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Waymarks Ubiquitous
white Acorn National Trail logos on finger posts, stiles and
fences.
Arrival:
On
your first evening arrive at Alfriston in East Sussex. Nearest
train station is Berwick reached by trains from London Victoria
(approx 1 per hour, less on Sundays) change at Lewes. Journey time
1.33 hours. Then local bus or taxi to Alfriston. 1mile.
End of Tour:
From
Winchester in Hampshire there are direct trains to London
Waterloo. There are as many as 4 direct services an hour, taking
just over an hour.
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 The South
Downs Way, stretching for a hundred miles over a rare large area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty in crowded Southern Britain, follows the chalk
(soft limestone) ridge just to the North of the popular seaside towns on
the Sussex and Hampshire coast. At intervals the hilly downlands are
broken by “Wind gap” or river valleys, mixing the ridge walking with some
meandering visits to beautiful rivers such at the Cuckmere, Arun, Ouse and
Meon with their associated villages. Most of the route is ancient, made up
out of the old droving roads that took animals and goods between the
market towns of the region. There are many historical features, including
a few remaining round towered Saxon churches, ancient “Dew Ponds”
providing water on the high Downs for cattle, Cross dykes and tumulus
burial sites, Bronze Age Hill forts and rings.
The
weather on average is some of the best you could find in the British
Isles, and soft boots or even trekking shoes are generally advised as the
surfaces are often – but not universally - dry and firm. The tour is
accessible easily from London and the South east by the railways.
This is
generally a leisurely paced walk enabling those who want to, to spend a
bit of extra time looking at Some old churches, or dawdling by Cuckmere
Haven, picnicking or pubbing up on some high down, or looking around
lowland villages. There are however a couple of long days towards the end,
largely due to the remoteness of the paucity of convenient en
route accommodation. For this reason there is a range in the quality of
the overnight stops that we may use.
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DETAILS
Self-guided Inn to Inn Walk 10 Days
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DURATION:
10 days
TOURCODE: WSD
GRADE: Easy
DAY STAGES: 9-18 miles per day
DATES: Start any day
mid April to mid October
ESCORTED DEPARTURE: Not available
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Click here for more information &
Your Accommodation
Places to stay along The South Downs Way are
found rather sporadically. This can mean that in order to find
places which are on or just off the route, day stage lengths vary
somewhat.
We use a range of small attractive guest houses and
country inns of a good standard. Although we aim to provide ensuite
accommodation, this may not always be possible.
Your first two nights
are spent half a mile due south of Alfriston this delightful guest
house looks straight down and across the Cuckmere River as it nears
the sea. Rooms are quiet with ensuite facilities.
Then you'll stay in a
traditional brick and flint building set in the centre of the
ancient and beautiful village of Rodmell at the foot of the South
Downs. It is surrounded by five acres of lawns, a rose garden and
orchards and is only a few doors away from the home of Virginia
Woolf.
Next you rest in a quiet country pub in Clayton Situated
within sight of the Jack and Jill windmills, with ensuite rooms.
In
the attractive village of Steyning you stop at a highly
rated hotel which has a sauna and pool.
In picturesque Amberley your
guest house enjoys magnificent elevated views across the "Wildbrooks."
There is a guest sitting and dining room with log fire and luxury
private bathroom and additional washroom with drying facilities for
walkers.
A mile or so off the Downs in Cocking we use simple country pubs with good beer,
but rooms are not ensuite.
Finally, you'll end the tour at a comfortable guest house in Winchester, near to the
historical centre. |
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