This ride starts at the top of Bear Road in Brighton; as I rode there from my house, I wasn't concerned with parking. Parking will probably be available in the roads surrounding the start point; further down Bear Road is a residential area. I'm not sure if this is paid for parking only though. Bear in mind if parking, that this ride isn't a loop, so at the end, you'll have to find the car again..
Incidentally, I didn't realise that my new camera added a data stamp to images by default, hence the dates on these photos (I'm not cheating and using photos from a ride I'd already done!) - I've turned off this feature now.
This ride is about 25 miles in total from my house, but around 14-15 from the start of the route here to the end.
1. This is the path at the top of Bear Road.
It runs alongside some stables / fields.
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2. Look closely here, and you'll see
a fork in the path. Go right - this goes alongside some houses.
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3. Continue along the path, go round
this gate, and take the left fork.
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4. Go up the path, towards the mast.
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5. Go past the mast, and follow the path.
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6. Go through the gate when you get
to it, and up the hill. Follow the path
past a clump of trees, and through
another gate.
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7. After the gate, the path forks again; go right, and follow it up towards the trees.
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8. Continue along the path, until,
just after another gate, the path
forks again, with the left hand side going down hill (this view).
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9. This is a view out approximately north west from where you are at this point.
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10. Follow the path all the way down
to the bottom. This is quite rocky,
rutted terrain, so be careful going
down here.
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11. Another view out over the fields.
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12. At the bottom of the hill, you get
this rutted surface. It was more solid
than it looked, but still not great.
Follow the corner round to the left..
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13. ..and down the path, then through another gate.
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14. Go under the trees, keeping
straight ahead, and go down along a
long driveway for a few hundred yards.
This is "Swanborough".. I'd probably
classify it as a hamlet.. there are only a few houses, and not much else.
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15. At the end of the road, you get
to a "T-junction" with a busy road.
This is the view left, the direction
we're heading in next.
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16. This is quite a busy road, and it
can get a little hairy, hence the lack of stopping for photos all the way until the bridge (here) which goes over the A27.
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17. Go over the bridge, and follow the road until you get to the very first roundabout. Take a left here..
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18. ..past this building, a playing field,
and round the bend in the road..
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19. .. although not too clear (again!),
there is a path way which runs next
to this road.. take the pathway; this is
a very dodgy road to ride a bike up.
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20. At the top, going left would take you
back on to the A27 towards Brighton, and going right would take you further in to Lewes. Straight ahead is where we want
to go here, past the prison.
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21. Follow the road up, past a park, to the top of the road..
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22. ..where you get a turning to your
left. Go through the gate to the
right of the path.
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23. Follow the path up through the
trees
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24. Continue up, following the curve
of the tree-lined path that you can see here.
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25. Go through this gate, and the next one, on your right.
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26. When you come out from the
trees, take the left fork here..
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27. Follow the path alongside the trees and go through the gate, following the path around the fence, to the right.
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28. Stay on the path until it goes through another section which goes uphill
through some overhanging trees, and
then yet another gate..
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29. Now you're out on to the fields heading towards Ditchling Beacon. Follow the path in more or less a straight line.
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30. There are about 3 hills to go up and down. This is the top of the second, I think.
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31. After about three hills, you get to another gate, which has signs for a bridleway, and two for the South Downs Way; one heads down to your left, one straight ahead. Go straight ahead.
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32. Follow the path straight ahead, all the way up to Ditchling Beacon. You can continue along the South Downs Way to Devils' Dyke from here, but that's another story..
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