Ditchling Beacon

Ditchling Beacon is the third-highest point on the South Downs in south-east England, behind Butser Hill (270 m; 886 ft) and Crown Tegleaze (253 m; 830 ft). It consists of a large chalk hill with a particularly steep northern face, covered with open grassland and sheep-grazing areas. Situated just south of the East Sussex village of Ditchling and to the north-east of the city of Brighton, it is the highest point in the county of East Sussex. A road runs from Ditchling up and across the northern face and down into the northern suburbs of Brighton, and there are car parks at the summit and the northern base. Various charity, sporting and other events which are run regularly between London and Brighton incorporate this steep road as a challenging part of their route. It was also featured as a climb on the first of two days' racing in Britain in the 1994 Tour de France.[1] The Tour organisers gave Ditchling Beacon a climb category of 4. 20 years later it was included as part of the route of the seventh stage of the 2014 Tour of Britain from Camberley to Brighton.[2]

Ditchling Beacon
Northward view from the summit of Ditchling Beacon, looking towards Hassocks and Burgess Hill. 27 October 2006.
Highest point
Elevation248 m (814 ft)
Prominence213 m (699 ft)
Parent peakLeith Hill
ListingMarilyn, County Top
Coordinates50°54′07″N 0°06′25″W 
Geography
Ditchling Beacon
Location of Ditchling Beacon in East Sussex
LocationSouth Downs, England
OS gridTQ331130
Topo mapOS Landranger 198, Explorer OL11
View from just south of the summit, looking towards the eastern side of Brighton. The road is named Ditchling Road at this point

Ditchling Beacon is part of the Clayton to Offham Escarpment biological Site of Special Scientific Interest[3] and an area of 24 hectares (59 acres) is a nature reserve managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust.[4]

Location

The hill dominates adjoining parts of the South Downs ridge, and particularly the much lower ground to the north (where the villages and towns of Mid Sussex are now located) in the Lower Weald. This represented an excellent position for defensive purposes, and is known to be the site of an early Iron Age hill fort. A single defensive bank and ditch enclosed an area of approximately 5.5 hectares (13.6 acres). Relatively little excavation of the fort has been carried out, however, and the existence of dew ponds, paths and tracks, as well as regular ploughing activity over the years, reduces the likelihood of any significant discoveries in the future.

Access

The only road access to the summit is via the steep and narrow Beacon Road, which runs from the centre of Ditchling village and takes the name Ditchling Road once the summit is reached and the descent into Brighton commences. Beacon Road connects with the B2116, which connects several villages close to the foot of the South Downs with the outskirts of Lewes, the county town of East Sussex. Underhill Lane, a minor road directly at the foot of the Downs, crosses Beacon Road adjacent to the car park. The road then commences a steep ascent of the northern slope, from 90 to 248 metres above sea level in just over 1.6 kilometres (one mile) sweeping from side to side around a number of sharp bends.

At the summit is a small car park, owned and operated by the National Trust (which also owns and manages approximately 1.6 hectares (4 acres) of land on the hill). Controversy occurred in November 2005 when a £2.00 charge for parking at this car park (and five others at National Trust-owned sites on the South Downs) was introduced.

From this point, Ditchling Road descends through open downland for approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) until the edge of the Brighton built-up area is reached at Hollingbury. The road crosses the A27 Brighton Bypass and continues as a busy suburban road for more than 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) into the centre of Brighton.

Brighton & Hove, Brighton's main bus operator, has operated special services from locations in the city centre to Ditchling Beacon, via Ditchling Road, since 2002. Route 79, often operated using open-topped buses, originally ran during the summer only, but its increasing popularity means that as from 2006, some journeys have also been operated during the winter.

A footpath and bridleway runs across the ridge from east to west, taking in the summit; this forms part of the South Downs Way. Various footpaths and bridleways run down both the northern and southern slopes towards Brighton, Ditchling and other nearby villages such as Westmeston and Clayton. The road is considered too dangerous to walk along.

Access by rail can be achieved from Hassocks, from where a well-used path runs alongside the line to Clayton, at the western end of Underhill Lane. From here, access can be gained to several paths and bridleways leading up to Ditchling Beacon itself, or points slightly to the west on the South Downs Way.

Flora and fauna

A wide variety of plants can be found on Ditchling Beacon, especially during the summer. Flowers and herbs suited to chalk grassland, such as marjoram, thyme and certain types of orchid (notably the common spotted orchid), are often reported. (Some parts of the surrounding land are merely scrubland, however.) Butterflies are common; a notable example is the Chalkhill Blue, which is particularly well suited to uncultivated chalk downland areas. Some parts of the hill and the surrounding fields (particularly Ditchling Down, a large open area near the base of the northern face, close to the Beacon Road car park) are used for the grazing of sheep.

Geodesy

Ditchling Beacon was the origin (meridian) of the 6 inch and 1:2500 Ordnance Survey maps of Sussex.[5]

References
  1. Whitfield, Martin (4 July 1994). "Cycling / Tour de France: Hills and sprints set to attract crowds". The Independent. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  2. "Tour of Britain 2014 stage seven preview". Cycling Weekly. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  3. "Designated Sites View: Clayton to Offham Escarpment". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  4. "Ditchling Beacon". Sussex Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  5. https://www.charlesclosesociety.org/files/153Meridians.pdf
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