TOUGH HIKE 24km Lewes Circular - The Sea views & Hills of the South Downs

📏 Key Info:
• Distance: 15 miles (24km)
• Grading: Challenging
• Ascent: 640m
• Hiking time: 5.5 to 6.5 hours
• Cost: £31 plus Eventbrite fee they charge including the guided hike and return train travel, click “Get Tickets” to join.
• Payments are refundable upto 7 days in advance, after that they are non refundable and non transferrable.
• Toilet Breaks: On the train, nature (woods/bushes) during hike, and at the end pub
📍 Meeting Point
• Location: Victoria station. Meet between WHSmith (no 34) and Nero Express (no 29) - MAP
• Time: Meet 8:20am, leave 8:40am for the 8:54am train
• Return: 6:36pm arrival back in London (you’re committed until then)
🌟 Highlights
• Explore the South Downs National Park — Britain’s newest and most visited National Park
• Walk three elevated chalk ridges with panoramic sea views
• Visit Mount Caburn, a 2,500-year-old Iron Age hill fort
• Cross the Greenwich Meridian Line, dividing East and West
• Hike through dramatic glacial dry valleys formed during the last Ice Age
• Follow part of the South Downs Way National Trail
• Pause at Southease Church, with its unique Anglo-Saxon round tower
• Pass Rodmell, home of Virginia Woolf’s Monk’s House
• Enjoy free time in the historic market town of Lewes with its medieval streets and castle
🥾 Hike Description
Our journey begins in the historic market town of Lewes, set on the Greenwich Meridian and famous for its medieval streets, 11th-century castle and dramatic bonfire celebrations. After crossing the River Ouse, we ascend into the sweeping chalk hills of the South Downs National Park, a landscape shaped by glaciers in the last Ice Age and today renowned for its rare grasslands and expansive views.
Climbing steadily, we reach Mount Caburn, a prominent 146-metre hill crowned by the remains of an Iron Age fort dating back to 400 BC. With traces of ancient ditches and burial sites still visible, it offers both a deep sense of history and commanding views across the Downs toward the distant English Channel.
From here our route follows the South Downs Way, the first bridleway National Trail in England, which has connected communities for thousands of years. The ridge offers superb panoramas, with glimpses of the Seven Sisters cliffs and sweeping views inland across the Weald. We then descend into the valley and pass through Rodmell, where Virginia Woolf lived at Monk’s House, and cross the River Ouse, a place tied poignantly to her story.
The final stretch leads us through the tiny village of Southease, where we pause to admire its rare Anglo-Saxon round-towered church. From here, the trail loops back to Lewes, where there is free time to explore its historic streets, browse independent shops, or enjoy refreshments in one of its many pubs and cafés before our return.
🧭 Guide:
• Leader: GRAHAM
• Contact (hike day only): 07796 098487
🍽️ Food:
• Bring a packed lunch
• Pub visit after the hike (drinks optional)
🎒What to Bring
• Hiking boots/shoes
• Water (2 litres minimum)
• Packed lunch
• Waterproofs (jacket and trousers)
• Hat and gloves if cold
• Train tickets are arranged – just meet us at the meeting point
⚠️ Safety
Your guide is a trained hike leader and Outdoor Activity First Aider
❓ Want to Know More?
• New to Our Trips? (perfect for first-timers, answers “what to expect”)
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