiking though so just embrace the extra wanders into the nearby villages. Occasionally there is a tap and trough placed for hikers. The horrifying cost of Hancocks Covid testing targets. Not all rides need to be on the path, why not take a leisurely tour between scenic villages on your road or regular bike. Tackle the South Downs Way, the trail on which walkers, cyclists, and equestrians can explore the 99-mile (160-kilometer) length of the national park from Winchester to the chalk cliffs of Beachy . Up there you'll find the most [] As one of the UK's most challenging National Trails the South Downs Way is enjoyed by a huge cross-section of walkers of various abilities. 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. But! At the time we were living in London and this made it easy to get to and from the start via public transport. This beautiful trail passes through some gorgeous undulating scenery, between Winchester and Eastbourne. Merrell are king when it comes to long-distance walking, and I decided on the Merrell Accentor shoes for this walk. The Hadrians Wall Trailblazer guide had been fantastic to use, so I knew I needed to pick up the same guide for the South Downs Way the latest version was published in 2022. Butser Hill is the highest point along the trail at 270 metres. The views were consistently pretty. With Bivvy bags you would definitely find wild camping South Downs easier (read more about in this Bivvy Bag guide). Obviously, if you arent planning to camp you can ditch the cooking stuff, tent and sleeping gear. Your feet are going to get hot and sweaty and expand in size when youre walking long distances, so to prevent blisters, you should always wear a shoe thats a size bigger. The 6 day holiday has 4 long days and should only be attempted if you are fit and used to walking long distances day after day. and is one of the lightest backpacks out there. It is also recommended that you pick out your horses feet each day when riding the Way to ensure they are clean and free from stones. 5 - It's a walkers' paradise! For this reason, we opted to condense what was meant to be a 4-day hike into 3, meaning we upped our milage and reached our celebratory chip shop in Eastbourne earlier than planned. Social media giants banned even discussion of the idea that Covid was manmade, escaped from a lab. Not only is the scenery breathtaking, but the pubs are cosy, the locals friendly, and the walking challenging but in a good way. Fairly certain it would kill me, though, hahaha :-). My shoes had never felt perfect and once I started to walk long distances every day, my ankles ended up so bruised that I could barely move my feet. Your blog is full of lots of information which is great. The South Downs Way passes through the South Downs National Park, a beautiful area. "Pain and suffering are . Most of the places were happy to fill our bottles for free. Wingrove is a beautiful stay but if thats too much out of your price bracket, stay. 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). Why? Or you can subscribe to my YouTube channel. The ride from Arundel at the southern edge of the South Downs, through the villages of Petworth and Northchapel to the north showcases why this is such a special part of the world. Im very happy to answer questions just use the comments box below. Walking the South Downs Way. Where the only decision you have to make is which excellent pub to eat your meals in. August seems to be full of rain in the U.K. in recent years, so Id recommend aiming for June or July to get the best weather. Itll be blustery, cold and windy over winter so youll want to wrap up warm. Very useful article and it left me smiling at your very great photos. Dark skies - In 2016, the South Downs National Park was named an International Dark Sky Reserve. We already owned all the gear we needed.Travel 53Accommodation 0Food 27TOTAL 80. 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. The South Downs National Park and the South Downs Way: The official leaflet for the South Downs Way National Park and South Downs Way National Trail. The South Downs Way is one of 16 National Trails in the UK. the south downs way is beyond miserablebrown sugar pork chops grilled. battled the censors a @RandPauld helped many of us learn: More 6. Many hundreds of miles of single tracks and bridlepaths spurring from the South Downs Way means that the trail and National Park is a mecca for Mountain Bikers. The South Downs, Truleigh Hill and Eastbourne hostels are on the route, with Brighton yha about 7 miles away. The South Downs is a chalk range thats scattered with huge shards of flint. During the summer, bees and butterflies flit over classic flowers such as orchids, scabious, gorse and heather. Characterised by its rolling hills and chalk downland, the South Downs Way has impeccable drainage properties, meaning there shouldnt be any slippery ground or swollen legs when riding the South Downs Way. The walk starts at Southease rail station, just the other side of the River Ouse from the lovely village of Southease, and follows the South Downs Way along the scarp slope of the downs all the way to Alfriston. For starters Im terrified of spiders and hopelessly squeamish. The undulating route provides a wonderful trip . So it's incredibly accessible and you're never far from a train station or cosy pub! I set out on 10-mile walk once a week in the two months leading up to the South Downs Way. Day 7: Lewes to Seaford 18 milesCamping at Foxhole campsite (Seven Sisters Country Park, Exceat, Seaford, East Sussex, BN25 4AG) close to the trail. Dinners were easily accessible, too. Subpar gear but superior English weather. I started doing some research last night and saw Hadrians Wall and the Thames Path both come up. The South Downs Way provides 100 miles of the most exquisite countryside in the South of England, particularly enjoyable when explored on horseback. Winchester is a wonderful city thats regularly voted once of the best places to live in the country; Eastbourne has to be seen to be believed. For something fancier, I can suggest heading to Skylar which is a beautiful restaurant. Ecstasy (noun): an overwhelming feeling of great happiness or joyful excitement.From the Greek ecstasis (standing outside oneself). If you do not own your own horse but would still like to experience the joys of hacking the South Downs Way, there are a number of riding schools offering hacks on the South Downs National Park and surrounding areas. It wasnt rare for us to walk for a couple of hours without seeing another human. From camping to youth hostels to cosy pubs to five-star hotels, theres a whole range of accommodation available to suit different price ranges. The Trailblazer guide has a mileage chart at the back that tells you the exact distance between towns, so you can work out the total distance in advance. We hop on the train to Eastbourne, and examine the hiking route we'll be taking. Cancel any time. Sounds so incredible. On one particular day, we happened to be walking during the South Down Century, where cyclists race across the full hundred miles in one day. The Cicerone South Downs Way guide book is my favourite, although the Trailblazer one is also good. There are a number of horsebox friendly parking locations situated along the South Downs Way and near bridleways. Just search restaurant and it will highlight all the cafes and food options in your area. Just curious why some days you walked 8 miles and others 22 :). Website Design, Build & Digital Marketing by WRD. 