South Downs National Park and the South Downs Way

I took a day off from writing to go for a walk along the Downs in our newest national park covering 1,600sqkms with great views across the chalk landscape.

 A beautiful scene of a house tucked away under the Downs.

 On the hill opposite us was a view of the Jill windmill at Clayton. There are two windmills here, Jack and Jill. Jill is operational and sells wheat milled at the windmill from locally grown wheat. Jack is under going maintenance and the very top of the windmill can just be seen above the trees on the far right hand side. There has been a windmill on this site since 1765.

 A view along the north facing scarp slope of the South Downs looking across Devil's Dyke, Truleigh Hill with the radio and TV antennae with an altitude of 218m and Bramber in the distance.

 A donkey wheel at the farm in Saddlecomb. The donkey stands inside the wheel and walks forward to turn the wheel, A rope tied around the shaft can raise and lower a bucket into a well.

We were walking a circular route but taking in a section of the South Downs Way, a 160kms long distance path stretching the length of the national park between Winchester and Eastbourne along the top of the ridge.  The highest hill along the route is Butser Hill near Petersfield at 270m. A view down a dry valley.

 One of two churches that we visited.

A detail of the church.

 A detail showing the roof. This is made from slabs of stone and appear throughout the area and are known as Horsham stone roofs.