Top 10 Brighton Walks

Photo © nick macneill (cc-by-sa/2.0)

Brighton has many great walking areas ready to be discovered. If you love walking, here are 10 of the best walks near Brighton that you can find on the Sussex Walks app. Download the app to explore 300 Sussex walks and see your position on the maps as you walk.

Devil's Dyke

1 mile to 6.5 miles

Devils Dyke is about 6 miles from Brighton and we have six Devil’s Dyke walking routes on the Sussex Walks app of various lengths. The first walk is a simple short family-friendly circular route around the high ground of the wonderful Devil's Dyke.

The second route (1.75 miles) is another short and well-trodden walk around Devil's Dyke and takes you down the hills and through the dramatic valley.

The third walk is 2.25 miles and is another shorter route from the Devil's Dyke car park and rewards you with some lovely views from the top of Fulking Hill.

The fourth walk (3 miles) is an extension of the second route, so it also enjoys the strenuous loop around the famous Devil's Dyke valley but then an additional loop heads further east after the valley and visits the Saddlescombe Farm.

The fifth option (3.25 miles) heads west from the car park like the third route, however, instead of going easy on you on the way back, it then takes you down the very steep hill and embarks on a strenuous adventure of climbing and descending as you visit the pretty village of Fulking, before working your way back through open hillsides and woodland to the start.

The final and longest route (6.5 miles) is another walk that heads to the west of the Devil's Dyke car park, climbing to the top of Fulking Hill for some lovely views. If you are following the route in a clockwise direction, it then takes you on an epic roam across the top of the downs until you reach a fantastic viewpoint at the top of Edburton Hill.

You can see a Devil’s Dyke walk map here.

Ditchling Beacon

0.25 miles to 9.25 miles

Ditchling Beacon is about 7 miles from Brighton and we have 7 Ditchling Beacon walks on the app. We have plenty of epic and strenuous adventures from this car park, but this first route is a just quick stroll to the glory spot: the Ditchling Beacon.

The second walk is still quite a short walk, but it packs a lot of punch in terms of your energy usage, as it descends and then ascends the very steep hill around Ditchling Beacon.

The third walk is another short but strenuous walk. It also descends and then ascends the very steep hill like the second route, but this one heads east from the car park instead and visits the small village of Westmeston at the bottom of the hill with it's pretty church.

The fourth walk heads west from the car park and also takes you to the Ditchling Beacon where you can enjoy the lovely views. However, instead of descending down the very steep hill, this route heads on a loop to the south around the top of the downs instead.

This fifth walk is an extended version of the super challenging second route but the added bonus on this route takes you on an extra loop through peaceful countryside to the village of Ditchling where you'll find a wonderful pub.

The sixth walk is the best choice for you if you don't want to tackle the very steep hill going down towards Ditchling, but do want to stretch your legs more and cover some distance walking in this lovely area of undulating countryside.

The final and longest walk from Ditchling Beacon is the ultimate epic adventure that basically includes all of the good bits from all the other walks in one big satisfying loop.

You can read more and see a Ditchling Beacon route map here.

Stanmer Park

1.75 miles to 5 miles

Stanmer Park is only a few miles outside Brighton and the first walk is a lovely short family-friendly woodland walk in the Great Wood.

The second walk is a longer excursion into the pretty Stanmer Park. This route also enjoys the woodland of the Great Wood, but it also ventures out into the park and takes you through the village of Stanmer with it's pretty church and tea rooms.

The third walk is a longer adventure that explores the many woodlands of the Stanmer Park. You'll walk in a big loop around the park and it takes you through the Great wood, the Pudding Bag wood, the Upper Lodge wood, the Highpark wood, the Millback wood, the Grubbings wood and finally the Stanmer wood.

The final walking route also explores a lot of the lovely woods spread around the park, but this route also heads into the heart of the park for a walk through the pretty village of Stanmer with it's church and tea rooms.

You can find a Stanmer Park walking map here.

Saddlescombe

1.25 miles to 3.5 miles

Saddlescombe is about 6 miles from Brighton and the first walk on the app is a short 1.25 mile, but challenging, walking loop that takes you to the top of North Hill. This one is a great adventure for the kids and you will all be rewarded for your efforts with some fabulous views. There is a cafe at Saddlescombe Farm for well deserved refreshments after any of the walks from this start point.

This second route (2 miles) is another short walk that packs it's punch in terms of energy consumption. This route heads east from Saddlescombe and climbs you to the top of both the East Hill and the West Hill for more lovely views and a stroll along the Sussex Border Path.

This third walk (2.25 miles) takes you to yet another hilltop in this lovely area of the South Downs. This route takes you to 'Cow Down' and offers more of the same as the other routes in terms of the energy needed to climb the hills and the lovely rewarding views you get to enjoy as you walk.

This final walk (3.5 miles) is not the 'three peaks challenge', but we could call it the 'five hills challenge'. You'll certainly need your energy on this one as even though it's reletively short in terms of distance, it combines the best bits of all the other walks together to climb and enjoy the North, East and West Hills as well as Newtimber Hill and Cow Down.

