Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Get the App

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Ditchling Beacon – Devil's Dyke loop from Ditchling Beacon

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Ditchling Beacon – Devil's Dyke loop from Ditchling Beacon

Hard

4.7

(12)

hikers

Ditchling Beacon – Devil's Dyke loop from Ditchling Beacon

05:35

19.4km

480m

Hiking

Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: May 12, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

South Downs National Park

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

230 m

Ditchling Beacon

Highlight • Natural Monument

From the summit of Ditchling Beacon, you're afforded a wonderful panoramic view. Standing at 814 feet (248 m) above sea level, it is the highest point along the Sussex Downs. You can look south to sea, north across the Weald, or east-west across the Downs. The site, which is managed by the National Trust, is also of archaeological interest due to there being an Iron Age hillfort there.

Tip by

1.37 km

Dew Pond with Lone Tree

Highlight • Structure

Before it was possible to channel a water supply to farmland, dew ponds were dug as a way to collect rain water for the animals. Sometimes known as mist ponds or cloud ponds, they are usually high up on hills so are often accompanied by beautiful views.

Tip by

5.04 km

Church of the Transfiguration, Clayton

Highlight • Religious Site

This church in Pyecombe is not – as is usually the case – dedicated to one of the many people we venerate as saints, or to the Mother of God Mary or her son. Instead, it bears an event as its patronage title, namely the TRANSFIGURATION (in German-speaking countries called "Transfiguration of Christ" or "Transfiguration of the Lord").

The three synoptics in the Bible report on this, i.e. all the evangelists except John: Mark (Chapter 9), Luke (Chapter 9), Matthew (Chapter 17). In a work aid from the Bible Society, the event of the transfiguration / transfiguration is summarized in the following two sentences:

=> "In the middle of everyday life, three disciples have an Easter experience with Jesus: They see Jesus in a mysterious light, and Moses and Elijah talk to him. In this way, the disciples are revealed the deepest identity of Jesus as the "beloved son" of God." This event, which is attested three times in the New Testament, takes place on Mount Tabor in Israel. A basilica was built there in memory (see komoot.de/highlight/266239 ), which can thus be considered the original church for the patronage of this place of worship here.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

7.75 km

Wildflour Café at Saddlescombe Farm

Highlight • Settlement

Good spot for lunch or a bit of cake in a very sweet courtyard cafe, served out of a caravan on a National Trust Site. There is some cover too under a farm building if you need shelter from the rain. There's also a campsite within the grounds of the farm and a donkey wheel which which was used to draw water from the well. Apparently the donkeys were trained to walk in 12 minute cycles, changing direction as each time slot passed. I'm not sure I believe it.

Tip by

8.89 km

View of Devil's Dyke

Highlight • Gorge

Devil's Dyke is a deep, V-shaped river valley along the South Downs Way in Sussex. Part of these chalk-based hillsides are designated as SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest). From the top of the hills you can see as far as the Isle of Wight on a clear day.

The name can be attributed to local folklore, as an ancient attempt to explain the formation of the steep valley. Supposedly the devil dug the valley as a trench to allow the sea to flood churches, but was disturbed in the process and never finished digging!

Read more about what's on in the area at nationaltrust.org.uk/devils-dyke

Tip by

9.58 km

Devil's Dyke

Highlight • Historical Site

Devil's Dyke is a v-shaped chalkland dry valley that’s home to wildflowers and many species of butterflies. Unique and picturesque, it's a popular destination for hiking or relaxing in nature.

The name comes from a legend: the devil, furious for the conversion of the Kingdom of Sussex to Christianity, dug a dyke through the South Downs to allow the water from the sea to flow through and drown the villages of the Sussex Weald.

The site was a hillfort in the Iron Age. You can still see some earthworks and burrows in the surrounding area. Apparently it was a very popular destination in Victorian times, with a funfair and even a railway line from Brighton!

It gets busy on the weekend but it's a paradise if you manage to hike here on a weekday.

Tip by