For anyone who lives in the towns and cities of southeast England, the South Downs National Park is a priceless rural refuge. There’s a timeless appeal to its gentle landscapes; it reminds us of an era when cars and mobile phones were less important and the days felt longer and lazier.
The grassy-topped wave of hills which give the park its name are magnificent, but there’s far more to the South Downs National Park than the South Downs. The park also includes the woodlands, hedgerows and lowland pastures of the western Weald, several glossy rivers and a short but glorious band of white cliffs, the Sussex Heritage Coast. Around a quarter of the park is covered in trees, making this the most thickly wooded national park in Britain.
Like a soft carpet of green spread across Hampshire and Sussex, the South Downs National Park invites you to step out and explore.
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This dynamic, diverse region is a place to connect with the countryside, striding up hillsides or along leafy lanes, visiting low-beamed pubs, paddling on pebbly beaches and feeling the salt on the breeze.