Clayton

2.25 miles to 11 miles

Clayton is about 7 miles from Brighton and there are so many beautiful walks to choose from around the village, which is set in the heart of the South Downs National Park. This is the shortest and least strenuous route that takes you on a stroll around Wellcombe Bottom. There is still some climbing on this route, so you will need your energy, but it doesn't take you right to the top of Wolstonbury Hill.

This second walk (3.75 miles) is much tougher than the first route, with some very steep climbing, but you are rewarded when you reach the summit of Wolstonbury Hill with some fantastic views across the South Downs National Park. You'll also visit Wellcombe Bottom and the Ashen Plantation woodland and there's a lovely pub on the route in Clayton to replenish your energy.

This third walk (4.5 miles) heads out east in a different direction to the first two routes, and takes you on an adventure around the open downs. There's a fair bit of climbing on this route again, although not as steep as the Wolstonbury Hill route, and you will be rewarded again with sweeping views. You'll also visit the Clayton Windmills on this route.

This walk is 6.5 miles in length and is an extended version of the third walk that heads further out east from the village of Clayton. This longer energetic walk offers more of the hilly and open countryside walking in the gorgeous South Downs, but you'll also climb to the top of Ditchling Beacon for some especially wonderful views.

This final route is a truly epic (11 miles) and very challenging long walk in this beautiful area of the South Downs National Park. If you head clockwise, the massive loop explores the expansive opens downs to the east of Clayton before travelling down towards Brighton. It then loops back up through more gorgeous countryside, visiting the village of Pyecombe and then climbing to the summit of Wolstonbury Hill for some wonderful Views. After all of that wonderful walking in the Downs, you'll find a welcome lovely pub with big beer garden as you come back into the village of Clayton.

Jack & Jill Windmills

1.5 miles to 5.75 miles

Jack & Jill Windmills is about 7 miles from Brighton. This is a wonderful family friendly 1.5 mile short walk from the impressive Jack and Jill Windmills. After enjoying the windmills themselves, the walk takes you on a short loop along the South Downs Way and enjoying the views of the undulating hills all around you.

This second route (3 miles) is basically an extension of the first route for those of you that want to stretch your legs a bit more and enjoy more walking amongst the majestic South Downs. The route also enjoys the windmills and the South Downs Way, but it also joins the Sussex Border path for a while.

The final route is our longest walk from the Jack and Jill windmills and it takes you much further east along the South Downs Way, visiting the Ditchling Down beacon for some wonderful views and of course simply enjoying a much longer stretch of walking amongst these wonderful downs. There is quite a lot of climbing on this route, so please go prepared.

Bramber

2 miles to 6.75 miles

Bramber is about 12 miles from Brighton. This first 2 mile route is a lovely short family friendly pub walk form the pretty village of Bramber. Heading clockwise, the walk first takes you on a short stroll around the remains of the Norman Bramber Castle (there is a small charge for the car park for non members). It then takes you out through countryside for a while before meeting the pretty River Adur for a lovely riverside amble that eventually gets you back to the village where you can walk down the pretty high street and find some pub options for refreshments.

The second route (3.5 miles) is an extension to the first route that doesn't take you through the Bramber high street for the pub (although you can easily stroll in if you wish). Instead, it extends the loop to make a longer walk that enjoys a lot more walking alongside the lovely River Adur.

The final walk (6.75 miles) is a longer and more strenuous walk that still enjoys the castle remains and lovely riverside walking, but it then also heads off on an adventure along the South Downs Way for a climb up Annington Hill. You'll need more time and energy on this route, but you'll then also be rewarded with some lovely views. There is a short section of roadside walking on the route, so please be careful here.

Woodingdean

2.25 miles to 10.25 miles

Woodingdean is only a few miles from Brighton. This first walk is a lovely short (2.25 miles) but strenuous hill walk in the South Downs National Park. There is a fair bit of climbing involved at times, but you are of course rewarded with some wonderful views as you climb over Newmarket Hill.

If you have some more time and a lot more energy, this second route (4.5 miles) basically extends the first route to also include a climb to the top of Bullock Hill. There is a lot of climbing on all of these routes around the downs, so please go prepared with lots of energy.

If you want to level up your walk once more, this third option extends the walk much further (7.25 miles total) into the downs and actually visits four different hills. The hills are Swanborough Hill, Bullock Hill, Castle Hill and Newmarket Hill and of course, please make sure you are prepared for a long and strenuous adventure on this one.

The final route option (10.25 miles) is the ultimate epic adventure in this beautiful area of the South Downs national park. This route adds another four hills to the walk - Highdole Hill, Fore Hill, Front Hill and Mill Hill - making a total of eight large hills to climb in one walk! As an optional extra, there's a 2km detour about half way around, to get you to a lovely pub in Rodmell where you can top up on energy for your long adventure in the downs.

Hollingbury Wood

1.25 miles

Hollingbury Wood is a few miles from Brighton. This is a lovely short family-friendly and easy access walk around the pretty Hollingbury Woods. The route is free from gates and stiles and suitable for buggies and wheelchairs.

Hollingbury Castle

1.75 miles

Hollingbury Castle is also only a few miles from Brighton. This is an interesting walk around the park that you'll find near Moulsecombe in Brighton. The walk takes you through a pretty open park and then up to the top of the Iron Age hill fort of Hollingbury Castle.

More Sussex walks…