Walking the South Downs Way is a great option for anyone wanting an easy/moderate long-distance trail in the UK that can be completed in under 10 days, at a very chilled pace or a week if you want to move a bit quicker. On one day, I walked the vast majority of the path alone. Budget: Wetherdown Lodge & Campsite Situated just south of East Meon, the Wetherdown Lodge & Campsite offers simple accommodation at reasonable prices. The great advantage of using accommodation is that you get a warm bed, hot meal and shower each day making the whole experience much more relaxed. Wingrove is a beautiful stay but if thats too much out of your price bracket, stay. How much did we spend?Barely anything!!! But nothing steep or too big. This quiet and tranquil bed and breakfast is known for the owners going above and beyond, even sometimes picking up weary South Downs Way walkers from the trail! When is the best time to walk the South Downs Way? Ecstasy (noun): an overwhelming feeling of great happiness or joyful excitement.From the Greek ecstasis (standing outside oneself). 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. 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. Would you feel safe doing so? on the England Coast Path. I marked all the water options on the map and in advance planned how much I needed to fill up at eat spot to keep me going to the next. Whether you choose to hack the South Downs Way one part at a time or feel confident enough to attempt the whole trail at once, you should be prepared in the way of horsebox or trailer parking facilities, find a selection of useful information below. Just curious why some days you walked 8 miles and others 22 :). TQ032123) which is a wild camping space right on the trail. With Bivvy bags you would definitely find wild camping South Downs easier (read more about in this Bivvy Bag guide). This was the first walk where I didnt get blisters on my heels and I believe its from wearing a larger shoe. Ultra hikers and runners often cover the distance in a 2-day 100mile challenge (hats off to them!). If you want to say thanks, you can buy me a coffee! There are no facilities. If you have enough time, I recommend booking a night in both Winchester and Eastbourne. The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath in Southern England and is one of Britain's National Trails. The trail stretches 100 miles from the historic city of Winchester to the coastal chalk hills on the South Coast. It's the only one of 16 National Trails contained entirely within a national park. "The reason many people in our society are miserable, sick, and highly stressed is because of an unhealthy attachment to things they have no control over.". 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. Ive since returned to the trail and stayed in accommodation inns, b&bs and hotels along the way. The first is weather and the second is how busy the trail is going to be. **MY BOOK ABOUT HIKING THE ISRAEL NATIONAL TRAIL** Grab a copy of my published book, Three Stripes South. Subscribe to leave a comment. The South Downs Way isn't a particularly high-elevation hike, but that doesn't mean there aren't great views. It'. Join my irregular bi-monthly(ish) newsletter. Text settings. Some great tips here for walking the South Downs Way. It is, however, absolutely overpriced, as Osprey recently discontinued it. Dont let that fool you, though: this walk is still challenging. 9 miles. The recommended time to walk the South Downs Way is 8 days, with an average of 12.5miles/20km a day. 2. Its a beautiful trail! The following are the points where the path can be picked up using public transport: Meon valley, South Harting, Cocking, Amberley (train station) Bramber, Devil's Dyke and Ditchling beacon at weekends, Southease (train station) Alfriston and Cuckmere . Typically the ideal route length is 4 days averaging around 25 miles per day. The hardest obstacle literally was the surface of the track. Looks like you had an amazing time and such an achievement! I couldnt get enough of the scenery on the South Downs Way, and it proved to me that my home country is prettier than Ive always believed. Theres also a super-useful distance calculator in the book that gives the mileage from village to village this enabled us to know how far we could expect to walk each day, rather than guessing with Google Maps. The South Downs Way pases through the South Downs a beautiful area, which may soon become a National Park. The east half is a bit more spectacular. We stayed at the Ecolodge while walking the South Downs Way. I highly recommend staying here. Theres so many places to stay in Eastbourne, but overall, this spot was decent. I felt like I was walking through a postcard for much of our journey. You can carry most of your food, opting for sandwiches and simple pasta meals cooked on your stove at night (ignoring the pub temptations along the way).20-30 a day should be plenty for campsites, DIY food and the odd drink/ice cream although youll also need to add in transport costs (we spent 53 each on return trains to London) and your gear which you may already have. Today, Im excited to start writing about my walk by sharing a huge overview of what its like to tackle the South Downs Way. Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience. License: CC BY-SA 3.0. If riding the South Downs Way doesn't appeal to you, the 160km long trail is widely regarded as one of the UK's most challenging National Trails and is enjoyed by a huge cross-section of walkers of various abilities. :D. The yha hostels on the SDW are excellent. 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. Theres great recommendations on pubs to eat in, perfect lunch stops along the way, and accommodation to stop off at. I started doing some research last night and saw Hadrians Wall and the Thames Path both come up. Good to know about the hiking trail being hard underfoot too. May 4, 2021. In short, if youre considering walking this trail, go do it! I used to spend family holidays at the seaside in the U.K., so it filled me with a certain amount of nostalgia. Follow me on Facebook, TwitterandInstagram. Youll need to carry a lightweight hiking shovel (Id suggest eitherthis oneorthis one). the south downs way is beyond miserable. Probably the most comfortable backpack Ive ever worn. If you want to just do half of the trail, you can catch a train to Amberley and head either East or West from there. 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. Dont forget to also sign up to my newsletter to stay up to date with future adventures. Walk amongst vibrant yellow fields of corn, along picturesque . All about my hike on the INT and how it changed my life. Fun fact: several years ago, I attempted to walk the length of Hadrians Walland ended up having to drop out on day three. There are 2 approaches: prepare the food yourself (cheaper) or eat out along the way (better suited if staying in accommodation rather than camping). Thanks David.I hope you have a great time. Google Maps is a great tool to use to plan your food stops each day. The British summer can always be temperamental, so I know we had a fair bit of luck. On a trail like the South Downs Way, I view them as a hiking essential. It came with an en-suite bathroom complete with bath, which was greatly appreciated for soaking my blisters. The views were consistently pretty. Related Articles on the United Kingdom The Cost of Travel in London: A 2023 Budget Breakdown How Not to Walk Hadrians Wall 15 Best Things to Do in Edinburgh. The wind from the ocean can be strong and relentless at times. I also highly, highly recommend taking walking poles with you. Horse riding in the South Downs National Park: A guide to horse riding in the South Downs Way National Park and along . The South Downs Way comes in at 100 miles and runs between . And lets face it: heading downstairs to have dinner is exactly whats needed after a long day of walking. 5. I wanted to start with a brief introduction to give this guide context. That means that theyve adapted all stiles and ensured the track is suitable for wheels the whole way. You should take away any toilet paper that you use. Designated a National Trail, the South Downs Way attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year each looking to get a taste of the stunning South Downs National Park. There are other accommodation options in Lewes from B&B to Airbnb rooms or Id recommend wild camping this night***. If you have any questions, please do use the comments box below. The park has a resident population of around 110,000 people and 125,000 sheep. Imagine slapping your feet down on a hard, uneven surface for ten hours straight and you have some idea of how painful the walk can be for your arches. Every time I did so, I felt exceptionally safe. Thanks so much! I think Id be adding an extra day to my trip if I was going to do it. Youll want to avoid school holidays, because the trail gets far more crowded when the kids are on vacation, and that means accommodation is much more in demand. When budgeting for walking the South Downs Way, youll need to factor in: Doing it on a tight budgetIf you are on a tight budget, camping and wild camping will be your cheapest option accommodation will be free or very cheap (most campsites are about 20 a night). Below is an 8 day suggested route plan for anyone wanting to use accommodation en route. the south downs way is beyond miserable. The South Downs Way Is Beyond Miserable FOR SALE!. The trail is 160km long and stretches from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Sussex. This was partly in preparation for a 1000km trek I was planning, hiking the length of Israel. Still, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed being in Eastbourne. 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