London · South Downs and Beachy Head Day

A 227 km loop from Box Hill

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Why this ride

Chalk, sea air and sweepers that justify the alarm clock. A 227 km loop that starts and ends near Dorking, about 4 h 22 of riding. The stops in between: Seven Sisters cliffs, Beachy Head and Lewes. Ditchling Beacon is the high point. It is a high-mountain day.

Roadbook

1. Box Hill rider gate scenic

   Box Hill is the Surrey Hills' best-known bump, and it earns its fame. The hill rises sharply from the valley of the River Mole to a crest of chalk grassland and ancient box trees, from which the land falls away in a wide view toward the South Downs. It is a National Trust property, and it has been a favourite day out for Londoners since the railway came to Dorking in the nineteenth century. The poet John Keats finished part of Endymion in the inn below the hill, and Jane Austen set a famous picnic scene on its slopes in Emma.

   The road up is the Zig Zag, a series of well-graded hairpins that climb the north face, and it is well known among riders and even more among cyclists, who test themselves against it all year round. It was part of the road race route at the 2012 Olympics, which brought a new wave of visitors. The corners are wide and the surface generally good, but they are busy at weekends, with groups of riders and cyclists, so ride carefully and do not overtake on the bends. The cafe at the top is a well-known meeting point.

   The nature here is distinctive. Box Hill is one of the few places in Britain where native box grows wild, along with yew and juniper, and the chalk grassland supports orchids and butterflies in early summer. The air is clean and the light on the slopes is soft in the morning. In autumn the beech woods turn gold, and the view over the Weald is at its best after rain, when the haze lifts.

   Dorking, about two and a half kilometres away, has about seventeen thousand people and has stations, supermarkets and a good range of cafés, so that is where to fuel. Great Bookham is another option. At the hill itself, the National Trust has a visitor centre and a cafe, but the car park fills early on fine days. If you plan to start here, arrive before nine o'clock on a weekend, when the road is quiet and the riders are only beginning to appear.

2. Ditchling Beacon high

   Ditchling Beacon is the highest point on the South Downs in East Sussex, at 248 metres, and the way up from the north is steep enough to make a loaded bike grumble. The lane leaves the village of Ditchling and climbs the scarp in a series of narrow bends, with a gradient that is a serious test for cyclists, who treat it as a rite of passage, since the London to Brighton charity ride famously ends with this climb. A motorcycle takes it in its stride, but there is little room to pass, so patience is needed.

   At the top, the land opens into a wide, open grass hilltop with a view that justifies the climb. To the north lies the Weald, a green, wooded plain stretching away to the horizon, and to the south the Downs roll toward Brighton and the sea, a pale glimmer on clear days. The summit carries the earthworks of an Iron Age hill fort, a ring of banks and ditches built more than two thousand years ago, and the whole hilltop is a nature reserve of chalk grassland, rich in wild flowers and butterflies in summer.

   The wind is the thing to watch. The Beacon is exposed, and a stiff breeze coming off the Channel can be strong and cold, even in summer, so bring a windproof layer and keep a firm grip when getting on and off the bike at the car park. Weekends are busy with walkers, cyclists and dog owners, and the car park fills early on fine days. Mornings are quieter, and sunsets from the top are worth waiting for.

   Nearby Ditchling is a village of about fifteen hundred people, with old flint cottages, a museum and a couple of pubs, and it was once home to a community of artists and craftspeople. It is a good place for coffee or a bite, but fuel is limited. Hassocks, about five kilometres away, is a small town with a station and shops, while Brighton, a short ride south, offers everything. Fill up in one of those before you tackle the Downs, because the roads beyond are quiet and the pumps are far apart.

3. Seven Sisters cliffs photo

   Seven Sisters is the name of a row of white chalk cliffs that rise and fall like a wave along the Sussex coast, between the mouth of the Cuckmere river and Birling Gap. They stand about a hundred metres high, bright against the sea, and the view of them from the clifftop path to the east is one of the most photographed in southern England. The coast here is constantly being worn away, and every winter storm brings down another piece of cliff, so the profile you see is never quite the same.

   The best view for riders is from the roads around Seaford and Exceat, where the lane drops to the Cuckmere valley and you see the river wriggling through its meanders toward the shingle beach. The pull-off by the visitor centre is a good place to stop, take a few photographs and walk down to the water, where the sea breeze brings the smell of salt and seaweed. In the evening, the light on the chalk is warm and soft, and the colour of the water changes from grey to green and blue.

   The area is also a nature reserve. The chalk grassland is rich in flowers and insects, skylarks sing over the downs and the rare chalkhill blue butterfly is found in summer. Offshore, the water is clear over the chalk, and seals can sometimes be seen close to the beach. Up the coast, the old lighthouse at Belle Tout sits on the cliff edge, and the far taller red-and-white one stands below Beachy Head. Keep well away from the cliff edges, because the chalk is unstable and there is no fence in many places.

