What could be better on a rainy and misty day than going hiking the haunted hills of Sussex? If you are in for a fright, follow me for a walk in the foggy Cissbury Ring and Chanctonbury Ring, hills full of mystery and folklore. Will you dare come with me?
When I signed up for this walk, never I imagined that the weather will decide to put my waterproof gear to the test! Rain, wind, fog, mud … you name it, I had it all! Nonetheless and ironically it was the perfect weather for hiking hills that are believed to be haunted. Let’s go and chase some ghosts!
Disclaimer: Hiking groups may offer the same or similar walks around Cissbury Ring and Chanctonbury Ring. Find out more information here.
Logistics for the Cissbury Ring and Chanctonbury Ring Walk
- Distance: 12.24 miles (20.00 km)
- Ascent: 1204 feet (367 meters)
- Highest Point: 791 ft (241 m)
- Lowest Point: 19.6 ft (6m)
- Duration: 4 hours and 50 minutes
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- How to get there:
- Direct train from London Bridge to Worthing. The journey takes 1 hour and 20 minutes.
- The tickets are quite expensive so the trick is to book two journeys: London Bridge to Preston Park and then Preston Park to Worthing. Preston Park is on the same train line so you don’t need to get off the train and change. By splitting your train booking into two, you will save money (depending on the price on the day you want to go, but it is worth checking if it makes a difference).
- For the return, take the direct train from Lancing to London Bridge. No need to split your journey for the return the train tickets are more affordable. The journey takes 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Lancing and Worthing are not on the same train line so you cannot book an anytime day return.
- What to pack:
- Comfortable clothing and footwear. Hiking boots with ankle support are recommended due to the ascent on this walk
- Backpack
- Packed Lunch & Snacks
- Rain gear if you are going on a rainy day. The path is exposed with few patches of forested areas to find shelter in case of a downpour
- Pair of gaiters if it has been raining before because the paths can get muddy
- Hiking poles are recommended
- Headcover as it gets windy on top of the hills
- Headcover, sunscreen and sunglasses if you are going on a bright day
- Additional Information
- There are no public toilets on this walk
- There are customer toilets at the Railway Pub at the end
- Where to eat and drink:
- Railway Pub, Lancing, West Sussex. No the best pub ever but sadly you are not spoiled with choices near the train station.
Highlights of the Cissbury Ring and Chanctonbury Ring Walk
- Worthing
- Cissbury Ring
- Chanctonbury Ring
- South Down Ways
- Steyning Bowl
- Lancing Ring
- Lancing
The Cissbury Ring and Chanconbury Ring Walk
Worthing
Our walk starts in Worthing, a seaside town in West Sussex. Located at the bottom of the South Downs, the town pier was voted the best in Britain in 2019. Worthing turned from a fishing hamlet to an elegant city, now the 15th most populated urban area in the UK.
When you are coming out of the station, you need to control the urge to go to the seaside as we are heading in the opposite direction. Take Cross Street as you exit from the train station and then turn onto South Farm Road until you reach Grove Lodge Roundabout. Then, take a right onto Hill Barn Lane (I feel like I am being GPS right now). Turn onto Fith Avenue and you will see a path leading to the Golf Course. Welcome to the hills!
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Cissbury Ring
Walk on the ridge with the golf course on your left-hand side and farmland with sheep grazing and resting in meadows on the right-hand side. You arrive at a crossroad, with a path going up and another continuing straight. Guess what? We are taking the path going up!
Cissbury Ring is the second-largest hill fort in England and one of the largest in Europe. It covers 24 hectares. The site belongs to the National Trust. However, if you wanted to skip the hiking part and head straight to the hill, it won’t be possible as there is no National Trust car park on-site.
History of the site
During the Neolithic, the hill was used for flint mining as shown by the discovery of shafts and galleries by John Pull in the 1950s. The flint was used to make axes and blades, essential tools for forest clearance. There are around 200 shafts on the hill, some of them as deep as 12 meters with eight galleries departing from the shafts and sometimes interconnecting.