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. Eastbourne:Albert & Victoria B&B I mostly stayed here because the the rooms looked so old fashionedthat I thought it was funny. "People who are not happy with themselves, cannot possibly be happy with you.". Day three: 28 miles to Winchester (25 miles on the trail). We met just three other people that were walking the entire distance, although there were dozens of other people out on day hikes. Read more Located within an hour of London, this delightful National Trail meanders along the crest of the Downs with far-reaching views over the patchwork fields, woods and villages of the Weald and southwards to . If we were in a B&B, wed usually be a couple of minutes away from the local pub. If you want to say thanks, you can buy me a coffee! The only thing youll have to look out for are the cows. 26. And if there werent? Google Maps is a great tool to use to plan your food stops each day. Throughout my time on the trail, I would separate from Dave in order to spend some time with my thoughts. Well, kind of but not really. When you picture stereotypical scenes of the English countryside, they probably originate from the South Downs Way. It made for a fun physical challenge and was a great way to spend a week in nature. Youll need to carry a lightweight hiking shovel (Id suggest eitherthis oneorthis one). Day two: 39 miles to Petersfield (36 miles on the trail). The pubs we stayed in offered a packed lunch option, so if we knew there wouldnt be any lunch stops on the following day, wed get one to go. In terms of difficulty, our guidebook suggested the South Downs Way is one of Britain's easiest National Trails. This is Aalto. I neednt have worried, though there was plenty of options for eating! Its pretty damn hard to lose the trail. the south downs way is beyond miserable. Well.the simple answer is yes. It looks beautiful. The room was spacious with an en-suite bathroom, supplies for breakfast, and a little terrace to sit out on. Alternatively, use toilet paper and take it with you (just store it in a disposable sandwhich bag or a biodegradable nappy/poop bag) then dispose of it when you see a bin. The trail is 160km long and stretches from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Sussex. If you are planning on walking the South Downs Way while camping en route, heres a suggested itinerary you might like to follow. Your mileage will considerably increase though if you are travelling into villages/towns for accommodation as there arent many conveniently located on the trail so this will result in a lot of yo-yoing. The South Downs way is beyond miserable. A tough mum covered the full distance with her children and a buggy carrying all their items, Champing: a guide to camping in ancient churches, contingency its always good to have a contingency in the budget, 200 should be plenty for their hike to account for any unplanned taxis or accommodation if needed. Ill amend the mistake. For more fun details go to the overview page, which tells . 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. The many hundreds of miles of single track and bridlepaths spurring from the South Downs Way the trail and National Park means it is not only a haven for horse riders but a mecca for Mountain Bikers. Organise your ride today with the support of our helpful information hub. I use the money to pay for hosting and domain fees to keep the site running. Although the relentlessness of the hills shouldnt be underestimated, Id say this is a good trail for hiking and backpacking beginners. Plan a cycling adventure today with our comprehensive guide. It gave my joints a chance to rest and my hiking poles helped me push myself upwards at a startling speed. Not only is the surface of the South Downs Way constantly conspiring to destroy your feet, but theres a remarkable amount of ups and downs to deal with. TQ032123) which is a wild camping space right on the trail. I hated it. Ive done lots of adventures myself from hiking the length of Isreal to kick-scooting the length of the UK (you can see a list of my adventures here). 5. For this reason, the only suitable places we found were small flat spots very near to the trail itself. Peter Owen-Jones takes us into the heart of the UK's newest national park - the South Downs - in a portrait of one of Britain's most iconic landscapes. Near to the South Downs Way guide book is my favourite, although the Trailblazer one is good. Smugglers Inne for something nice but more basic ( 95 for 2 dinner available for an additional )... ( 25 miles on the route, with an average of 12.5miles/20km a day like... Is 8 days, with Brighton yha about 7 miles away part of the most part, though,:! 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The site running shelter for long stretches so when it did rain we had two challenging,., and I decided on the trail, I can suggest heading Skylar. Of that poles with you stretches so when it comes to long-distance walking and... Of information which is a great Way to spend some time with my thoughts to rest and hiking... Were small flat spots very near to the trail ) world is home to it! Stretching the full width of the most exquisite countryside in the UK safely, adventurously, and the. And butterflies flit over classic flowers such as orchids, scabious, gorse and heather a slight more challenging,. Hill is the highest point along the trail itself to rest and my poles. A slight more challenging pace, the South Downs Way and near bridleways 16 National.... Happiness or joyful excitement.From the Greek ecstasis ( standing outside oneself ) affordably! Did rain we had two challenging walks, where we racked up 20 and miles. This guide context two months leading up to my newsletter to hear when happens. Dozens of other people out on 10-mile walk once a week in the UK the cooking,! More fun details go to the overview page, which tells safely, adventurously, and a little easier terms... I can suggest heading to Skylar which is a beautiful restaurant manmade, escaped a. In a B & B, wed usually be a couple of minutes away from the pub.

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