   The roads from Seaford and Eastbourne can be busy on summer weekends, with holiday traffic and slow-moving camper vans, and parking at Birling Gap and the country park fills early. Seaford, with about twenty-two thousand people, has fuel, cafés and shops, and it is the sensible place to fill up. Take warm clothing, since the wind on the cliffs can be bracing even on a sunny day, and be sure to leave time for a walk along the shingle.

4. Beachy Head sight

   Beachy Head is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain, around 160 metres, and the place where the South Downs end in a white wall at the English Channel. Down on the shore a red-and-white striped lighthouse from 1902 looks tiny, and the old Belle Tout lighthouse sits on the next headland west, a squat white tower that was moved back from the cliff edge in 1999. Past it the cliffs run on in the long, undulating line of the Seven Sisters, now protected as part of the South Downs National Park.

   It has been a landmark for sailors for as long as ships have used the Channel. In 1690 a French fleet beat a combined English and Dutch fleet in the Battle of Beachy Head, one of the great naval defeats in English history, and wrecks lie on the seabed. On the cliff top the turf is short and springy, full of orchids, thyme and skylarks, and the view runs over the sea and, on a clear day, as far as the Sussex coast to the east. It is also a place with a grave reputation, and you will see Samaritans signs and volunteers on patrol. Be considerate, keep your voice low, and stay well away from the edge.

   For a rider, the approach is via the steep road up from Eastbourne, with a couple of tight bends and sudden views, ending in a large car park with a pub and a visitor centre. The road is narrow and the surface can be patchy, with cars pulling in and out. The wind is the main thing. On the open headland it can be fierce, and sudden gusts from the sea will push a loaded bike across the road, so keep your speed down and your hands relaxed.

   Eastbourne, about four kilometres away, has filling stations, supermarkets and plenty of cafés along the seafront. The pub on the top does simple meals and tea and is a decent place to warm up, and from there it is a short, steep walk down to the viewpoint. Go early on a weekday and you will have the place almost to yourself.

5. Lewes food stop food

   Lewes is one of those small county towns where you can feel the layers of time on the street. A Norman castle, built soon after 1066, sits on a mound in the middle, and the main street, the High Street, climbs steeply toward it in a long curve of old brick, tile and timber. In 1264 Simon de Montfort defeated Henry III in a battle on the slopes outside the town, a moment often seen as the start of English parliamentary government, and the place has stayed a little rebellious ever since.

   The town is famous for two things. Every fifth of November it holds the biggest Bonfire Night celebrations in England, when the streets fill with processions, torches and fireworks, and the roads around the town are closed, so avoid it unless you are very keen. It also has the Harvey's brewery beside the river Ouse, a handsome Victorian building that has produced Sussex ale for more than two centuries, and the smell of malt sometimes drifts across the bridge. Thomas Paine, author of The Rights of Man, lived in the town for several years, and a statue of him stands near the station.

   As a food stop, Lewes is very easy. The town is full of independent cafés, bakeries and pubs, and the side streets, known as twittens, are good for a wander. The Downs press close on every side, with the road from Brighton arriving along a green valley. Parking can be tight, but there are car parks near the station and the river, and motorcycles can usually find a spot at the edge of the centre.

   The roads around Lewes are a delight. The lanes through the Ouse valley to Glynde and Firle are quiet and winding, with chalk hills rising on either side, and the A27 gives a fast link to the coast. Lewes has about seventeen thousand people, with petrol stations and supermarkets on the edges, so fuel is straightforward. Keep an eye out for the steep, narrow streets near the centre, where the cobbles can be slippery after rain.

6. Back to Box finish

   Box Hill is the great chalk lump south of Leatherhead, where the River Mole cuts through the North Downs and leaves a steep slope of box trees, yews and wildflower grassland on one side. The box trees give the hill its name, and it is one of the few places in Britain where they grow wild. The National Trust looks after much of it. Down by the river at Burford Bridge, the poet John Keats finished his poem Endymion in 1817, and Jane Austen set the famously awkward picnic in Emma on the hill.

   Riders know it for the zig-zag road, a set of nine or so hairpins that climbs the northern slope in a long series of bends. It was a part of the 2012 Olympic cycling road race, and ever since it has been busy with cyclists, especially at weekends, so ride it with respect. The road is smooth and well graded, the bends are open enough to see through, and the view from the top car park over the Weald is wide and calm. It is a good road to ride slowly and well, and it rewards a smooth line more than speed.

   The café at the top has been a meeting place for bikers for decades, and on Sunday mornings dozens of machines line up there, from vintage Triumphs to modern sports bikes. It is a good place to look at other people's bikes, drink tea and trade stories. Police patrols and speed checks are common, and noise complaints from residents have led to a firmer line on loud exhausts, so keep it civil. Wet leaves in autumn can make the bends greasy.

   Dorking, about three kilometres away, has fuel stations, supermarkets and pubs, and Great Bookham has a few more. If you want a quiet visit, come on a weekday or at dawn, when the mist lies in the valley below and the box trees smell sharp and green. Put your bike on its stand, walk a few hundred yards on the path along the ridge, and you will feel a long way from London.

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