Backpacking the South Downs Way - A Love-Hate Trail

[DuneElliot]

Now the final video has been posted I felt like I could share this here. I have tried to be thorough and informative while not being boring or overly long - but this trail has so much to love and share, and some I hated. I have only linked to the first video...but the rest should follow in sequence if you are interested.

Anyway, hope you find this informative and entertaining:

 

[Enzo]

What are the chances, in this drought year to get rained on so much!
Enjoyed that thanks!

 

[fluffkitten]

Think I've already watched most of them so I'll check out the last one.

 

[DuneElliot]

What are the chances, in this drought year to get rained on so much!
Enjoyed that thanks!

Thanks guys. Appreciate the feedback and lovely comments and it always nice to hear that people have enjoyed them.

 

[fluffkitten]

Only found your channel when I searched on south downs way, subscribed now.

 

[DuneElliot]

Only found your channel when I searched on south downs way, subscribed now.

Thank you. Hope you enjoy the content.

 

[Baldy]

Enjoyed that

Cheers.

 

[DuneElliot]

Enjoyed that

Cheers.

Thank you. Glad to hear you enjoyed it

 

[tom]

Thanks - I'm useless at watching video but appreciate the inspiration. Just downloaded the Southdowns way gpx file for a cycle ride

 

[Enzo]

I come across lots of people bike packing the sdw, the rate some of them do it is really inspiring!

 

[Jaco]

I come across lots of people bike packing the sdw, the rate some of them do it is really inspiring!

Bike-packing the SDW is the only way to do it, in my opinion, it looks like a blast

I walked the SDW over Easter weekend (Winchester on Friday lunchtime, Eastbourne on Monday teatime) and found it to be a bit of a trudge with few highlights. There was a lot of time plodding through paddocks with monocrops and manure and that got tiresome; a bike would have made the tedious sections tolerable or even fast, tail-sliding fun. A bike would also make visiting the nearby-yet-off-trail villages a lot more appealing.

Sometimes the trail seemed to be routed for passive aggression, like when it departs from the Seven Sisters visitors centre to go up a hill and come back down, only to rejoin the path from the visitors centre that is much more direct and goes past salt-marsh, which is a tad more interesting than yet more sheep paddocks.

Overall, I'd give the SDW 3 out of 10 for a walker and would advise against doing it*, but I would take the chance to hit the trail again on two wheels.

Anyone doing it should be aware that Housedean Farm (mile 78) is right on the A27; the noise and pollution is simply incredible and I can't understand anyone staying there when aware of it. There's a decent wild camping alternative around mile 80 (closer to Eastbourne) between some gorse bushes.

*3/10 might seem harsh but the train journeys cost £72 and on the walk I spent a long time comparing the SDW to the Cairn Gorms, Southern France etc. which would have been just as easily reached.

 

[fluffkitten]

If people wanted more of a challenge (read feeling utterly bonkers) they could always have a go at the South Downs Way 100 trail running race.

 

[Boozawooza]

Bike-packing the SDW is the only way to do it, in my opinion, it looks like a blast

I walked the SDW over Easter weekend (Winchester on Friday lunchtime, Eastbourne on Monday teatime) and found it to be a bit of a trudge with few highlights. There was a lot of time plodding through paddocks with monocrops and manure and that got tiresome; a bike would have made the tedious sections tolerable or even fast, tail-sliding fun. A bike would also make visiting the nearby-yet-off-trail villages a lot more appealing.

Sometimes the trail seemed to be routed for passive aggression, like when it departs from the Seven Sisters visitors centre to go up a hill and come back down, only to rejoin the path from the visitors centre that is much more direct and goes past salt-marsh, which is a tad more interesting than yet more sheep paddocks.

Overall, I'd give the SDW 3 out of 10 for a walker and would advise against doing it*, but I would take the chance to hit the trail again on two wheels.

Anyone doing it should be aware that Housedean Farm (mile 78) is right on the A27; the noise and pollution is simply incredible and I can't understand anyone staying there when aware of it. There's a decent wild camping alternative around mile 80 (closer to Eastbourne) between some gorse bushes.

