South Downs Way, 3rd; British... | Buy

Summary

Fully revised third edition. This 100-mile footpath follows the line of chalk hills stretching from Winchester to Eastbourne. Walking the length of the Downs is the best way to experience this beautiful landscape with its mixture of rolling hills, steep hanging woodland and windswept fields. You'll also pass through picture- postcard villages with welcoming pubs, thatched cottages and quintessentially English country gardens. 5 town plans and 60 large-scale walking maps - at just under 1: 20,000 - showing route times, places to stay, places to eat, points of interest and much more. These are not general-purpose maps but fully-edited maps drawn by walkers for walkers. Itineraries for all walkers - whether walking the route in its entirety over a week to 10 days or sampling the highlights on day walks and short breaks Practical information for all budgets - camping, bunkhouses, hostels, B&Bs, pubs and hotels; Winchester through to Eastbourne - where to stay, where to eat, what to see, plus detailed street plans Comprehensive public transport information - for all access points on the South Downs Way Flora and fauna - four page full color flower guide, plus an illustrated section on local wildlife Green hiking - understanding the local environment and minimizing our impact on it

Author Biography

A keen outdoorsman, Jim Manthorpe works as a ranger in Knoydart, one of the most remote regions of Scotland.

Introduction
Part 1
About the South Downs Way (History, How difficult is South Downs Way, How long do you need?),
Practical information for the visitor (Accommodation, Food and drink, Money, Other services, Information for foreign visitors, Walking companies),
Budgeting (Accommodation, Extras),
When to go (Seasons, Temperature and rainfall, Daylight hours, Annual events),
Itineraries (Which direction? Highlights, Village and town facilities, Suggested itineraries, Mountain biking, Walking with dogs),
What to take (Keep it light, How to carry it, Footwear, Clothes, Toiletries, First-aid kit, General items, Sleeping bag, Camping gear, Money, Maps, Recommended reading),
Getting to and from the South Downs Way (National transport, Getting to Britain, Local transport, Local transport map and details)
Sources of further information
Part 2: Minimum Impact Trekking
Economic impact, Environmental impact, Access, Outdoor safety (Avoidance of hazards, Weather forecasts, Blisters, Hypothermia, Heat exhaustion and heatstroke, Sunburn)
Part 3
Conserving the South Downs Way (Natural Heritage, Campaigning & conservation organizations),
Fauna and flora (Mammals, Reptiles, Birds, Trees, Flowers
Part 4
Using this guide, Winchester, Winchester to Exton (Chilcomb, Cheriton, Exton),
Exton to Buriton (East Meon, Buriton, Petersfield),
Buriton to Cocking (South Harting, Cocking and Midhurst),
Cocking to Amberley (Heyshott, Graffham, Sutton and Bignor, West Burton and Bury, Houghton, Amberley),
Arundel Amberley to Steyning (Storrington, Washington, Steyning, Bramber and Upper Beeding, Steyning to Pyecombe, Fulking, Poynings, Pyecombe),
Pyecombe to Southease, Clayton, Ditchling, Plumpton, Lewes, Kingston-Near-Lewes, Rodmell, Telscombe and Southease),
Southease to Alfriston (West Firle, Alciston, Berwick, Alfriston, Alfriston to Eastbourne via Cuckmere (Litlington, West Dean and Exceat, Birling Gap, Beachy Head, Meads Village),
Alfriston to Eastbourne via Jevington (Milton Street, Wilmington, Jevington) Eastbourne
Appendices
Map Keys
Index
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Supplemental Materials

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Excerpts

Introduction

The South Downs are a 100-mile line of chalk hills stretching across Sussex from the Pevensey Levels by Eastbourne to the historic city of Winchester in Hampshire. For centuries travellers and traders have used the spine of the Downs as a route from one village to the next.

Today that route is still used by walkers, outdoor enthusiasts and others who simply need to escape from box-like offices in congested towns and cities. London, Brighton, Southampton and other urban areas are all within an hour or two of the South Downs, making these beautiful windswept hills the most important recreational area for the millions who live in the region.

A traverse from one end to the other following the national South Downs Way trail is a great way of experiencing this beautiful landscape with its mixture of rolling hills, steep hanging woodland and windswept fields of corn. Add to this the incredible number of pretty Sussex and Hampshire villages with their friendly old pubs, thatched cottages and gardens bursting with blooms of foxgloves and hollyhocks and one begins to understand the appeal of the Downs as a walking destination.

The South Downs Way begins in the cathedral city of Winchester from where it heads across rolling hills and the Meon Valley with its lazy, reed-fringed chalk-bed river and charming villages. At Butser Hill the Way reaches the highest point of the Downs with views as far as the Isle of Wight and, in the other direction, the North Downs. Continuing along the top of the ridge the Way passes through ancient stands of mixed woodland, past the Roman villa at Bignor and on towards the sandstone cottages of Amberley. Close by is the fascinating town of Arundel with its grand cathedral and even grander castle rising above the trees on the banks of the River Arun. Then it is on to Chanctonbury Ring with its fine views across the Weald of Sussex. The next stretch climbs past the deep valley of Devil's Dyke and over Ditchling Beacon to Lewes with its crooked old timber-framed buildings and the famous Harvey's Brewery.

Finally, the path reaches the narrow little lanes of Alfriston with more historic pubs than one would expect in such a small village. The grand finale to the walk includes the meandering Cuckmere River and the roller-coaster Seven Sisters chalk cliffs to reach the final great viewpoint of Beachy Head, overlooking the seaside town of Eastbourne.

Walking the South Downs Way can easily be fitted into a week's holiday but you should allow more time for excursions to the many nearby places of interest such as Arundel, Lewes and Winchester itself. Quite apart from that, however, anyone tackling the South Downs Way should also bear in mind that the lure of all those enchanting village pubs may make the trip rather longer than intended.

Excerpted from South Downs Way: Planning, Places to Stay, Places to Eat; Includes 60 Large-Scale Walking Maps by Jim Manthorpe, Henry Stedman
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.