South Downs Way - Shoreham to Amberley (★★★★★)

Today is the third of four days spent walking much of the South Downs Way, having walked from Southease to Shoreham on the previous day. Today the plan is to walk from Shoreham to Amberley.

I had stayed overnight in Brighton, and so the day starts with a slow bus ride through most of the suburbs of both Brighton and Shoreham, before stopping off by the side of the A283.

Here there is a van selling food, and so here I stop off and get myself a bacon roll before heading out for the day - and the van owner is a chatty guy who is happy to tell you stories about the trail.

From here the path heads over the River Adur (where it briefly shares the same route as the Downs Link - predominantly a cycling route between the North and South Downs, but one which I plan to walk one day, having cycled it many years ago).

And there is a drinking tap here - but I'm not sure I could have filled up my bottle without dipping it into the trough below, so I'm not sure how practical this one actually is (unless you are able to dry off a wet bottle).

But from here the trail turns off the River Adur - before once again starting another climb up onto a ridge.

And during this climb you head past a pig farm - and with it being a cloudy start to the day (with mist coming up off the sea), the pigs do at least give me something to look at on my way up the hill.

Some pigs

A view through a gap in the mist

Apparently morning mists are quite common in this part of the world, and so the views are at least fairly characteristic - but it does make the climbing seem a bit less exciting today - with there being very little reward for the ascent.

And so for much of this part of the walk, I'm mostly focusing on the animals I am passing - as we bend around the village of Steyning (completely invisible), and then on up towards Chanctonbury Ring.

A sheep I met along the way

But upon reaching Chanctonbury Ring, I do at least get a mystical vibe - that almost convinces you that Druids are about to step out from the trees.

Although looking at this section on Google Maps, it does look like I'm missing out on a very enjoyable stretch of path, with good views.

Chanctonbury Ring Hill Fort

From the far side

The fort itself is thought to date from either the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age - and does have a feel of a religious shrine to it, although that may be more due to the mist I'm walking through today, than due to anything else.

Later the Romans adopted the site, and two Romano-British temples were built within the hill fort's interior - with one believed to have been dedicated to a boar cult (whatever that is).

The site then remain abandoned, before a mid-18th century landowner planted trees around it, because (correctly) he thought it would improve the look of the site.

During the days of it being a hill fort, this location was more about having a view out over the surrounding countryside, rather than about having some pretty trees on a hill - although I am a big fan of the whole tree thing going on.

And here the route of the South Downs Way is an ancient route used since prehistoric times, and here there is evidence of human history back into the Neolithic age.

But this is not the only site of historic interest on this hill - and nearby cross dykes date back to Roman times, with a number of prehistoric barrows also surrounding the site.

The site also has a number of myths and legends - and if you are really hungry, it is possible to run round the hill fort seven times in an anti-clockwise direction - and then the Devil will appear and offer you a bowl of soup in exchange for your soul.

If he was offering dry clothes rather than soup I might be tempted today - but as it is, the hill fort is quite large - and seven loops sounds like an awful lot of effort for a mere bowl of soup.

And so I head on, and soon encounter a more usual traveler along the trail, in the form of a large cow - which slowly comes into view, and then disappears into the mist on it's way past.

A cow walks past on the trail

Soon after a cyclist heads past me, and being a master of wit and repartee, when he ask's how things are going, I reply with "lovely views" - and since we are in England this response goes down a storm. 

So much so that when the same cyclist goes past ten minutes later, he gleefully shouts out that the views aren't any better going the other way. 

But soon the views do indeed start to improve, as I start to drop down onto lower ground, ahead of my arrival at the side of the A24.

Improved visibility off the ridge

Here the trail splits, and whilst the 'old route' crosses the A24 directly, the 'new route' heads up through Washington.

Here I try and get a feel for how good the 'new route' is, as the traffic is very light today, and so crossing directly is an option - but in the end I'm swayed by the improved visibility at lower ground - and decide to make the most of the increased time out the mist on the 'new route'.

In the end whilst the walk to Washington along the road isn't perfect, it proves to be an enjoyable extension, and not just a forced diversion - with Washington being attractive to walk through.

St Mary's Church

After passing the church, we head over the A27 - and then cut back up to the original route of the South Downs Way, via a set of tracks that are surrounded by wild garlic.

On the 'new route'

I would say just use the longer route irrespective of traffic - as it is nice to pass through another village along the trail - although the one downside of this route is that you do bypass the drinking tap, which sits on the western side of the A24 crossing.

But back on the main trail, the mist has now cleared and there is much better visibility - and I am able to enjoy views out over the countryside once again.

This is particularly welcome as the path cuts up to a track where the views are rather good.

Heading up to the track

On the track

Although the start of the day had no visibility, I have taken a look at what the views should have been like during the first part of the day - and the views seem pretty similar to this next section of the trail, with the path heading across an attractive ridgeline.

A ridge jutting out to the side

And here I forgive the weather for soaking me earlier in the day, as with a bit wind - plus a bit of warmth - I'm starting to dry out already, and enjoying myself again.

Another dew pond

To improve things further, and just after I pass the dew pond, I soon have a kite overhead doing some hunting in the fields, below - and for a few minutes get to enjoy watching it hovering above my head.

Soon we are passing Chantry Hill and Kithurst Hill, and from here on the views keep getting better and better, as we start to close in on Amberley (and the end of today's walk).

Out across the countryside

What look like more barrows, near a Cross Dyke at Springhead Hill

Now just past Rackham Hill

Soon we are passing Rackham Banks - and a bit of research explains that this is a prehistoric cross dyke and settlement, with this believed to date back to the late Bronze or early Iron Age  - and here the banks cut across the track which we are following (you can see where on OS Maps).

From here we start to slowly drop in height, as we get ready for the final descent into Amberley from Amberley Mount - and this final stretch of path is particularly good, as a fertile valley opens up around the River Arun ahead.

Taken from just past Rackham Banks

A fertile valley comes into view

Looking down from Amberley Mount

From here the path heads down into Amberley on the roads, and after pausing on one of the handy benches (and getting everything damp completely dry in the sunshine) - we drop down to Amberley train station.

From here there are a wealth of places you can head to for an overnight stay, but in the end I opt to head to Chichester, which can be reached in about 30 minutes by train (with one change) - and with it being a shorter day, I have a bit of a look around Chichester, before settling down for the night.

Chichester Cathedral (my overnight stop)

Total Distance: 13.0 miles

Total Ascent: 1,572 feet

Enjoyment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 197 and 198 OS Landranger maps - while there is also a South Downs Way guidebook which includes OS mapping (links redirect to Amazon). The route is in general well way-marked