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Below The Steyning Tea Rooms in the old market town of Steyning, West Sussex7 Steyning
West Sussex; BN44 3YE
Half-timbered and quaint, Steyning is
a typical Downs market town and
worth a stop for a stroll and some tea
in the Steyning Tea Rooms in the
High Street. Take a look at the latest
mini-furnishings in The Dolls House
Shop and don’t miss the handsome
Norman church. The town is a great
base for walks to the Iron-Age hill
forts of Cissbury Ring, the secondWHERE TO STAYDITCHLING
The Bull moderate
With four smart, themed rooms (with
ensuite walk-in showers), this cosy
village pub makes a friendly place to
stay. It serves good local food, too.
2 High St, BN6 8TA; 01273 843 147;
http://www.thebullditchling.com
AROUND DITCHLING
Blackberry Wood inexpensive
This is a real rural campsite, complete
with cheery birdsong, in the woods
5 km (3 miles) east of Ditchling. All the
usual facilities, plus caravans to rent.
Streat Lane, Streat, BN6 8RS (take Lewes
Rd from Ditchling through Westmeston
then fourth on the left); 01273 890 035;
http://www.blackberrywood.com
AMBERLEY
Amberley Castle expensive
Spend a noble night in this fantastic
castle with walled gardens. Four posters,
of course, jacket-and-tie fine dining and
a portcullis which closes at midnight –
so no returning late from the pub.
BN18 9LT; 01798 831 992;
http://www.amberleycastle.co.uk
ARUNDEL
The Thatched Barn moderate
This converted 17th-century barn and
cattlesheds in Wepham were on the
Duke of Norfolk’s estate, and have views
across the Arun valley to Arundel castle.
105 Wepham, BN18 9RA; 01903 885 404;
http://www.thethatchedbarnwepham.co.uk;
minimum two-night stay at weekendsBACK ROADS GREAT BRITAIN
Where to Stay: inexpensive, under £80; moderate, £80–£150; expensive, over £150largest in England, dating from c. 300
BC, and Chanctonbury Ring, marked
by a beech copse. A round route from
Steyning will take about 4 hours,
although Cissbury can be reached in
under an hour and Chanctonbury can
be more easily conquered up an easy
track, a short drive west, off the A283.
ª Continue west along the A283
(passing Chanctonbury Lane on the
left). At the roundabout, just after
Storrington, take the second exit onto
the B2139 to Amberley. Park on street.Above View of the rolling green countryside of
Sussex, from Ditchling Beacon8 Amberley
West Sussex; BN18 9LT
This small village of honey-coloured
cottages is one of the prettiest and
most thatched in Sussex. Amberley
Village Pottery (open daily), in an old
chapel in Church Street, is where
Caroline Seaton makes pots in
Amberley Blue, a deep-coloured
glaze which she developed in 1964.
Amberley Castle is actually a manor
house and has been turned into anBelow Pretty thatched cottage at Amberley,
West Sussex6 Ditchling
East Sussex; BN6 8TB
Before reaching this classic
Downland village, the road winds up
Ditchling Beacon, at 270 m (886 ft)
the highest point on the Downs with
glorious views. The excellent village
museum (open mid-Mar–mid–Dec: Tue–
Sat, pm only on Sun) reveals what
traditional rural life was like. It also
features the work of two local artists:
Eric Gill (1892–1940), sculptor and
designer of the Gill Sans typeface,
and Edward Johnston (1872–1944),
creator of the London Underground
typeface. More art is on show at the
Turner Dumbrell Workshops, on the
High Street, where work can be
bought directly from artists’ studios.
Take tea in the garden of Chestertons
(see right) at the crossroads, or visit
the Bull pub (see left).
ª Go west along West Street/B2116 to
Hurstpierpoint, then south on the B2117,
over the A23 and right on the A281 into
a left-hand bend. At Henfield, turn left on
the A2037 all the way to the A283
(skirting Upper Beeding) and turn left to
Steyning. Park on the street.