TQ1312 : Approaching Chanctonbury Ring from the West
taken 14 years ago, near to Washington, West Sussex, England
The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath in Southern England and is one of Britain's National Trails. It runs for around 100 miles from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in Sussex, with a small loop around Eastbourne. The South Downs Way passes through the South Downs, a beautiful area which is now a National Park. The path mainly follows old routes and droveways along the Chalk escarpment. The majority of the path is a bridleway and so can be used by horse-riders and cyclists too.
More information is available from Link
Occupying a prominent position at 242 metres above sea level, on the South Downs escarpment, stands a clump of trees that partially conceals Chanctonbury Ring.
The trees were planted by Charles Goring of Wiston in 1760. The storm of October 1987 uprooted several beeches, revealing a Late Bronze/Early Iron Age ditch and rampart of unknown purpose - maybe a hillfort. It was reoccupied during the Roman period, where two temples were discovered.
The site was finally abandoned during the 4th Century AD.