South Downs Way
163 km (101 miles) from Winchester to Eastbourne, in England, through 1 national park.
- Distance
- 163.2 km
- In miles
- 101.4 mi
- Day stages
- 8 at ~20 km
- Typical trip
- 6–8 days
- Countries
- England
- National parks
- 1
- Listed summits within 2.5 km
- 0
- Western end
- SU 4859 2929
- Eastern end
- TV 6001 9714
- Managed by
- National Trails
A National Trail of England and Wales — one of the long-distance routes designated under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, waymarked with the acorn symbol and maintained to a national standard.
How long it really is
We measure South Downs Way at 163.2 km (101.4 miles), computed by walking the OpenStreetMap route geometry point by point. The route is tagged in OpenStreetMap as 160 km; where that differs from our figure, the difference is usually alternative sections, spurs, or a published distance that rounds.
This is horizontal distance only. Our trail dataset carries no elevation profile, so we will not quote a total climb or a confident walking time — on hill routes ascent can add hours a day. A flat-ground pace gives roughly 38 h 57 min of walking for the whole route, which is a floor, not an estimate. Add your own ascent figure in the walking-time calculator for something usable.
Access rights along the way
The route stays within England, so one access regime applies along its length.
England
Conditional Right to roam: Right to roam only on mapped CRoW open access land.
Conditional Wild camping: Permission needed — except on the Dartmoor commons.
A waymarked route is a route you may walk — it does not follow that you may camp beside it, leave it, or take a dog on it. Long-distance paths cross farmland, estates and access land in turn, and byelaws and seasonal restrictions override the general position. This is general information, not legal advice. Check a specific spot with the access checker.
National parks on the route
The line passes through one national park, each with its own byelaws and camping position.
The route in day stages
South Downs Way cut into 8 stages of roughly 20 km, measured along the line itself. These are equal-distance splits computed from the geometry, not an official itinerary — they will not always land on a village, a bunkhouse or a station, and the real day you walk should be set by where you can sleep.
| Stage | Distance | Cumulative | Starts near | Ends near | Flat-ground time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20.2 km | 20.2 km | SU 4859 2930 | SU 6182 2126 | 4 h 27 min |
| 2 | 20 km | 40.2 km | SU 6182 2126 | SU 7393 1947 | 4 h 24 min |
| 3 | 20.1 km | 60.3 km | SU 7393 1947 | SU 9059 1651 | 4 h 25 min |
| 4 | 20 km | 80.3 km | SU 9059 1651 | TQ 0711 1247 | 4 h 24 min |
| 5 | 20.8 km | 101.1 km | TQ 0711 1247 | TQ 2283 1062 | 4 h 35 min |
| 6 | 20.5 km | 121.6 km | TQ 2283 1062 | TQ 3700 0922 | 4 h 31 min |
| 7 | 20.4 km | 142 km | TQ 3700 0922 | TQ 5071 0383 | 4 h 29 min |
| 8 | 18.8 km | 160.8 km | TQ 5071 0383 | TV 6002 9715 | 4 h 08 min |
Positions are 8-figure (100 m) OS grid references for points on the line, computed from WGS84 coordinates. Flat-ground times are Naismith at 5 km/h with a 6 min/hour rest allowance and no ascent — add the climb in the walking-time calculator before you plan around them.
Conditions on the route
Weather at the route midpoint live
Loading forecast for the midpoint of the route…
Forecast for the midpoint of the South Downs Way, at MET Norway's own ground level — we hold no elevation profile for this route, so nothing here is altitude-adjusted, and conditions vary considerably end to end on a route this long. Weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0).
Daylight at the midpoint today
- Sunrise
- —
- Sunset
- —
- Daylight
- —
- Civil twilight ends
- —
Computed astronomically for 50.900, -0.466. Set a turnaround with the daylight safety planner.
Plan this walk
- Walking-time calculator — add ascent, terrain, pack weight and fitness to get a usable time.
- Pack-weight calculator — multi-day routes live or die on base weight.
- Kit-list generator — season and terrain aware.
- Access checker — what a specific grid reference on the route allows.
- Best month to walk — historical rainfall, temperature and wind by area.
- Safety notes — conditions change fast; build in margin.
Other long-distance paths nearby
Sources for this route
- Route geometry, name, waymark and operator: OpenStreetMap relation 77976 — © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
- Distance, stages, country crossings, park crossings and summit proximity: computed by OpenFell from that geometry.
- Boundaries: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3.0). Summits: Database of British & Irish Hills v18.3 (CC BY 4.0).
- Official route website: www.nationaltrail.co.uk
- Background reading: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
OpenStreetMap data is licensed under the Open Database Licence. Our derived trail measurements are published under the same terms — see data sources.