Summits and sea
Stop anywhere in the South Downs and it is hard not to find an inspiring view.
There are stunning, panoramic views to the sea and across the weald as you travel the 100 mile length of the South Downs Way from Winchester to Eastbourne, culminating in the impressive chalk cliffs at Seven Sisters.
Brighton to Devil’s Dyke
Start: Brighton
Finish: Brighton
With your Discovery ticket, you’re free to explore everything the South Downs National Park area and beyond has to offer by bus.
Devil’s Dyke is a legendary beauty spot on the South Downs Way. Only five miles north of Brighton it offers amazing views over the Weald and over the English Channel. The mile long Dyke valley is the longest, deepest and widest dry valley in the UK and the legend goes that the Devil dug this chasm to drown the parishioners of the Weald.
It also happens to be one of the most popular spots in the country to watch hang gliders riding thermal air currents in the skies above.
From Devil’s Dyke, there is a pleasant walk to the National Trust Saddlescombe Farm (moderate walk, 1.5 miles, 1-1.5hrs) over hilly banks carpeted with flowers and teeming with insects past the dewponds and an old donkey wheel.
If you fancy a more challenging walk, continue along the South Downs Way to Ditchling Beacon, where you can use your Discovery Ticket to return to Brighton or to turn around and come back to Devil’s Dyke along the South Downs Way.
Why not stop for a lunchtime snack at the Wildflour café before walking back to have a drink at the Devil’s Dyke pub. Then take the bus back to Brighton.
Brighton boasts beautiful historic lanes and why not take a walk on Brighton’s famous pebbled beach before enjoying all the excitement of the funfair on Brighton Pier.
Route
Outward journey
Brighton to Devil’s Dyke
Route 77
Brighton & Hove Buses
8 times daily
Return journey
Devil’s Dyke to Brighton
Route 77
Brighton & Hove Buses
8 times daily
If coming back from Ditchling Beacon
Route 79 (weekends and bank holidays only)
7 times daily
Along the way
Attractions
Saddlescombe Farm
Saddlescombe Road, West Sussex, BN45 7DE
01273 857712
Food and Drink
Wildflour Café (open from March, Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm)
Saddlescombe Farm
Saddlescombe Road, West Sussex, BN45 7DE
Devil’s Dyke Pub
Dyke Road, Poynings, Brighton, BN1 8YJ