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Poor Old Ivy
Ivy has a bad name. Many folk believe that it is a damaging parasite that should be removed from our trees. Unfortunately, this is mostly incorrect. Poor Old Ivy is not a parasite. It has its own root system penetrating the soil, from which it gains all its water and nutrients. To help it climb,
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Coultershaw Beam Pump
The Coultershaw Beam Pump is located in the South Downs National Park near Petworth. It is part of the Coultershaw Heritage Site, run and maintained by volunteers from the Coultershaw Trust, a registered charity. It has a waterwheel, historic water pump, a state-of-the-art 21st century water turbine and historic buildings around the mill pond. It
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Eton New Town
Update October 31, 2023: The proposed Eton New Town project, aiming to introduce up to 3,250 new homes in East Sussex, has been rejected by local planners. Lewes District Council has opted not to include this development, slated for land owned by Eton College near East Chiltington, in its local plan. The council cited the
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Proposed Exceat Bridge Replacement
The Friends of the South Downs is concerned about the proposed replacement bridge at Exceat in the Cuckmere Valley. This letter to the South Downs National Park Authority explains those concerns. Application no. SDNP/21/02342/FUL These comments on the planning application are made by the Friends of the South Downs (The South Downs Society). Founded in
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The A259 South Coast Corridor
We have been passed an early consultation on improvements to the A259 South Coast Corridor. We are concerned these may increase traffic on the A259 impacting the coastal towns along its route and the Cuckmere Valley in particular. See what we have said here. These are the comments of the Friends of the South Downs
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Pondtail Wood Albourne–SAVED!
Triumph after tragedy! You may remember about 5 years ago a new owner of Pondtail Wood in Albourne created a local controversy. Without appropriate permission, he created a new access track from the highway and clear felled a large area of this ancient woodland, dumping a large amount of building material in the cleared area.
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National Parks and the Climate Emergency
The Campaign for National Parks, of which we are a member, produced a report in June entitled National Parks and the Climate Emergency. It starts with the premise that the climate crisis is the biggest global threat we’ve ever faced and sets out to examine what the National Park Authorities (NPAs) are currently doing and
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Benches Project Update
As you know, we are working to improve bench provision along the whole South Downs Way (SDW) because this was highlighted by members as being something that was sorely lacking. This Benches Project Update brings you the progress this project has made the past few months. The location shown in the photograph below is the
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Looking at National Landscapes
The Glover Review promoted a shared Landscapes Service to give a bigger voice to the National Landscapes – designated National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). In case this becomes a reality, we are looking at other National Parks and AONBs in the UK in order to build links with them and their
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Historic Footpaths: Don’t Lose Your Way
David Green, the Chairman of Access and Rights of Way Committee, is working with other organisations to identify historic footpaths and byways that may have gone unregistered. Claims can be made until 1 January 2026. If you are a local walker, you may have more than a passing knowledge of the historic footpaths in the