The South Downs Way
Leaving Truleigh Hill and Freshcombe Farm

There's a final chance to turn back and look at the Adur Valley disappearing behind you. For now a whole new landscape opens up in front of you. To the south, there's the broad sweep of Southwick Hill hiding its magical tunnel and, beyond it the towers of Brighton and a fuzzy glare off the English Channel.

This is lovely country - the first sign of the long expanse of the South Downs above the 100 metres contour land.

This is open grazing land. It's interesting to note that even the internet has reached this remote place. There's an endearingly hand-written sign at the entrance to Truleigh Hill Farm Sales, its web address prominently displayed. Even up here it seems no advertising space can be resisted for long.

This next section of the South Downs Way is one of the best for relatively easy walking - it's very flat - and uninterrupted views.

Although you are not always at the very top of the scarp slope you get views at almost all times to the south with the silvery glow of the English Channel to enjoy as a backdrop.

To the north, when the lie of the land allows, the views are equally gorgeous.

There's an astonishing amount of light up here. The sky seems bigger, with barely a tree in sight. The land is open and flat and there is a strong glare off the sea and even off the grass on a sunny day.

This is a large horizontal land. All of nature's lines stretch from side to side - the fields, the roll of the downs, the line of the coast and the horizon beyond. The lines of man are verticals. Fence posts, the occasional pylon and the mighty tower of Shoreham Power Station beyond.

One of the delights of leaving Truleigh Hill is that you start to see the route of the next phase of your journey laid out before you.

Although there are few major climbs in this section of the South Downs Way, there is a succession of small rises zig-zagging in a gentle way across the landscape, all the way to the knobbly knuckle of Wolstenbury Hill 7 miles away.

There are few finer places to walk in early spring when the turf is starting to regain its greenness.

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