Are you ready for a monstrously good but challenging Devil’s Dyke Walk? Walking up and down the Southdown National Park, this hike takes you from Portslade-by-Sea to a cosy English pub in Hassocks, passing by one of the most famous of the Devil’s doing: the Devil’s Dyke! Will you dare?
If you are looking for a hillwalking challenging hike, this is the one you need to do. I did it as part of my training for a multi-day hike to level up the game from lovely river walks (yes I am looking at you Chess Valley Walk) and it delivers on its promises: 5 hills, 6 National Trust sites, and as many friends as you want to bring along!
Disclaimer: Many hiking groups may offer the same and similar walks passing through the Devil’s Dyke. Find you more information on these groups here.
The best views come after the steepest hill walks
– The Flamingo Hiker
I know the original quote is “after the hardest climbs” but we are in the South Downs, not the Lake District, so I need to remain realistic. I cannot call that a hard climb, but a strenuous hill walk.
Logistics of the Devil’s Dyke Walk
Distance: 12.1 miles (19.5 km)
Total Ascent: 1654 feet (504 m)
Highest Point: 673 feet (205 m)
Lowest Point: 55.7 ft (17 m)
Duration 5 hours and 20 minutes
Difficulty: Challenging
How to get there:
- Trains from Victoria to Hove and then change at Hove for a train to Fishergate.
- The journey takes 1 hour and 20 minutes.
For the return
- Direct train from Hassocks to London Victoria.
- The journey takes just under 1 hour
- Hassocks and Hove are on the same train line, so you can buy a day return ticket to Hove.
What to pack:
- Comfortable clothing and footwear. Hiking boots with ankle support are recommended due to the ascent on this walk
- Backpack with water, snacks and a packed lunch if you are not planning on stopping at Saddlescombe Farm for lunch
- Rain gear if you are going on a rainy day. Note that the path is exposed with little to no place to find shelter should it start pouring rain
- Pair of gaiters if it has been raining before because the paths can get muddy
- Headcover as it gets windy on top of the hills
- Headcover, sunscreen and sunglasses if you are going on a bright day as the path is exposed
Additional Information
- There are public toilets at Saddlescombe Farm where we stop for a break
- There are customer toilets at the Jack & Jill Inn
Where to eat and drink:
- Saddlescombe Farm, Brighton, East Sussex
- Jack & Jill Inn, Clayton, West Sussex
Highlights of the Devil’s Dyke Walk
- Portslade-by Sea
- Southwick Hill
- Truleigh Hill
- Fulking Escarpment
- Edburton Hill
- Devil’s Dyke
- Saddlescombe Farm
- Newtimber Hill
- Wolstonebury Hill
- Hassocks
The Devil’s Dyke Walk
Devil’s Jump, Devil’s Punch Bowl and Devil’s Dyke are the three main landmarks related to the legend of the Devil and his doing in the south of England. If you want to discover more about the other two landmarks, please refer to the recommended walks at the end of this post. For the time being, let’s get to the Devil’s Dyke and, who knows, meet the Devil!
Portslade-by-Sea
Our walk starts in Portslade-by-Sea, a suburb of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex. The place was originally a village but with the opening of the train line from Brighton in 1840 and the rapid growth of the coast, the village became a district. Among the notable residents of Portslade-by-Sea is the barrister Edward Kenealy, who became nationally famous for his role in the Tichborne Claimant trial, one of the most famous trials of the nineteenth century.
Portslade-by-Sea has more than one train station and we start our journey through the South Downs at Fishergate station. When you come out of the train station, take the alley in front of the station and walk straight. When you get to Old Shoreham Road, cross the road and take the footpath on the opposite side. The path has a slow gradient so it is easy to walk up to the end, and within no time, you are in the Southdowns National Park!
Southwick Hill
As you are walking through the National Park, you get an impressive view of the undulating landscape of the South Downs. The walk up Southwick Hill, National Trust site, is slow and steady, perfect to warm up. You even find a trig point at the top!
After you reach the top, you are walking on the ridge and the landscape changes. This is the perfect place to admire the farmland and all the different colours on the hills of the valley. It looks like a colouring book for children, though it is real.
Truleigh Hill
Continue your ascent of Truleigh Hill. You are now walking between meadows on each side with cows grazing. The top of Thruleigh Hill, 216 m above sea level, is crowned by four telecommunication towers.
Once you get to the top, you find poneys in their enclosure at the crossing. Turn right and you start your descent towards Fulking Escarpment.
Fulking Escarpment
As you come to the end of your descent of Truleigh Hill, you find yourself at a crossing, in the middle of which stands the Fulking Escarpment National Trust signpost. Normally, you should take the path on your right leading to Edburton Hill. In this case, you need to walk across meadows with cows roaming free. However, on the day when I went there, some cyclists before us disturbed the cows and they all started running downhill towards us.
Word of caution: Cows do react and can become aggressive. Please respect them and do not disturb them and put yourself and others in danger.
Because of the inconsiderate cyclists, we took another path, which is actually better for the views on the escarpment. Instead of opening the gate and walking up the meadows, take the footpath on the side of Edburton Hill. You are then walking almost on the edge of the escarpment which offers the perfect viewpoint of the valley below. I recommend it.
Once you get to the top, the path between the Edburton Motte and Bailey Castle offers great shelter from the wind and a perfect spot for lunch.
The Devil’s Dyke History
If you are only interested in the walk guide, you can skip this part. However, if you want to know more about the place you are about to see, keep reading.
The Devil’s Dyke is the largest dry valley in England. It was settled in the Stone Age and developed during the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, the undulating landscape providing the perfect spot for hillforts to be built and for farming to grow.
Of course, the strange shape of the Devil’s Dyke is at the origin of many stories and legends. The most common of them is that the Devil himself whilst digging to flood the region created the hills around by throwing lumps of earth on both sides.
Video: The Devil’s Dyke legend explains.
In the eighteenth century, as the popularity of Brighton continued to grow, the surrounding areas such as the Devil’s Dyke saw an increase in tourism. A century later, in 1892 Mr H J Hubbard brought the Devil’s Dyke to turn it into an amusement park. The opening of a train line from Brighton to the Devil’s Dyke in 1887 made it easy for visitors to reach the park without having to do all the climbing.
During WWI the amusement park was dismantled and the Devil’s Dyke was used as a bomb testing site. During WWII, the site was requisitioned for military purposes and even though the farmers were allowed to stay, the livestock was displaced to the coast.
Nowadays, the site is under the care of the National Trust and is free to access.
Devil’s Dyke
After lunch, we are going up and down the South Downs National Park, heading towards the Devil’s Dyke. You are crossing through farmlands with cows roaming free. The ridge offers amazing views of the valley below and you can see Fulking village and its farmlands.
When you arrive at Devil’s Dyke Road, cross over and enter the National Trust site on the opposite side of the road. The beauty of the 100 m deep valley surrounded by steep hillsides unravels before your eyes. Time for pictures and selfies with the valley in the background.
Then you are back on the path overlooking the valley. Continue straight until you reach Saddlescombe Road. Cross the road and on the opposite side, you find the National Trust Saddlescombe Farm, with a coffee shop and public toilets. Perfect spot for a break.
Once rested and caffeinated, it is time to get back on the trail. We have two more hills ahead of us before we can finally sit and enjoy a well-deserved drink.
Newtimber Hill & Wolstonebury Hill
The first hill, Newtimber Hill, is the most difficult of the walk with a steep ascent and a steep descent alongside a pig farm. If you are doing this walk after a few days of rain, you would need your gaiters for that part as it is extremely muddy. I did the walk on a bright day after a nice week and it was still muddy.
Once at the bottom is the village of Pyescombe, Mid Sussex. On the other side of the village, stands Wolstonebury Hill, the tallest hill of the walk with a trig point nested at 673ft above sea level (205 m). As you walk up the hill you notice the shape towards the top resembles a layered cake. What is fascinating about this hill is that it was man-made and the topography reflects the arrangements made at the time to either build ramparts or fences.
As you arrive at the top, you get a panoramic view over the South Downs and you can see Newtimber Hill, the Devil’s Dyke and Jack & Jill Windmills. Jill is the only female named windmill and the last still in operation in England.
Hassocks
Come down Wolstonebury Hill and make your way towards Hassocks, our final destination. Laying at the bottom of the South Downs, the village benefited greatly from the opening of the London-Brighton train line. In the south of the village, the train goes under the Clayton Tunnel, easily recognisable by the two towers at the entrance of the tunnel. The pub we are heading to is near the castellated tunnel entrance. The Jack and Jill Inn is a family-run pub operating since 1970. In the cosy atmosphere of the red-painted walls and a fireplace or the vibrant garden with a playground, enjoy a nice selection of ales with a Sunday Roast. Whilst the place is charming, the service is really slow. Londoners beware, it is countryside pace!
Bon appetit!
Devil’s Dyke Walk from Fishergate Map
Do you want to take on the challenge and walk up and down the undulating South Downs National Park? Here is the map of the walk that you can download by clicking on the button below. To learn how to upload the file on your navigation app, follow my step-by-step guide here.
Final Thoughts on the Devil’s Dyke Walk
If you want to learn more about the Devil and his doing in the south of the country, here are other walks linked to the Devil’s legends.
Farnham Circular and the Witch Cave
And you, what is your favourite National Trust walk? Let me know in the comments.
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