Chanctonbury & Cissbury Ring Circular – 12.5 miles

Chanctonbury Ring is one of the most prominent landmarks along the South Downs Way. The ring is an Iron Age hill fort which is best known for the beech trees which dominate the site. The trees were planted in 1760 by Charles Goring, heir to the large Wiston Estate. With the remains of Bronze and Iron Age forts, a Roman temple and its distinctive ring of beech trees, Chanctonbury Ring is said to be the most haunted site in the South Downs. 

Cissbury Ring is the largest hill fort in Sussex and has a history dating back over 5,000 years. Set high up on a chalk promontory, its ditch and ramparts enclose roughly 65 acres. From the top on a clear day you can see for miles, with views to the chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters beyond Brighton and as far as the Isle of Wight.

We start at Chanctonbury Ring carpark before heading to the South Downs Way via Washington Village to Chanctonbury Ring itself, we then loop off the main path down to Cissbury Ring before heading back to our start point via stately Wiston Park. A truely marvellous walk