The South Downs Way
Graffham Down
You are quite high up here - over 210 metres throughout - but it doesn't seem that way as you have few points of reference to remind you that you are on top of the world - or on top of West Sussex at least.
You get the occasional glimpse of something beyond the woodland - a gate perhaps, a wide forest footpath heading off into East Dean Wood or Forest Hanger to the south, a temporary thinning of the trees to the north.
If you could see them you would marvel at the hangers of densely packed trees to the north, gripping tightly to the thin chalk soil to keep a roothold on the steepest of slopes.
This is a world of Bottoms - each combe and spur brings another great old Sussex name.
Gadd's Bottom gives way to Combe Bottom, which is followed in turn by Little Graffham Bottom and Golden Combe Bottom then Limekiln Bottom, all the way to the great viewpoint at Crown Tegleaze and the best name of all.
That's Stickingspit Bottom, only rivalled as a West Sussex place name in this writer's opinion by Titty Hill north of Midhurst and by Bushy Bottom - which we pass by later near Truleigh Hill.
Places to visit close to the South Downs Way
Amberley | Arundel | Ashington | Bepton | Bignor | Bramber | Bramber Castle | Burpham | Bury | Chanctonbury Ring | Charlton | Chilgrove | Clayton | Cocking | Compton | Cootham | Devil's Dyke | The Devil's Humps | Didling | Duncton | East Dean | East Harting | Edburton | Findon | Graffham | Harting Down | Heyshott | Houghton | Hurstpierpoint | North Marden | Parham House | Poynings | Pyecombe | Rackham | Singleton | Slindon | South Harting | South Stoke | Stedham | Steyning | Storrington | Torberry Hill | Treyford | Trotton | Truleigh Hill | Uppark | Up Marden | Upwaltham | Upper Beeding | Washington | West Dean
You might also like
- Along the South Downs Way in Sussex - a guide
- Some walking boots and hiking equipment shops in Sussex
- The Downs Link - a flat walk from Shoreham-by-Sea to the North Downs
- Some good places for West Sussex walkers
- Along the New Lipchis Way all the way from Chichester to Liphook
- The Monarch's Way as it runs through West Sussex
- A level walk Chichester to West Wittering Beach along Salterns Way - a good family walk
- West Sussex Horse riding information
- West Sussex Mountain Bike information
- About Horse riding on the bridleways of West Sussex
- B&B Midhurst
- Hotels Midhurst
- B&B Chichester
- Hotels Chichester
- Hotels Petworth
- B&B Arundel
- Hotels Arundel
- B&B Worthing
- Hotels Worthing
- B&B Haywards Heath
- Hotels Burgess Hill
- Butser Hill to Harting
- Harting to Cocking
- Cocking to Upwaltham
- Manorfarm Down
- Charlton Forest
- Graffham Down
- Crown Tegleaze
- Littleton Down
- Upwaltham
- Upwaltham to Amberley
- Amberley to Washington
- Washington to Upper Beeding
- Upper Beeding to Devil's Dyke
- Devil's Dyke to Ditchling Beacon
- South Downs Way Tips
- Cycling in Sussex
- Bike repairs
- Bicycle hire
- Mountain Biking
- Sussex Walking
- The Ramblers
- Other trails
- Horse riding
- Arundel
- Bognor Regis
- Burgess Hill
- Chichester
- Crawley
- East Grinstead
- Haywards Heath
- Horsham
- Littlehampton
- Midhurst
- Petworth
- Shoreham-by-Sea
- Steyning
- Worthing
