Take in the highlights of the South Downs Way, a national trail following old drovers’ routes along chalk-crusted landscapes
WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: Tim Griffiths
Living close to Winchester, we decide it’s high time we walked the South Downs Way from Eastbourne to Winchester using the motorhome as our base, staying off-grid. Armed with the invaluable A-Z walking map and the Trailblazer guide, we parked overnight at a convenient Brit Stop in Berwick and the long walk started with a local Cuckmere Valley community bus into Eastbourne. The guidebooks tend to assume you will walk from west to east, so we get used to reading the guide backwards – not quite literally, of course!
Taking the inland route, we soon leave the bustle of Eastbourne behind, climbing steeply through woods and up onto the chalk downs. This part of the walk is the only one where the signage leaves us debating the right path and we are glad of our map, but soon we are over the top of the downs.
The pretty village of Jevington stays hidden until we are nearly in it. Next to the delightful church and graveyard we encounter our first centre pivoted gate; a turnstile. We learn that these are tapsel gates, unique to Sussex. They prevent animals entering, but are easier for pall bearers to open and carry a coffin through.
After a sunny lunch break, we follow the South Downs acorn signs over open downs to Alfriston.
This delightful picturesque village has the National Trust’s first saved building, the Clergy House next to the church.
The return by bus takes a circuitous route to Berwick via Seaford and Exceat, passing in front of the Wilmington Long Man hill figure. We enjoy letting someone else worry about the narrow roads and sit back to enjoy the views.
After a Brit Stop pub meal and a good night’s sleep, we drive to Birling Gap to walk the coastal route of the South Downs Way. By midday, the car park is heaving!
Walking up towards the iconic Beachy Head, we pass close to the Belle Tout Lighthouse. This wonderfully renovated structure is now an upmarket bed and breakfast with unparalleled views. It was put on rails and moved back 17m from the edge of the cliff in 1999 as it was about to drop off.
Our path is not too steep and we get great views across the Seven Sisters to the west and Beachy Head to the east. Pausing at the evocative RAF Bomber Command Memorial set in the clifftop, we push on until the Eastbourne end is in sight before returning
