Stage start
Cocking Hill
Trailhead
Where the trail crosses the A286, with a bus stop: Cocking village is about 1 km down.
Cocking · Town
Moonlight Cottage · Hotel
Season 2026: 2026 dates not published
Cocking Hill to Amberley
South Downs Way · Stage 5
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.
19kmStage distance
376mAscent, measured
5 h 02Walking time, measured
5Stage number
Over Bignor Hill and down to the Arun at Amberley: 19.3 km.
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
Loading topographic map…
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%) Moderate (10–15%)
Green: Cocking Hill to Amberley. Grey: full trail. Elevation follows this mapped track.
Cocking Hill to Amberley
5 / 9
Where this stage starts and ends
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 end · overnight
Amberley
Town
The station by the Arun at Houghton Bridge, with the South Downs Bunkhouse at Houghton close by; Amberley village is about 1.3 km north.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 2 places to stay within about 1300 m (read 13 October 2026). TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
South Downs Bunkhouse · Hostel or bunkhouse
Season 2026: 2026 dates not published
The Sportsman · Hotel
Season 2026: 2026 dates not published
Woodybanks Cottage · Hotel
Season 2026: 2026 dates not published
Walking time for this leg
No walking time is published for this leg. Measured on the mapped line, the stage takes about 5 h 02 of walking.
Make it your trip
Book your nights ahead
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.
Winchester to Eastbourne
Eight days, a night in the villages below the ridge.
Plan this journeyWinchester to Amberley
The Hampshire downs and the western Weald edge in four days.
Plan this journeyAmberley to Eastbourne
The Sussex downs to the Seven Sisters in four days.
Plan this journeyWeather this week
Loading the forecast for low point (sea level) and high point (240 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this stage: at the lowest point (sea level) and the highest point (240 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° | 7°/1° | 10°/3° | 13°/4° | 16°/7° | 18°/10° | 21°/12° | 20°/12° | 18°/10° | 14°/7° | 10°/4° | 8°/2° |
| Low point, day / night | 8°/2° | 9°/2° | 11°/3° | 14°/5° | 17°/8° | 20°/11° | 22°/13° | 22°/12° | 19°/10° | 15°/8° | 12°/5° | 9°/3° |
| Rain, mm | 95 | 67 | 62 | 59 | 54 | 59 | 63 | 70 | 68 | 106 | 107 | 101 |
| Snow at high point | Frost | Frost | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight | 8 h 24 | 10 h | 11 h 47 | 13 h 46 | 15 h 29 | 16 h 30 | 16 h 07 | 14 h 38 | 12 h 44 | 10 h 49 | 9 h | 7 h 58 |
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
Prepare for the South Downs Way
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
The route at Washington
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 descriptionNotices
National 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 informationWater and the long section
The 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
Connect your journey
Travel around Cocking Hill to Amberley.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
To the start at Winchester
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 informationStations on the way
The 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 WayHome from Eastbourne
The 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
Offline maps
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.
- Open this trail in the app. Install TrailSplits, then open this trail there. On iPhone, downloads in a browser may not be available in the installed app.
- Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
- Try it before leaving coverage. Switch offline, close and reopen the app, then use My Hikes to start navigation. Repeat for every part you will need.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
About this map
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