The South Downs Way Day 2

We were staying near Arundel and so decided to hike the section from Amberly eastwards. Francine had a bad cold so we didn't get going till about 11 am. Drove to Amberly, parked the car and started walking. It was quite cool and very windy. We stopped to walk around the Chanctonbury ring - originally a hill fort built in the Iron age and which was also a Roman religious site at one time. The fame of the Ring, however, is due not to the hill fort but to the beech trees, which were planted in 1760 by Charles Goring within the earth bank of the fort, which we could still see today. The trees became a famous landmark, very thickly wooded, however, the Great Storm of 1987 destroyed most of the trees and the replanted trees are only now beginning to restore the ring to its former glory.  Afterwards, we walked as far as Steyning, only to find there was no bus to Amberly. Stopped at a pub for a pint and the owner, who also drove taxi, offered to take us back to our hotel.

Chanctonbury ring