Knepp Rewilding Project Guided Walk
Wednesday 22nd July 2026 5:00PM Join Friends of the South Downs for a guided walk around the Knepp Rewilding Project with Tony Whitbread. Tony Whitbread is a Trustee of the Knepp Wildland Foundation and a long term supporter of the Knepp Wildland project. Previously CEO of the Sussex Wildlife Trust and now its president, he is also a Trustee of the Western Sussex Rivers Trust and the Friends of the South Downs. We will walk around the site where Tony will talk to the group about how nature is rebuilding itself. We may have the opportunity to spot the larger…
Open the Map – funded training opportunity
Friends of the South Downs Funded Open the Map Training Course The Friends of the South Downs are delighted to be working with our Award-winning Business Member Pied A Terre Adventures to offer an ‘Open the Map’ Course to our Members. We think that good map reading is a valuable skill to help us appreciate the beauty of the South Downs. Over the course of a day, this Get to Grips with Map Reading is delivered in a relaxed, practical and enjoyable way so participants can learn the ins and outs of map reading and compass use in the beautiful…
Plastic Tree Guard Clear-up Day
Join Friends of the South Downs members for this volunteer task-force day collecting plastic tree guards! Who hasn’t come across redundant tree guards littering the ground whilst out for a walk? Well, now is your chance to put it right. Trustee David Taylor has organised the first Tree Guard Cleanup Day of the year and he needs up to 10 volunteers to help. The date to put in your diary is Wednesday 27th May and the location is Middleton Manor Estate at Wesmeston near Lewes. Half a day is all it would take and your help would be much appreciated.…
Broadmoor to Leith
Friday 8 May, 10:00 – 14:00 Distance: 6.5 miles Start: Broadmoor Car Park, Sheephouse Lane RH5 5JY Ref: OL146/ TQ133454 Route: Squire’s Great Wood, Coldharbour, Leith Hill, Wotton Common. Car park is at W3W ///stuff.sketch.moral
Mid Sussex Meanders No.1
Thursday 23 April, 10:00 – 12:00 Distance: 4.5 miles Start: Ditchling Country Park Folders Lane, East Ditchling BN6 8SQ Ref: 135/ TQ337180 Route: Mid Sussex Border Path, Lockstrood Farm, Purchase Wood, Stubs Copse. Easy going, mostly flat, free car park at W3W ///scarves.fees.thrashed
Reimagining Rivers with Aimee Felus, CE of the Western Sussex Rivers Trust
Tuesday 21 April 2026 at 7pm, Pulborough Village Hall Join the Western Sussex Rivers Trust’s passionate and knowledgeable Chief Executive Aimee Felus for a deep dive into the state of our rivers and how we can take action for our riverscapes – for ourselves, the wildlife who live on them and for future generations. Find out why we need to bring the power of imagination to the realm of river restoration, and what can happen as a result! This is a time of unprecedented challenges, but also of unprecedented opportunities. This talk is guaranteed to leave you feeling inspired! Join…
Mid Sussex Meanders
Wednesday 3 June, 10:00 – 12:00 Distance: 4 miles Start: Northern end of Blackwoods Ln, Lindfield RH16 2EB Ref: OL11/ TQ346251 Route: Eastern Road Nature Reserve, Hangman’s Acre, Sussex Ouse Valley Way, Cockhaise Farm, Nunnery Wood, Lindfield Bridge and High Street. Easy going, mostly flat, short sections of mud (unlikely) after heavy rain. A short section of uphill road walk between Lindfield Bridge and Lindfield High Street. Car park is at W3W ///levels.talkative.bumpy. There are 2 free car parks in this area, this one is by the Bowls club.
Figure of 8 walk around Lurgashall
Friday 26 June, multiple times to choose from Distance: Morning walk 7 miles, afternoon walk 6.3 miles Friends of the South Downs are pleased to offer a Figure of 8 walk from outside Noah’s ArkInn in Lurgashall. The great advantage of this walk is that it offers the flexibility of walkingjust for the morning, just for the afternoon or both! The morning and afternoon walks are bothbetween 6 and 7 miles, but the morning is more demanding in terms of the amount ofascent, including quite a steep climb to the Temple of the Winds.Morning Walk:9am / 3.5hrs / 7 miles…
Guided Archaeology Walk on the Lewes Downs
Sunday 26 April 2026, 09:00 – 14:00 A venture onto the Lewes Downs with views over the beautiful Ouse Valley. The Caburn is an impressive Iron Age hillfort that has seen extensive excavations over the last 150 years. It is a rare example of a hill fort that seems to have been reused in later times of emergency. The Caburn sits on a fascinating block of Downland, with numerous archaeological features still visible in the grassy landscape, including 4000 year old barrow cemeteries. This walk involves a long steep climb at the beginning (and a long easy descent at the…
Land of the Nightingales: Guided tour of Butcherlands, Ebernoe Common
Wednesday 6 May 2026, 10:00 Ebernoe Wildlands is a nature reserve just to the north of Petworth. At its heart is Ebernoe Common National Nature Reserve. Here, one of the densest populations of Nightingales in the country thrive. A secretive bird, finding a Nightingale out in the open is a rare event. Their numbers are in decline, as is their range; they are only found in small areas of southern and eastern England. Much of their decline can be put down to loss or degradation of habitat, ideally scrub woodland. Acquired by the Sussex Wildlife Trust in 2001 as a…
