Trailblazer Guide Books

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 - Adventure Travel

HISTORY

There has been a long distance route running along the top of the South Downs for far longer than walking has been considered a leisure activity. The well-drained chalk hilltops high above the densely forested boggy clay below were perfect for human habitation and were certainly in use as far back as the Stone Age.

From this time onwards a complex series of trackways and paths developed across the land and it is believed that by the Bronze Age there was an established trade route along the South Downs. All along the crest of the Downs escarpment there is evidence of Iron Age hill-forts and tumuli (ancient burial grounds), many of them very well preserved, particularly the Old Winchester hill-fort site in Hampshire.

In more recent times the land was cleared and enclosed, and the flat hilltops were put under the plough. Although this process erased many of the lesser tracks the most significant of them remained; the one which ran east�west along the edge of the escarpment.

It was not until 1972, amid rapidly growing public interest in walking, that the Countryside Commission designated the eighty miles from Eastbourne to the Sussex�Hampshire border the first long-distance bridleway in the UK. Later, the final section through Hampshire was added bringing the length of the South Downs Way to one hundred miles and bringing it to a spectacular halt in the historic city of Winchester. Today the route is growing in popularity with walkers, cyclists and horse-riders alike, all of whom tend to mingle with ease.

HOW DIFFICULT IS THE SOUTH DOWNS WAY?

The South Downs Way has to rank as one of the most accessible and easiest of Britain's long-distance paths. Those on foot will find the path usually follows wide, well-drained tracks in keeping with its designation as a long-distance bridleway, catering for cyclists and horse-riders as well as walkers. If anything walkers may, on occasion, crave a few more lightly-trodden paths since the route always sticks to the well-beaten track.

This one-hundred-mile walk can be conveniently divided into sections starting and stopping at any of the numerous little villages that sit at the foot of the escarpment or in a fold in the hills.

Route finding
There is very little opportunity to get lost along the Way. It would be an easy route to follow even without the waymark posts, which are usually marked with the National Trail ‘acorn’ symbol. Posts are often also marked with a blue chevron but bear in mind that these are not exclusively related to the South Downs Way: they also indicate other footpaths.

Nevertheless, it is hard to go astray. Should you find yourself erring from the path the chances are a fence on one side or the steep Downs escarpment on the other will deflect you back in the right direction. In addition there are usually other walkers around, both on and off the official route, so getting lost is nothing to get worried about. Someone will be able to steer you on the right course.

GPS WAYPOINTS

If you have a handheld GPS receiver you will be able to take advantage of the waypoints marked on the maps, and listed in the appendix on p178 of this book.

Essentially a GPS will calculate your position on the earth using a number of satellites and this will be accurate to a few metres. You might wonder that if this is possible, what is the point of taking paper maps and a compass with you. The answer is that if the batteries go flat, or the machine malfunctions, you'll be left with only your sense of direction. Depending on how good that is, you might, or might not, be left wondering exactly where you are.

Having said this, it is by no means compulsory that you use a GPS in conjunction with this guide and you should be able to get by with simply the signposts on the trail and the maps in this book. However, a GPS can be useful if for some reason you do get lost, or if you decide to explore off the trail and can't find your way back. It can also prove handy if you find yourself on the trail after dark when you can't see further than your torch beam.

If you do decide to use a GPS unit in conjunction with this book don't feel you need to be ticking off every waypoint as you reach it; you'll soon get bored and should get by without turning on your GPS for most of the trail. But if at any point you are unsure of your position, or wonder which way you should be headed, your GPS can give a quick and reassuring answer.

You can either manually key the nearest presumed waypoint from the list in this book into your unit as and when the need arises. Or, much less laboriously and with less margin for keystroke error, download the complete list (but not the descriptions) for free as a GPS-readable file from the Trailblazer website. you'll need the right cable and adequate memory in your unit (typically the ability to store 500 waypoints or more). This file, as well as instructions on how to interpret an OS grid reference, can be found in the updates section of the South Downs Way text on the Trailblazer website (www.trailblazer-guides.com).

HOW LONG DO YOU NEED?

Walkers will find that the whole route can be tackled over the course of a week but it is well worth taking a couple of extra days to enjoy the beautiful downland villages that are passed along the Way. It is also worth taking time to explore the former capital of Saxon England, Winchester, a historic town with a beautiful cathedral. At the other end of the walk Eastbourne, to be polite, is possibly a little less interesting but will keep those who like to sit on a windy seafront happy for hours.