I suggest going outside of school holidays if you can and avoiding any bank holiday weekends. Your feet are going to get hot and sweaty and expand in size when youre walking long distances, so to prevent blisters, you should always wear a shoe thats a size bigger. However, I have wild camped and found that if you are considerate and follow the rules, it is tolerated. Prices of hotels have gone up in recent years so you are looking at an average of 50 a night per person for a comfortable bed (full list of recommended accommodation below) although most will include. The views were consistently pretty. 19 April 2016, 12:00am; Photo by DAVID ILIFF. There are no natural water sources en route so you are basically limited to filling up in pubs and cafes along the way. Breakfasts and dinners were easy everywhere we stayed on the trail offered breakfast, and they were uniformly delicious. Thats always an added bonus in this country! At the time we were living in London and this made it easy to get to and from the start via public transport. Theres a decent amount of accommodation around, with villages scattered all along the trail but not on the trail so its fairly easy to set your own milage for each day. Hiking poles will help you conserve energy, keep your weight off your hips and knees, and help so much on the uphill and downhill. This PDF highlights a number of equestrian parking sites, indicating the ease of approach to the car park, the space available for maneuvering a horsebox, the safety of tacking up in the area and access to bridleways from each. Plan a cycling adventure today. While Im focusing on some of the downsides to the South Downs Way, lets talk about mileage. Breakfast available to purchase on site), Day 7: Rodmell to Alfriston (10 miles)Staying at: Wingrove House (170 for 2 people including breakfast). 2. Unhappy Miserable People Quotes. the south downs way is beyond miserable . Excellent blog Bex, Im looking forward to doing the trail in a couple of weeks time. uva scott stadium parking. If you really want to experience the diversity of the South Downs national park (or you're just looking for a fun new challenge! 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. Follow, Or for something really challenging, how about the. Very useful article and it left me smiling at your very great photos. The chalk rock of the South Downs was formed from the remains of sea creatures at a time when this area was the bed of a shallow sea during the Late Cretaceous period 66 to 100 million years ago. Its said to be one of the easiest of the National Trails, but it was its reputation as one of the prettiest that had me sold. The only thing youll have to look out for are the cows. In terms of difficulty, our guidebook suggested the South Downs Way is one of Britain's easiest National Trails. The trail goes from the city of Winchester to Eastbourne, a famous seaside town with iconic white cliffs. While blisters tend to go numb after ten minutes of walking, the exact opposite occurs on the soles of your feet when walking on a rigid surface. 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. On Never Ending Footsteps, I aim to show you how you can explore this planet safely, adventurously, and affordably. Day 3: Cocking to Washington (19 miles)Staying at: Holt House (88 for 2 people including breakfast), Day 4: Washington to Pyecombe (14 miles)Staying at: Period Cottage (131 for 2 people including breakfast), Day 5: Pyecombe to Alfriston (23 miles)Staying at: Wingrove House (170 for 2 people including breakfast). 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. You could look at organising taxis and pickups for some of them or wild camp (see my heading below on wild camping). This looks so cool! - Jason Paul. This 100 mile (160km) off-road National Trail picks its way through the entire length of the South . When you picture stereotypical scenes of the English countryside, they probably originate from the South Downs Way. The full trial has about 4,150m of ascent. 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. The downside to having the views is that you are very exposed and this was our biggest challenge as we ended up hiking in some pretty poor weather (it was a rainy long weekend in May). I loved this pair from Black Diamond! Thats part of long-distance hiking though so just embrace the extra wanders into the nearby villages. If you are planning on walking the South Downs Way while camping en route, heres a suggested itinerary you might like to follow. And know that you may be asked to move on and will need to do so without complaint. In March-April, when the fields are dotted with lambs and calves, the trees begin to bud. And if there werent? 