Car free walk, catch the bus from Chichester
Distance:
<10 miles. 7-8 miles
Location:
Hampshire
Type:
Moderate. South Downs Way
Duration:
3-4 hours
Climb this beautiful wooded stretch of the South Downs to Harting Down and Beacon Hill before descending Cocking Down to the bus at Hilltop.
Look out for Tower Hill – the ruin of an 18th century banqueting room, the memorial to a German pilot, an ancient yew woodland, red kites in flight, Andy Goldsworthy’s chalk stone sculpture and the Devil’s Jumps Bronze Age burial mounds.
Print or download the guide for full details of the route.
Useful information
Refreshments: You’ll need a picnic for this one as there are no refreshments until Cocking village.
Toilets: No public toilets.
Maps: OS Explorer OL8, or South Downs Way Guide (available from nationaltrail.co.uk/south-downs-way).
Getting here
The journey out: Catch the no.54 bus from Chichester (no bus on Sundays or bank holidays), from the bus stop on the main road outside the bus station, opposite the railway station. Ask the driver to stop at the South Downs Way – just after Uppark House. The journey takes just over half an hour.
The journey back: The no.60 bus runs to Chichester every 30 minutes (hourly Sundays) with stops at Hilltop and Cocking village.
Directions
Start: When you get off the bus carefully cross the road and follow the
South Downs Way up the path through the woods – it’s easy to follow with plenty of signposts.
Finish: You’ll arrive at the A286 at Hilltop, about a mile south of Cocking. Carefully cross to the bus stop on the far side of the road. Alternatively, continue a little further along the Trail until you reach a restricted byway at Hill Barn, turn left here to take a traffic free route into the village for refreshments.
For more information about the South Downs Way and inspiration on future routes please visit www.nationaltrail.co.uk/south-downs-way