South Downs Way Overview

Winchester to Eastborne - 160 km (100 miles) - 6 days

19 to 20 March & 9 to 12 June 2022

The South Downs Way National Trail is a 160 km (100 mile) long-distance footpath and bridleway that runs along the South Downs in southern England. It is one of 16 National Trails in England and Wales.

The trail follows the old routes and droveways along the chalk escarpment and ridges of the South Downs. It provides stunning views of the English Channel and Isle of Wight to the south, as well as the wooded Weald and heathland ridges to the north.

We walked the path in six days over one weekend in March 2022 and a longer period in June 2022. It was a bit tricky to wild camp, so we mostly stayed in campsites or at youth hostels.

There was nothing technically difficult and not too much elevation along the trail, well 4,380 meters up overall.

It is nearly always close to towns, roads, and trains so it is easy to break up the days anyway you would like. It also means you don’t really need to pack much food, you can pick something up long the way.

Read our day by day notes from our South Downs Way hike >