*3/10 might seem harsh but the train journeys cost £72 and on the walk I spent a long time comparing the SDW to the Cairn Gorms, Southern France etc. which would have been just as easily reached.

You've made it sound as bad as the Peddars Way!

 

[Enzo]

Well I'm off on SDW next Friday after work. Annoyingly I'll be working in Brighton, but have to drive home and take a three hour train ride back to Eastbourne ?!

It's not Scotland that's for sure. Or the south of France. But I have a soft spot for it.
You pay a price for not trudging through bog and midges at 2mph.

It's also the only place in the UK I've seen glow worms. That was special.

 

[Enzo]

If your in the south east and only have weekends, 100 ish mile trails with opportunities to camp are I guess limited.
Ridgeway has a couple of highlights, but also perhaps a bit dull.
I've not tried Cotswold way, has a reputation of being tricky to camp.
I used to make up my own. Great thing about the UK, it's saturated in public rights of way.
When lazy I just join bits of other trails, means I can walk from my house.
St Swithin's way to hangers way, hangers to sdw, sdw to Salisbury on Clarendon off the top of my head.

I have in-laws in abbagavenny so South Wales is the easiest upland area for me, only 2-3 hour drive. Anywhere else takes planning and holiday booking.

 

[Jaco]

Well I'm off on SDW next Friday after work.

Happy trails, how many days are you allocating for it?

That second pic - is it okay to camp in a cow paddock? No chance of waking up to find one using your tent as a scratching-post?

 

[Enzo]

I usually do it over BH weekend. Arrive Eastbourne 8pm ish, do 10 to alfriston. Then 38ish to Washington. 30 to QE country park and then a half day to Winchester. Be fun to try and do it in 48hrs sometime, but I'm not 100% atm so plan to slum it a bit.
If I get bored I'll bale, or cut a bit out. It's meant to be fun after all!

 

[Enzo]

That was a bull, and we had no idea it was in the field when we camped there

Showed FAR to much interest for my liking, I'm a bit nervous around cattle.

 

[Enzo]

Trek-like meetup, really cracking weather that weekend.

 

[Jaco]

The lambs out right now on the trail are incredibly cute. No piglets in the piggery, some cute calves.

Three 50km days from a cold start is impressive, chapeau! Talking of doing it in 48 hours, I'd read that the free camping at High Tittern (48th mile) was unavailable and locked off, but there were easily accessible and perfect flat pitches right where I thought it must be, just up the hill from Amberley

 

[One L]

I walked the SDW last year and really enjoyed it.

 

[Jaco]

Then 38ish to Washington. 30 to QE country park

FYI - the tap at Amberley is currently dry. The tap closest to Winchester, too.

 

[Enzo]

The pub at high tittern I think has a tap, worst case can always fill up with beer lol, really sad about the camping there. To start with the council said a private outfit would keep it open. I guess the locals didn't like the regular raves, or perhaps one of the local camp sites didn't like the competition?

All references to it seem to have disappeared from the net last I looked.
Last time I was there it was all locked up and signed keep out. I jumped the gate and stayed no problems, wasn't the only one. Won't do that again though.
Re water, I'm part camel, but cow troths are your friend. Best to filter or lift the flap and take direct from the valve.

The cute calf's are lovely, but it means protective mums, puts me off walking, alone through fields of cows in the dark....

 

[Stube]

I've walked the SDW twice when I was getting back into walking after a forty year layoff.
First time E-W blazing hot got mild sunstroke and the chalk dust blowing off the hills was terrible - even the horses were wearing goggles!
Second year W-E was very wet and the chalk was as slippy as ice. The floor of the bus on the way back had a veritable stream running down it.
I maintain that soft northerners who complain about the PW corpse road descent from Cross Fell have never walked the SDW.

Enzo: I remember the bull on that wild camp - mine is the tent closest to it. Small, relative to a monster that was laid across the path south of the Falcon Clints on the PW.