Picture of sheep grazing on the South Downs in Sussex at Newtimber Hill

The South Downs Way
On top of Newtimber Hill

As is so often the case on the South Downs in Sussex, your reward for a steep climb up West Hill is the opening up of a wonderful new panorama.

To the south the encroachment of Brighton onto the Downs becomes more evident. To the east you can glimpse the distant outline of the South Downs as they sweep on past Lewes to the South Downs Way's end at Eastbourne.

As you sweep your gaze round Jack and Jill windmills show themselves for the first time on the South Downs Way. And, as you complete the circle of your panorama, to the north, beyond Newtimber Hill lies the wonderful scalped roundness of Wolstenbury Hill, one of the most distinctive downs of all.

This is one of the places on the South Downs Way where you get a true sense of being up high.

As you continue on past the grazing sheep you catch a sight of the village of Pyecombe, looking pretty enough down in its valley but ravaged by the fast moving traffic of the A23.

You might notice how Pyecombe is split into two halves, separated by a kilometre or so. This split was caused by the ravages of the plague between 1603 to 1621.

The plague was so bad that the population of the old village declined to next to nothing. The remaining villagers decided a new start was needed and so moved up the valley to what is now known as Pyecombe Street.

By the end of the seventeenth century old Pyecombe village had been repopulated, leaving the village split in two.

Further on through a gap to the north of Pyecombe you can see the distinctive white tower of the recently restored Oldland Mill, just to the north of Keymer.

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Places to visit close to the South Downs Way

SOUTH DOWNS WAY - WHERE TO STAY

The South Downs WayOn top of Newtimber Hill

Places to visit close to the South Downs Way

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The South Downs Way
On top of Newtimber Hill