Chanctonbury Ring from Steyning

From Fletcher's Croft car park the walk crosses Steyning High Street and goes up past the playing field and the old rifle range into Steyning Coombe. It climbs the grassy slope and the edge of the woods to the South Downs Way and turns right along the ridge for about 2 km to Chanctonbury Ring: a ring of beeches on an Iron Age fort, with the site of a Roman temple inside. Just past the Ring a path drops steeply north down the wooded scarp to a clearing with four gates. A bridleway leads east below the downs to the lane at the foot of the hill, and the way goes on past the farm buildings behind Wiston House to Mouse Lane and Steyning.

It is 11.6 km with 249 m of ascent; allow about 3½ hours. The grade is Moderate: a steep climb out of Steyning and a steep descent from the Ring.

The woods above Steyning have mountain-bike trails, so give way to riders. The paths below the downs are muddy in wet seasons and have stiles, and one crosses a cereal field. Cows and sheep graze the hill; keep dogs on leads through the farms.

Fletcher's Croft is a pay car park; the two in the High Street are limited to four hours. There is no station near; the nearest is Lancing, about 7 km away.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.