South Downs Way

Book excerpt: The South Downs Way is a 100-mile (160km) National Trail that follows the line of chalk hills stretching from Winchester in Hampshire across Sussex 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 pass picture-postcard villages with welcoming pubs, thatched cottages and quintessentially English country gardens. Includes downloadable GPS waypoints. Route guide and maps plus accommodation, pubs and restaurants in detailed guides to 49 towns and villages Includes 60 detailed walking maps : the largest-scale maps available - At just under 1 : 20,000 (8cm or 31/8 inches to 1 mile) these are bigger than even the most detailed walking maps currently available in the shops. Unique mapping features – walking times, directions, tricky junctions, places to stay, places to eat, points of interest. These are not general-purpose maps but fully edited maps drawn by walkers for walkers. Itineraries for all walkers – whether hiking the entire route or sampling highlights on day walks or short breaks. Detailed public transport information for all access points. Practical information for all budgets : What to see ; where to eat (cafés, pubs and restaurants) ; where to stay (B&Bs, hotels, hostels, camping barns and campsites).