A little over a year ago, Hilary Benn, the then environment secretary announced that the 627 square miles of the South Downs would be turned into England’s newest National Park. We now return to the park to see a few of the treasures it holds for visitors.
Seven Sisters Country Park, Eastbourne – 280 hectares of chalk cliffs, meandering river valley and open chalk grassland in East Sussex and very popular with cyclists and walkers alike.
Chanctonbury Ring in Washington – a ring of beech trees around the top of what is believed to be an Iron Age hill fort. The mound was later used by the Romans for a religious site, although the legends surrounding the ring may date from Medieval times.
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Arundel offers visitors 26 acres to explore at the Wildfowl Trust centre with hides, boardwalks and a pond explorer area for the kids.
The South Downs Way runs the length of the South Downs National Park, around 100 miles, and is suitable for cyclists, horse-riders and walkers alike. The walk can be split into multiple parts to allow easier navigation and completion.
The town of Winchester is situated on the western-most side of the park and offers a full range of shops and historical attractions from this most historic of English towns.
The Long Man of Wilmington, also known as the mysterious guardian of the South Downs, is a large chalk man carved into the side of a hill which has baffled the archeologists for many years. The exact date of it’s creation is unknown and theories range from prehistoric to 13th Century (see insert picture).
Other useful links:
Attractions in the South Downs
Hotel accommodation in South Downs
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[...] are a number of very important sites in the South Downs as we documented back in July – Discovering the South Downs – including attractions such as the The Long Man of [...]