Route Info

The information given here relates to the South Downs Way 'Riders Route', which is somewhat different to the walkers route (which uses footpaths in some places rather than bridleway, particular towards to the ends of the route). Note that (as of May 2009) the route around Warnford is the subject of a lengthy dispute - there is a 'new temporary route' in place in that area, however the 'classic' AKA 'old temporary' route as listed here is considerably faster and remains 100% legal.

On the interactive map above, use the zoom control at left to move in and out, and the pan controls or the mouse to move around on the map. Click "Map", "Satellite" or "Hybrid" to change the views. The route of the South Downs way is displays as a thick red line (NOTE: if the map doesn't appear or doesn't appear correctly, please try using a later web browser, or try clicking the "Map" button if it appears).

GPS route info is available in both .GPX (preferred) and .MMO (Memory Map) formats. At present (2008) many GPS units do not have sufficient memory to accomodate the whole route in one go, so it is available both as a single file and split into a number of shorter sections (n.b. Garmin eTrex users should be able to load all the sections at once).

Note that the full route is less detailed than the combination of the separate routes, so if you're really after the fine detail go for the separate routes.

The route information has been carefully compared against GPS tracklogs from actually riding the route, and as a result may differ from the OS maps (which themselves differ between the 1:25K and 1:50K). As ever, the route info presented here is simply an aid - if in doubt, use your judgement and follow the signs on the trail itself.

	Start and End points
	Lat/Lon.	Grid Ref.
King Alfred Statue	51.06123 -1.30912	SU 48513 29327
SDW Signboard	50.76151 0.26432	TV 59792 98213

GPX	MMO	Notes
GPX	MMO	Full SDW
GPX	MMO	Winchester to Petersfield
GPX	MMO	Petersfield to Cocking
GPX	MMO	Cocking to Amberley
GPX	MMO	Cocking to Amberley to Pyecombe (A23)
GPX	MMO	Pyecombe (A23) to Southease
GPX	MMO	Southease to Eastbourne

Gates - how many are there? Mike Cotty counted 95 one-way in May 2008. It's an approximate figure as some gates are only in use at certain times of the year, taking it as an average one gate per mile is about right. They aren't evenly spread, however - some long sections are completely gate free, and some sections it's barely worth getting back on the bike between them.

Route profile There are few sections that are level - generally it's always going up or down. All the climbs are rideable but some are pretty stiff. It's worth remembering the rivers are always close to sea level, and the major roads go through handy gaps - so when you cross one, you'll know you've got some climbing ahead! The Eastbourne half has fewer but longer climbs compared to the Winchester half - however the total climbing isn't that different either side.

Public taps for use on 'Alpine' rides. Clicking on the tap location displays its location in Google maps (be aware that Google maps satellite pictures are not exact, so use the description to locate the tap). You can also download a file containing this information for use with GPS.

Tap location	Grid ref.	Winchester	Eastbourne	Notes
Cocking	SU878166	35 miles	65 miles	Tap is on stone pillar with steps beside farm building where SDW joins surfaced road to Hill Barn farm 400m east of A286
Amberley	TQ024125	47 miles	53 miles	New tap and trough easily visible on SDW, approx. 500m west of B2139. Frequently sabotaged, but known operational as of end July 2011.
Washington	TQ118120	54 miles	46 miles	Tap is set slightly back from trail on south side of tarmac drive to A24, opposite the houses there. Easy to spot on left when heading west, however when heading east easy to overshoot due to downhill.
Botolphs	TQ197093	61 miles	39 miles	On west side of A283 - tap is on trough under trees where trail turns the corner to the bridge. Tap broken since Oct 2010 (still broken as of August 2011)
Truleigh Hill	TQ223106	63 miles	37 miles	Tap is on wall on left when facing the entrance of the YHA.
Saddlescombe	TQ272115	67 miles	33 miles	Tap is attached to old building on south side of open area in middle of Saddlescombe - quite hard to spot.
Housedean Farm	TQ369093	77 miles	23 miles	Tap is on the wall on north side of A27, where the pavement meets the slip road
Southease Church	TQ423053	84 miles	16 miles	Tap on church wall approx. 50m south of SDW, of west side of small triangular green. Reported operational by James Lee on Oct 13th 2010.
Southease	TQ433056	85 miles	15 miles	Tap is at low-level on trough just outside Kington Cottage 50m west of A26. Note this is slightly off the SDW now it has been rerouted via bridge over A26. Additionally there is a new tap on the farm wall on the SDW itself but this is not currently operational.
Jevington Church	TQ561015	96 miles	4 miles	Tap is on path leading to church entrance, 100m west of Jevington Road.

Tap list last reviewed 28th August 2011

Lists of route lengths/timing for the SDW.