South Downs National Park (Aug 23)

A few weeks ago I found myself travelling along the B2139 through England’s newest National Park for work. The scenery was so stunning that I took note of the location and made a promise to myself to come back and explore. 

Well, with the weather taking a turn for the better this week, I marked myself unavailable for work and went on the search for a campsite in the West Sussex part of the South Downs.  

So here we are, with the tent, kayaks and hiking paraphernalia, only 45 minutes from my home in Southampton.

We found an exquisite campsite located right along the “South Downs Way” called Littleton Farm not too far from Amberley, one of the many places I had noted on my earlier journey.

Considering it’s August and supposed to be high season, we were amazed how quiet it is – we had  the place pretty much to ourselves. We were pitched in a lush narrow field which meanders through the woodlands from its base in the valley below to the top of the downs. It’s a simple, immaculate and quiet campsite, allowing campfires and log burners; it has a couple of showers, a handful of loos and plenty of water points. 

After setting up camp we decided on a sunset walk through the woods and neighbouring farmlands, startling hare and deer along the way. At the highest point we could see the south coast and English Channel across the wheat fields and woodlands.

It was here we stumbled across a monument dedicated to a Lancaster DV382 from 617 Squadron (of Dam Buster fame) that crashed here on 13th February 1944, a beautiful and peaceful resting place for the airmen who were unfortunately killed on that bleak, misty day.  

We took it easy the next morning, planning what to do over the next few days whilst watching Red Kites circle overhead, and grabbing a coffee at the campsite cafe (located to serve hikers and bikers doing the “trail”).

We decided to head for Pulborough where we used the public slipway to access the River Arun and kayak upstream to the medieval bridge (originally built in the mid 1300s) at the White Hart pub at Stopham – and back. Although miles inland, the river is tidal here, but the flow and tide were not too strong, so it was a leisurely few hours on the water.

By the time we got back to the campsite there was only one other lone camper on site, and from the look of it he was cycling along the 100 mile South Downs Way; our host explained that she gets a lot of last minute bookings from bikers and hikers.  Her planning permission prohibits camper vans and cars stopping overnight on the site, which suits us down the the ground. 

Our third day saw us go for a late morning walk along the South Downs Way passing fields of sunflowers and spectacular views, before circling back to our tent for lunch. 

We then took a short drive to Arundel where, after a walk long the fast flowing River Arun, we visited the three distinct buildings that provide this town with its familiar landmarks, Arundel Castle, St Nicholas Church and Arundel Cathedral.

It would have been rude of us to not have a sneaky pint at St Mary’s Gate Inn (right next to the Cathedral), so that’s exactly what we did, ahead of heading back home before sunset.

By now the sky was totally cloudless and, with the temperature dropping a little overnight, we lit the log burner and settled down for a quiet evening and a few beers.

Our final day and a short drive to Climping, where, after a coffee at the beach hut run by a Ukrainian from Odesa (who we spent a while chatting to), we went kayaking along the coast under a clear blue sky before heading back to the campsite in the afternoon to strike camp and head home.

All in all, a fabulous few days with so much more to see in this region that we missed, so we will be heading back soon to do some more exploring.