Welcome to Capital Walkers, the friendly London Ramblers group for people aged 40+. We walk every weekend and usually at least once during the week.
Tony B.
[Revised distance, elevation, and advice on weather conditions.]
Your lean into the climb out of Hassocks will be rewarded with the distinctive silhouette of the Clayton windmills, before a bracing walk along the South Downs chalk grassland. With sweeping views inland and out to sea near Brighton, we pass medieval dew ponds, and an Iron Age fort at Ditchling Beacon.
Please bring your own packed lunch to eat at a viewpoint on the downs, before descending into Lewes along the River Ouse. Through the gateway of the Norman Castle (after a final cheeky climb), the quaint High Street of Lewes invites exploration, with plenty of options for tea and coffee. And beer (Lewes is the home of Harvey's brewery).
2nd Jan update: the weather forecast is dry but very cold - max -1℃, feels like -8℃ (NW gentle breeze). Layer up and bring spare warm layers. A windproof / waterproof jacket and trousers, hat and gloves will help you stay warm. For those that use them, walking poles will assist with the ascent and descent from the Downs, which will be frosty in places. We may need to vary our route to avoid icy conditions at the beginning and end of the walk.
Please bring a torch / head torch, though we should be finished before it gets dark.
Travel: Take the 09:46 Southern train from London Victoria (Clapham Junction 09:53; East Croydon 10:04), arriving Hassocks 10:43. Buy a day return to Lewes.
Meet in the station car park adjacent to platform 2.
Toilets at Hassocks and Lewes stations, and, hopefully, the outbound and return trains. No toilets on the walk route.
No dogs.
Exit points: Ditchling Beacon (bus to Brighton), Plumpton (bus to Lewes and, 3 km from the Half Moon pub, the train station).
Return trains direct to London from Lewes at 25 & 55 mins past the hour until 22:25 (later trains via Brighton).
No booking required.
The finishing time is an estimate only and will be dependent on a number of factors, such as weather, the speed at which the group walks and the number of breaks taken.
Pictures by Andy Beecroft / The South Downs Way east of Ditchling Beacon / and Chris Downer / Jack and Jill / CC BY-SA 2.0.
Hassocks Railway Station
Lewes Castle, 169 High St, Lewes. BN7 1YE.
