Devil`s Dyke
3. 7. 2016
Peter Schrammel
Weather
sunny
Interest 
***: Over the steep northern edge of the South Downs
Route
Brighton, 29m - Devil`s Dyke, 217m - Upper Beeding, 33m - Shoreham, 4m - Brighton
Elevation gain
257m
Distance
39km
Timing
2 3/4h (3/4 + 3/4 + 1/2 + 3/4)
Stamina
C
Difficulty
0
Danger
0
Visitor frequency
d: a lot of car traffic
Report
The summit near Devil`s Dike, steeply carved V-shaped combe, is the hill for Brightoners to go for a Sunday afternoon stroll. Even a municipal bus line takes you straight to top. I went there by bicycle many, many times. Views are excellent over the city and reach even across the channel to France on clear days. On this first ascent I extended the trip by descending via Saddlescombe to Poynings and then continuing on a relatively quiet road along the northern edge of the South Downs to Upper Beeding. There I thought I could climb up the hills again and take a short cut to Portslade, but that path turned out to be too steep and rocky. Since I didn`t know about the cycle path on the dismantled railway along river Adur, I rode on the A283, which is a rather dangerous experience due to the heavy traffic. From Shoreham I followed the cycle path along the beach back to Brighton.
Horses on the pasturages off the coast
Brighton and Hove at the horizon
The Dyke
Pub on the summit
View from the summit towards the west
Northern slopes of the South Downs on the way to Steyning
Thatched houses in Shoreham