South Downs Way self guided walking vacation

Planet

The South Downs Way stretches for a hundred miles over a rare large area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a haven in crowded southern Britain, making it vitally important to plan your trip in a sustainable manner.

Most of the route is ancient, made up out of the old droving roads that took animals and goods between the market towns of the region. There are many historical features, and natural gems like the River Meon which is a very healthy clean chalk stream.

We believe that walking trips are the best way to experience such a destination; because you have more time to appreciate the changing landscapes and get to know locals in the villages and towns that you pass through while having a minimal impact on your environment.

This slow style of travel not only affords you more time to appreciate the natural beauty of the area but, just as importantly, positively contributes to the regions that host you.

We are aligned with “Leave No Trace”, an international organisation that has set the global standard for outdoor ethics. Through targeted education, research and outreach, its mission is to ensure the long-term health of our natural world while maintaining sustainable recreation in nature.

Our Waste Management Policy encourages our travelers to take their own reusable water bottles, coffee cups and reusable stuff sacks to avoid single-use plastics. We follow this same philosophy in our office as well as on the trail: in our London office we have banned single use coffee cups and water bottles. We use recycled paper in our office and we are working towards reducing the amount of paper we use, as well as recycling all of our paper and plastic waste.

People

Our preferred accommodations we use on this trip are locally owned and not part of big international hotel chains; this way we ensure your tourist spend is staying within the area and benefiting local people. When available we book the Moonlight Cottage, which also runs the village tearooms with local produce; and Ye Olde George Inn, which sources all its dairy from local farms including handmade ice cream.

In 2000 we developed the award winning Responsible Travel Guidebook, which presented our Travel Group’s comprehensive policies on sustainable travel. Over the years our Responsible Travel Guidebook has evolved to meet the ever-changing landscape of sustainable travel. In March 2018 The Thoughtful Traveler booklet was launched, which is an easy-to-read document that empowers travelers with suggestions about how they can be part of the solution and collectively make the world a better place when they travel. Everyone is encouraged to read the Thoughtful Traveler ebook before departure