South Downs Way · Stage 1
Walking time measured on the mapped line (TrailSplits time model, moving time; within 22 % on four in five test legs). Outside Switzerland our walking times often run short of the times route operators publish; treat them as optimistic. Climb measured on the mapped line, on terrain heights.
From Winchester over the downs to Beacon Hill above Exton: 17.7 km, National Trails says.
Best season: All year. The trail can be walked all year, National Trails says. It is busiest in the school holidays and at weekends from May to September, and some of the buses below the Downs run only in summer. The chalk is slippery after rain, and the ridge is open to wind and sun: carry water, there are taps along the way. Before you go
Facts read from the guide's sources and OpenStreetMap on 13 October 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with your accommodation before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage start
Town
The cathedral city at the start, with hotels, inns and the station.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 8 places to stay within about 1300 m (read 13 October 2026). TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
The Old Vine · Hotel
Season 2026: 2026 dates not published
The Wykeham Arms · Hotel
Season 2026: 2026 dates not published
Stage end
Trailhead
A viewpoint and car park on the downs, with no beds: Exton is about 2.5 km on, down in the Meon valley.
Exton · Town
Crossways B&B · Hotel
Season 2026: 2026 dates not published
Bucks Head Inn · Hotel
Season 2026: 2026 dates not published
No walking time is published for this leg. Measured on the mapped line, the stage takes about 4 h 31 of walking.
Make it your trip
Places to stay are limited in some areas, National Trails says, so book ahead; most of them are in the villages at the foot of the hills. There is no right to wild camp. Some buses below the Downs run only in summer: Cuckmere Buses' 47 Ramblerbus, from Berwick station by Alfriston and the Seven Sisters Country Park, runs only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays during British Summer Time, 28 March to 25 October 2026: after 25 October it does not run.
Eight days, a night in the villages below the ridge.
Plan this journeyThe Hampshire downs and the western Weald edge in four days.
Plan this journeyThe Sussex downs to the Seven Sisters in four days.
Plan this journeyLoading the forecast for low point (36 m) and high point (196 m)…
Typical weather on this stage: at the lowest point (36 m) and the highest point (196 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed |
| High point, day / night | 7°/2° | 8°/1° | 10°/3° | 13°/4° | 16°/7° | 19°/10° | 21°/12° | 21°/12° | 19°/10° | 14°/7° | 10°/4° | 8°/2° |
| Low point, day / night | 8°/2° | 9°/2° | 11°/4° | 14°/5° | 18°/8° | 21°/10° | 23°/12° | 22°/12° | 20°/10° | 15°/8° | 11°/5° | 9°/3° |
| Rain, mm | 92 | 65 | 59 | 55 | 52 | 59 | 56 | 66 | 69 | 105 | 108 | 99 |
| Snow at high point | Frost | Frost | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Frost |
| Daylight | 8 h 23 | 9 h 59 | 11 h 46 | 13 h 46 | 15 h 30 | 16 h 31 | 16 h 08 | 14 h 39 | 12 h 44 | 10 h 49 | 8 h 59 | 7 h 57 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
The trail now crosses the A24 at Washington by the bridleway bridge and goes through the village; the old crossing of the road at its level is not recommended. Our line takes the bridge.
National Trails: route descriptionNational Trails lists the trail's closures and diversions on its map. Two works notices, at Salt Hill near East Meon (September) and in Alfriston (to 25 September, weather permitting), were still listed on 13 October with no word on whether they had ended: follow the signs on the ground.
National Trails: South Downs Way trail informationThe ridge has few villages, so use the drinking-water taps along the trail. Section 7, the Adur to the Ouse, is about 34 to 36 km: split it at YHA Truleigh Hill or at Housedean Farm's campsite.
National Trails: South Downs WayGetting there
Travel around Winchester to Beacon Hill.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
Winchester has a station (South Western Railway), with trains all year; the trail starts at the City Mill at the bottom of the High Street.
National Trails: South Downs Way trail informationThe trail crosses the rivers by stations: Amberley on the Arun and Southease on the Ouse (Southern); Petersfield (South Western Railway) and Hassocks and Lewes (Southern) are a bus or a walk away.
National Trails: getting to the South Downs WayThe trail ends at the foot of the Downs by the Foot of Beachy Head bus stop; Eastbourne station (Southern) is about 2.2 km away.
National Trails: South Downs WayTake your trip with you
Prepare each section while you still have a connection: on parts of the ridge the signal can be weak.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
National Trails gives 100 miles (160 km) from Winchester to Eastbourne in nine sections, west to east; they add up to 101 miles (162.5 km) by the Seven Sisters. National Trails publishes no section times, only distances, and most people take 8 or 9 days. The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap (relation 77976, the walking route, from the planet of 11 October 2026): 163.2 km by the Seven Sisters and over the bridge at Washington, cut at the nine section ends. The bridleway finish by Jevington is an official alternative. Our climb is measured on terrain heights, so short steep banks are smoothed out.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 13 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
National Trails: the South Downs WayMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation