Your weekend in: Lewes

With hills in all directions and a pub over almost every brow, the downland town of Lewes is the ultimate base for cosy country walking. Hanna Lindon introduces her home town.

If you fancy a winter walking adventure that’s frosty and forgiving as opposed to wild and cornice-capped, get yourself to the eastern edge of the South Downs. Here you’ll find the medievally marvellous town of Lewes, with its hilltop castle and uneven cobbled streets, strategically positioned at the confluence of three downland ridges.

Main image: The view from Mount Caburn | Credit: Shutterstock

Walk one way and you’ll find yourself on the slopes of Mount Caburn; Neolithic hillfort, National Nature Reserve and panoramic lookout point all rolled into one. In the other direction, a great, green wave of a ridge rolls away towards hawthorn-topped Blackcap and the 248m heights of Ditchling Beacon. Walk south to join the South Downs Way as it marches to its coastal conclusion. And if the weather gets too wild and woolly even for these gently contoured hills, there’s the 42-mile (67km) Sussex Ouse Valley Way cutting straight through the town centre.

Still not enough to tempt you south for a winter weekender? We haven’t got to the pubs yet. You’ll find one around almost every corner in Lewes, fighting for street space with coffee shops, bakeries and flea markets. Most rural walks end at a pub as well – but if you prefer to spend your evenings in more sophisticated fashion, there’s always the cultural pull of Glyndebourne (opera), Charleston (literary largesse) and the bright lights of nearby Brighton. Adventure, culture and endless beer-quaffing opportunities all rolled into one.

Your weekend in Lewes, sorted

• The weekend itinerary
• Other walks near Lewes
• Accommodation
• Food and drink
• Guides and activity providers
• Guidebooks
• Getting there

Your itinerary

Saturday

There’s not much in this rolling corner of the country to challenge your winter skills, so why not set yourself an endurance test instead? From Lewes you can walk the final stage of the South Downs Way and then a bit, meandering over the Seven Sisters from Eastbourne before cutting inland through Friston Forest and returning to Lewes via Firle Beacon (217m) and Mount Caburn.

This 17-mile / 27km banger of a linear route has everything you need for a gold-standard winter adventure. Scenic variation (when you’re not tramping over sweeping sea cliffs, you’ll be wandering through woodland, birdwatching from a river bank or enjoying the huge skies from the bare back of the South Downs). Villages so olde-worldy they belong in a museum. A plethora of pubs at Alfriston and Litlington (some of them rated among the very best in the country) conveniently placed around the lunchtime mark. Wildlife, from the over-wintering water birds at Cuckmere Haven to peregrine falcons on the Seven Sisters and hares on the Downs above Firle. Even ease of access – there’s a direct train line from Lewes to the start point at Eastbourne, which takes the hassle out of route planning.

The other upside of this walk is flexibility. Fancy something marginally shorter? Skip the coastal cliffs of the Seven Sisters and start with an easier (but equally alluring) inland hill walk over Lullington Heath and past the famous Long Man of Wilmington. Getting tired towards the end? Hop on a train at Glynde to bypass the final climb up Mount Caburn. High winds driven you down from the tops? No problem – there’s a valley diversion that follows the base of the Downs from Alfriston to Firle. Whichever way you walk it, though, this has to be one of the very best linear routes in the South Downs.

Sunday

Another day, another train-based adventure. Easy linear walks are a bonus feature of basing yourself at Lewes – not only is the town an hour’s direct train ride from London, it also has multi-directional rail links to plenty of rural stations in and around the Downs.

This time, you’ll be hopping on board a train to Newhaven (yes, they do run on Sundays), and following the western bank of the Ouse towards Piddinghoe. Take the random triangular diversion here that leads away from the river and back again, finally meeting the South Downs Way where it crosses the bridge at Southease. It’s well worth ducking into the 12th-century church (famous for its restored medieval wall paintings). After this, there’s a choice ahead of you: continue along the South Downs Way as it marches westwards onto the ridge above Southease, or duck into Rodmell’s Abergavenny Arms for a quick refresher before walking up through the village to rejoin the SDW again at the top of Mill Lane. Don’t agonise too much, though. You’ll have another chance for a pub break in 4 miles / 6km, when the route finally leaves the Downs and descends to The Juggs at Kingston. It’s short work after this to cross the road near Kingston windmill and take a high, view-filled bridlepath back into Lewes.

The full route is around 10 miles / 16km. That might be enough to satisfy your feet after yesterday’s endurance fest, but if not then there’s a nice digression near the end down into Castle Hill National Nature Reserve. Finish up with a haunting wander through the remains of Lewes’s medieval priory for a last shot of wintery atmosphere.

Other walks nearby

Ditchling Beacon

Distance: 14 miles/22.5km | Ascent: 1550ft/472m | Duration: 6.5 hours

To the west of Lewes, the Downs climb above Plumpton Plain until they reach the 248m top of Ditchling Beacon. Descend from here to Westmeston and take a bucolic bridleway north to Streat. At Plumpton Racecourse, you can either turn north again to regain the ridge you left earlier, or call it quits at Plumpton station and jump on a train back to Lewes.

Devil’s Dyke and Truleigh Hill

Distance: 6 miles/10km | Ascent: 1520ft/464m | Duration: 3.5 hours

North of Brighton, a grand dyke splits the Downs – the story goes that it was carved by the Devil, who wanted the sea to wash through and flood the villages on the other side. See this landscape of legend in a figure-of-eight walk that lassos Devil’s Dyke and neighbouring Edburton HIll from Fulking (which, incidentally, has an excellent country pub).

Accommodation in Lewes

Lewes is packed with guesthouses, inns and hotels. They range from the high-end (Pelham House) to the budget (Premier Inn), with plenty of options in between. Most campsites are closed at this time of year, but Southease YHA offers well-priced dorms and rooms a short train ride away from Lewes.

Food and drink

Almost every other building in Lewes Town Centre is a café or a pub. Try the original Bill’s for a posh fry-up, Flint Owl Bakery for an even posher packed lunch, Chaula’s for excellent curry or the Pelham Arms for decent pub fare. Top country pubs include the Half Moon (Plumpton) and the Jolly Sportsman (East Chiltington).

Guides and activity providers

Friends of the South Downs organises regular guided walks that anybody can join. Other adventure activity options include exploring the area’s waterways with The Kayak Coach and mountain biking with South East Mountain Biking.

Guidebooks

The Ordnance Survey publishes a Pathfinder guide – Walks in South Downs National Park & East Sussex (£12.99) – which covers this area. There’s also Kev Reynolds’ Walks in the South Downs National Park (Cicerone, £12.95).

Getting to Lewes

It couldn’t be easier to reach Lewes via public transport – the direct train from London Victoria takes just an hour. Local bus networks connect the town with Brighton, Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells and other downland destinations.

Discover more of the UK adventure towns and villages that make great weekend bases from which to explore the hills.