Hassocks to Lewes: South Downs Way & More
Table of Contents
Distance: 11.2 miles / 18 km
Difficulty: Easy, with some hills
Ease of Navigation: Mostly easy, though I did need to access my AZ Adventure map a few times, and I did get lost once, despite having done this walk before.
Walking Time: I was on my own, and made few stops aside from eating my lunch in two stages. The entire walk, including breaks, took about 5 and a half hours. But if you’re doing this walk for the first time, plan to spend more time in Lewes at the end, where you can visit the castle and the priory.
Ease of Access: It’s easily accessible from London via Southern trains. The Time Out guide (link below) recommends purchasing a return to Lewes.
The Walk
Back in 2011, I came across the Time Out Country Walks Volume 1 book. If you’re not yet familiar with this book, it seems to be THE book that all walkers in the southeast start with to plan walks near London. For my birthday that year, Agustin and I did the Hassocks to Lewes walk…and fell in love with the trail.
In early summer 2015, I walked the whole of the South Downs Way and wrote a book about it. Last weekend, I went away on what I call a “workcation weekend” to finish the final editing of the book, so I can release it in June. As a way of getting back into the Downs, I walked from Hassocks to Lewes on the Friday before the weekend.
After arriving at Hassocks station, you quickly access the first footpath of the day, which runs alongside the train tracks, making for a somewhat noisy start. There’s a slight detour that’s worth taking that leads you down a parallel path through Butcher’s Wood. Emerging from the woods, you enter true Downs territory, with rolling hills all around.
The first stop of interest along this walk is the Church of St John the Baptist in the little village of Clayton. It’s got paintings thought to date back to 1080, and is usually open for visiting. Do take a peek; it’s well worth it.
From here, you climb your first hill up toward the Jack and Jill windmills, and not long after you make a turn to join the South Downs Way. This stage of the walk continues along the top of the chalk ridge of the South Downs, with open views to both sides of the trail.
You’ll pass by Ditchling Beacon, the site of an early Iron Age fort (where you can now find an ice cream van in the car park), then rolling fields of cows, sheep, and grain (not all together, of course!). You can head down off the trail to Plumpton, where I had a delicious pub lunch at the Half Moon back in 2011, or you can stay on the main trail and find a place to eat alongside the path.
From here the trail continues along the South Downs Way up to the point where the Way takes a sharp right turn and heads down the hill. You’ll continue on ahead, across the ridge, eventually heading through the tiny village of Hamsey and down into a shady wood before approaching Lewes. The walk passes by Lewes Castle near the very end of your journey, and I highly recommend that you spend some time visiting the castle. I really enjoyed it the first time I did this walk in 2011.
Lewes is a fairly large town with lots of facilities. If you’d like to have something to eat or drink before heading back home, there are many places you can do so. The walk directions also recommend a visit to Lewes Priory.
If you don’t have the Time Out book, you can also download the walking instructions here, on the Saturday Walkers Club website.
How to avoid getting lost where I did: note that at step 35 on the SWC website (“go under pylons and through a swing gate”), I couldn’t find a swing gate. At the pylon, the trail forks into two. There’s a big farm gate on the left fork, and no gate on the right fork. IGNORE THE LEFT FORK, AND TAKE THE RIGHT FORK, even if there’s no gate there. The left fork leads to a private farm with no public access (I found a sign further on the trail).
Related reading
Read about my two adventures along England’s most popular National Trail in this second edition of my book Alone on the South Downs Way. This book contains all the blisters, sweat, and tears from my first life-changing journey—and all the joy, presence, and magic of the second one.
More than just a walking travelogue or memoirs of a walking holiday, this book contains my reflections on walking the trail, including lessons learned and practical information to help you plan your hiking adventure. It includes a suggested packing list, gear recommendations, and other useful tips, such as when to walk the trail, where to stay, and how much you’ll need to budget.
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