Travelling Around
Discover, Explore and Enjoy the South Downs. Immerse yourself in cultural history, breath taking landscapes and magical views. Make the journey part of the adventure.
The South Downs’ proximity to London and the South Coast make it extremely easy to get to.
Regular trains from Waterloo and Victoria take between 60–90 minutes to get to stations such as Winchester and Lewes which are gateways to the National Park.
Catch a train in to the heart of the South Downs and start a walk directly from Amberley in the Arun Valley, Southease in the Ouse Valley or Liss in Hampshire.
There’s also a good network of bus routes which links stations, villages and local visitor attractions.
You can buy a Discovery ticket for individuals or for families, and have unlimited travel for the day across the South Downs National Park.
Other ways of getting around include Brighton’s Breeze Buses (see below) which connect you to the rolling downland of Devils Dyke, Ditchling Beacon and Stanmer Park. Whilst in Hampshire why not explore the old fashioned way by steam train along 10 miles of the Watercress line from New Alresford to Alton.
There are also 15 bike hire sites around the National Park and with 1,200 kilometres of bridleways weaving their way through forests and round cycling is a great way to see the best of the South Downs, see the cycling pages for more information.
Walk in the footsteps of writers and artists of history. Explore somewhere you’ve never been, do something you’ve never done. Enjoy the fresh air, climb up a hill, roll down it. Make the most of open access land and get back to nature. And if you are keen to spend several days walking the South Downs Way and lighten the load there’s a range of services that will transport your luggage between stop offs.
To plan your Downland adventures take a look at our Days Out ideas and explore the interactive Discovery Map. Why not combine a vineyard and a viewpoint, or a garden with gallery. Click the map filters to pick transport options, attractions and activities to fill a perfect day.
You can also use the Traveline transport planner to do all the hard work for you. Just insert your starting point, destination and time of travel to get the best travel option.
Breeze Buses
Brighton and Hove Buses also run a ‘Breeze’ service from the city centre to parts of the National Park, including Devil’s Dyke, Ditchling Beacon and Stanmer Park.
You can find the latest timetable here.