The excavation of the galleries by John Pull revealed artefacts and also uncovered the body of a young woman, probably buried alive during a gallery collapse. It is believed that women were sent to the mine as they are smaller so they could squeeze inside the galleries better than men.
Legends and folklore
Cissbury is at the heart of many folklore stories. You can see a fairy dancing (apparently) or even encounter a treasure buried in one of the shafts and protected by serpents, and finally, be terrorised by the ghost of a highwayman who swore he will never rest when he was executed at the bottom of Cissbury Ring.
Of course, the most important legend is the one of the Devil. Jealous of the number of churches being built in Sussex, the Devils started digging to flood the region. He threw clods of earth on each side, creating landmarks such as Cissbury Ring and Chanctonbury Hill.
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Chanctonbury Ring
Walk down Cissbury Hill and continue on the ridge, bordered by crops and farmland. You soon arrive at a crossroads. And once again, guess what? You need to take the path that goes up.
Chanctonbury Ring’s history dates back to the Late Bronze Age. The purpose of the site is still unclear but it is believed that it was used for defence purposes, religious sacrifices and farming. The majority of the site was destroyed during the Great Storm of 1987.
Legends and other horror stories
As for Cissbury Ring, Chanctonbury Ring has its fair share of legends. You can summon the Devil himself from the top of the hill by running seven times anti-clockwise around a bush. The Devil then appears and will give you a bowl of soup in exchange for your soul.
The legend also says that the hill has the power to increase the fertility of women if they spend the night in the forest. I had my lunch break there for 30 minutes on a misty and rainy day and trust me all I wanted to do was to leave this place. No way I am spending the night! The forest at the top, covered in fog, even though in broad daylight gave me the creeps. I am not surprised when I read that in 2013, British writer Paul Macfarlane, described his experience of staying one night on the hill as “unsettling” as he was woken up by screams at 2.00 am. There is definitely something not quite right up there – and I am not one to believe in ghosts and other creatures.
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Walking to Lancing
It is time to turn around and walk towards our final destination, Lancing. On your way to Lancing, you pass by Steyning Bowl, a hillside with breathtaking views and a paraglider’s paradise. However, I was there on a foggy day so could not capture the beauty of the landscape as much as I would have wanted to.
As you arrive at Lancing Ring, you can see the city in the background. With a clear sky, it is a great spot for pictures.
Lancing Ring and Lancing
Lancing Ring is a 24.9 hectares nature reserve composed of woodlands, meadows and a pound. The site is accessible by car (in case someone does not feel doing the full walk but want to join for the last stretch before the pub). The ring of beeches was planted in the 18th Century to resemble Cissbury Ring but was destroyed by the great storm in 1987.
Come down Lancing ring and you arrive at the coastal village of Lancing. Once a popular holiday resort in the nineteenth century, the village is now a mix of urban houses and farmland. Lancing is also the home of a large business park.
The town itself has nothing that is really worth seeing and the walk to the pub in the middle of the residential area is a bit dull. We arrived at the pub to find that it was a sporting pub so not the cosy countryside pub atmosphere we were looking for. We then turned around and walked back to the train station, where you can find the Railway pub just opposite. Far from being the best pub we have ever been to, the atmosphere resembles much more to what we were expecting and the staff was friendly. In the end, all you want is a pint and a smile, right? You can find both at the Railway pub.
Map of the Cissbury Ring and Chanctonbury Ring Walk
Do you want to do the same walk and take on the mud challenge? Perfect! Here is the map of the walk you can download and then upload on your phone to follow the route from your navigation app. Don’t know how to do that? No problem, follow my step by step guide here.
Final Thoughts on the Cissbury Ring and Chanctonbury Ring Walk
Hill walk should mean breathtaking views, but unfortunately on this occasion, I am not able to offer you the best pictures. Nonetheless, I recommend this walk, even on a rainy day as it is a haunted walk. Who wants to chase ghosts when the sun is shining anyway?
If I have the opportunity to re-do the walk with better weather conditions, I will update the post with new photos. However, if you are looking for challenging terrain and good glutes exercise, I highly recommend this walk when it’s muddy and raining.
And you, what is your favourite rainy day hike? Let me know in the comments below.
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