5 - It's a walkers' paradise! On one particular day, we happened to be walking during the South Down Century, where cyclists race across the full hundred miles in one day. A cute, high-end pub with excellent food and lovely rooms out the back all en-suite. Yes, it was so much fun :-) If I hadnt torn my feet up, it would have probably been one of the most enjoyable things Ive done! Macs Adventure has been organising self-guided walking tours on the South Downs Way since 2010.Being one of the UK's classic National Trails, the South Downs Way proved popular from the outset. Only 1 a week after your trial. Compass and magnifying glass (not used) Cicerone guidebook and map (guidebook not used) Sketchbook and chalks (304g) Waist belt. How easy would it be to camp on the South Downs Way? We had two challenging walks, where we racked up 20 and 22 miles, but the rest of our mileage felt comfortable. A pub meal will cost around 20 for a main and drink and a light lunch (sandwich and snacks) 10.80-90 a day is about right for a more comfortable experience. You can pack wraps and tups of peanut butter for lunches, pasta, couscous or freeze-dried meals for dinner. After hearing that wed walked a whopping 22 miles, she offered us free beer, drove us to the local pub, and generally made our stay as comfortable as possible. It'. The South Downs Way --Submitted by Mark Worthington. But! Yes, Im fortunate to have feet that are as flat as the floor I stand on and it made for a tough challenge. While the official mileage for the walk is 100 miles, we ended up tackling 121 miles in total. The South Downs way can be done in one go taking between 5 and 7 days or else in sections. Butser Hill is the highest point along the trail at 270 metres. From guesthouses, hotels and also rooms on Airbnb. We started on the 8th July and it landed us with wonderful sunshine. Day 8: Alfriston to Eastbourne (11 miles)Staying at: Albert & Victoria (77 for 2 including breakfast.an AMAZING hotel!!). The trail stretches 100 miles from the historic city of Winchester to the coastal chalk hills on the South Coast. If there's an untouched beach, an up-and-coming city, or a recently-discovered travel hack, you can bet that we've already written about it. Looks like you had an amazing time and such an achievement! In fact, due to the low-lying land surrounding the hillside, the horizon seems to go on for miles. License: CC BY-SA 3.0. I highly recommend staying here. 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). For experienced walkers that enjoy a challenge, this itinerary allows you to complete the whole South Downs Way in 6 walking days. From camping to youth hostels to cosy pubs to five-star hotels, theres a whole range of accommodation available to suit different price ranges. If you get stuck for shops a good idea is to stay a night in a cheap b&b and ask if you can send them a resupply box in advance. Because time was short, we opted to not do the full trail in one go and settled on a 50mile multi-day hike, from Amberley train station to Eastbourne. If you wish to take it slower, you can do around 20 miles in a day or take extra days to explore the South Downs surrounding areas. How did you decide what distances to walk each day? where did the dursleys go to escape the letters; the south downs way is beyond miserable; 30 . The room was spacious with an en-suite bathroom, supplies for breakfast, and a little terrace to sit out on. And lets face it: heading downstairs to have dinner is exactly whats needed after a long day of walking. Keep this in mind when planning out your days, as it quickly adds up. I felt like I was walking through a postcard for much of our journey. The British summer can always be temperamental, so I know we had a fair bit of luck. It also saves you the hassle of needing to return to the start point at the end. Steyning:Uppingham B&B Such a lovely owner and bright, airy room! Would you have a recommendation for a beginners long walk trail in the UK or Europe? Although the relentlessness of the hills shouldnt be underestimated, Id say this is a good trail for hiking and backpacking beginners. Start/finish: Plough and Harrow, Litlington . Merrell are king when it comes to long-distance walking, and I decided on the Merrell Accentor shoes for this walk. My shoes! If you want to find more inspiration on doing the distance with wheels or a pram, check out: Once youve finished the South Downs Way, youll probably be ready to start planning your next multi-day hike (theyre quite addictive!). arduino credit card skimmer. Failing that, there is no shortage of trees and bushes to hide behind if you need to go to the toilet. Whether you are out for a leisurely hack or prefer to use the downs for fitness work, there is something for everyone. What a great article Im not British and had never heard of the South Downs Way before your recent posts, and I am really enjoying learning about it in so much detail! 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