Walking and Cycling

Walking is one of the best ways to really see and appreciate the countryside, and Sussex has a number of long distance trails and shorter walks, some good for off-road cycling too. Many are easily accessible by train and bus, so leave the car behind and make a difference to the environment by reducing traffic congestion, noise and pollution.

The South Downs Way, a 160-km long National Trail for cyclists and horse riders as well as walkers, winds from Eastbourne to Winchester, following the line of ancient tracks across the ridges and river valleys of the South Downs. It has spectacular views north over the Weald and south to the English Channel, and takes you past Saxon churches, Iron Age hillforts, old windmills, Georgian manors and pretty villages. The Downs Link, a 59km footpath and bridleway following disused railway lines, links the North Downs Way in Surrey with the South Downs Way near Steyning, and on via the Coastal Link to Shoreham-by-sea.

Other trails criss-crossing the county include the Wey-South Path, which follows the route of the Wey & Arun Canal from Guildford in Surrey to picturesque Amberley, and the 140-km High Weald Landscape Trail from Horsham to Rye on the coast, which crosses the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), passing the distinctive sandstone villages of West Sussex and the white weatherboarded villages typical of the east.  Not forgetting, the 29th "Annual South Downs Way Walk" will take place from the 6th June to the 14th June 2008, walking easterly from Winchester to Eastbourne.  Bookings are now being taken, visit the Footprints of Sussex website.  All of these long distance trails can be walked in shorter sections depending on whether you prefer a leisurely amble or a challenging trek.