It's Good Friday and the weather is nice so we bagged up a picnic and headed to the South Downs.
We travelled to Harting and parked at the National Trust car park so we could walk along the ridge of the South Downs and up to the Trig Point on Beacon Hill.
It was a popular day for Paragliders today and we sat and watched them for a while, we were even lucky enough for someone to land right next to us, my eldest was in awe and it has ignited a curiosity to find out where he can learn to do this. As well as paragliding the walk is also a popular mountain-biking path.
Up on this ridge you can see behind to West Sussex for miles and miles, and by the time you have windily climbed the chalk paths to the top of Beacon Hill you can now also see the Solent. Beacon Hill is also the site of an Iron-Age hillfort. And within the fort are the brick and stone remains of an 18th Century Telegraph Station, that was once part of the Portsmouth-London Semaphore Line. Part of the walk takes you past Telegraph House, which is now a Grade II listed building set in the secluded part of the South Down. Then you return on yourself back to Harting Down and onwards to the car park. Just a short drive down the hill to the town of Harting, we found a pub called the White Hart to get some well earned refreshments. Its a shame we couldn't stop here for longer as it was lovely and cosy. More details on this walk can be found in this Ciccerone Guide
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