The South Downs Way

With a load of leave to use up, Spring 2010 saw me decide to walk the South Downs Way - a 100 mile National Trail through the amazing countryside of the South Downs National Park.

I completed the walk in four sections, walking two days each. Below you can find out how I got on, as well as information on how to organise your own walking trip.

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Planning a trip walking on the South Downs Way

Posted on 29 June 2010 in The South Downs Way (3 comments)

What with all the excitement of actually finishing the South Downs Way, I never got round to pulling together a post about organising a trip walking on it.

I say walking on it - actually the South Downs Way was the first National Bridleway and as such is perfectly suited for cyclists and horse riders as well.

The fact it's a bridleway has certain benefits too in that the paths are generally wide and there's no styles, just gates. It's also doesn't feature much mud which is wonderful in itself.

The South Downs Way is also not particularly hard going - there's not huge amounts of ups and downs to contend with. Most days include walking up to a ridge and then enjoying the relatively flat walk for a few hours whilst you enjoy the view. That's not to say there's not some challenges - the final stretch along the Seven Sisters is pretty hard work because it breaks that rule. However in the main, it's pretty simple walking.

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Walking the South Downs Way: Day 8 - Alfriston to Eastbourne

Posted on 21 May 2010 in The South Downs Way (0 comments)

Bunk beds. They're dead exciting when you're a kid. When you're an adult, they're not quite the same. You realise how much they creak every time you move. And when you're on the bottom bunk, you feel the whole thing shudder when the person on top moves.

Needless to say, I didn't have the best of nights in the bottom bunk at YHA Alfriston. Still I had no problem complying with the warden's advice to get an "early breakfast as we've got a big group in." Mind you given how many teenage rugby players filled the dining room not long after I sat down, she'd clearly given the same advice to them. Still, they had black pudding on so it wasn't all bad, although the sausage wasn't up to my exacting standards and the baked beans looked rather over done.

Enough! Enough of this triviality! For it's a big day! It's the day I would finish the South Downs Way, and, funnily enough, complete my first National Trail ever!

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