Sunshine in the South Downs- Duncton and Burton Park

I was set for a three day camping trip in Pembrokeshire with my other half. Unfortunately, the weather in South Wales wasn't playing ball, and so it was that we made plans for some walking and exploring in my neck of the woods.

Over the past the few months, I've been lucky enough to get away to Scotland, Wales and the Peak District, along with small breaks in Europe. Its been a while though, since I've been able to get into the South Downs, only 30 mins from my home in Surrey. I have a lot of love for the grass and wood covered chalk ridge that runs from Winchester to Eastbourne, and spent many hours last Summer/Autumn roaming the beautiful Downland. Today we would walk through a spectacularly quaint part of the West Sussex South Downs.

Chalk Downland is a rare and fragile environment that isn't found many places in the world, with some of the finest examples in the South Downs.The chalk grasslands hold a variety of different flora and fauna that you would struggle to find elsewhere in the country. Although the South Downs are famed for their sweeping grassy slopes, its the woodlands of the Downs that first captured my imagination. You find shere wooded hillsides that are dense with oak, ash, beech and yew trees. We began our walk that day on one such wooded slope, and designed a walk through Duncton and the neighbouring Burton Park.



Its early May, and in the woodlands of Surrey and Sussex that usually means a spectacular display of Bluebells. While we did see carpets of Bluebells on our walk, the flower that stole the show was Ramsons. We got there just in time to see a sea of white Wild Garlic covering the woodland floor. Ramsons (or Wild Garlic as it is also known) makes an appearance in Spring through sight and smell. Every so often, you'll turn a corner and get a hum of garlic in your nose. In the quantities that we saw Ramsons, the smell was quite incredible. Ramson leaves are edible and the flowers can go very nicely onto salads. Be very careful though, as they can be mistaken for Lily of the Valley which often grow nearby, and are in fact poisonous.



We were heading to the Burton Park estate. Its a 19th century mansion that sits in the middle of quite an extensive grounds. A public footpath goes through the estate and gives you some great views of the house and its surrounding lands. The path takes you past the house, neighbouring Norman church and a huge series of ponds to the south of the house.



After walking past Chingford Pond, (one of the larger ponds on the estate) in glorious sunshine and splendid solitude, we had what can only be described as a cow jam. Its the second time I've experienced this phenomena on the South Downs. We were about to have a seemingly endless line of cows walking right across our path. We waited for 30 mins as hundreds of cows went from their pasture to the milking shed right where we wanted to walk. After having had a few near misses with cows in the past, we decided to let the milk train pass before continuing on our journey. Maybe if we'd have known how long it was, we may have risked it!



After the procession had passed through, we continued with our walk. There are two long distance footpaths that we joined very briefly on our walk that are worth a mention. The Serpents Trail and the West Sussex Literary Trail. The Serpents Trail is 64 mile path that snakes its way between the South Downs towns of Haslemere and Petersfield. The route has some great vistas and goes through rare lowland heath habitat that is another gem in the South Downs crown. I am planning on doing the Serpents Trail at some point this summer, (with corresponding blog) as I've walked in many parts that the footpath crosses, but would love to walk the whole thing.



The other long distance footpath that passes through the Duncton area, is the West Sussex Literary Trail. At 55 miles long, this trail -along with its matching guidebook- takes you from Horsham to Chichester Cathedral, following the many famous literary connections on the way. Both of these walks have extensive guidebooks that are either available online, or to purchase from the South Downs Centre in Midhurst- see the 'on foot notes' at the bottom of the page.

It was a shame that we didn't get the chance to explore Pembrokeshire like we'd planned. But, getting out in the South Downs was exactly what was needed, and a reminder of whats on my doorstep. I may be biased, but I would always recommend the South Downs to walkers. Its such a relaxing place to be, especially in Spring and Summer. Its a place that never feels imposing. Its not rugged or dizzying. Its rolling and calming. Its a perfectly manicured landscape that overflows with thousands of years of history.


On Foot Note:

Serpents Trail

West Sussex Literary Trail

South Downs National Park