Cissbury Ring to Chanctonbury Ring

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Walk directions

Turn left out of the car park, away from Cissbury Ring hill-fort. The track heads in a more or less straight line to the South Downs Way, periodically marked with dark red arrows. At the first junction, keep ahead.

At the next junction, generally keep ahead by avoiding a right fork, and keeping right at the next junction just after (avoiding a descending track to the left). Keep right at a fork where trees appear on the left. The track leads in a straight line, between fences. Later ignore a fork to the right, at a waymarker post.

At the junction with the South Downs Way, turn left along it to detour to Chanctonbury Ring, and walk round the ring itself to enjoy the huge views over the Weald and towards the Surrey hills. From there, return past waypoint 3 and continue on the South Downs Way for 1.2 miles (2km). Eventually pass a trig point in the field away to your right and the view opens up ahead, including Lancing College, the chimney of Shoreham power station and a huge abandoned cement works cut into the Downs. Keep ahead at a crossjunction by a memorial.

Where the South Downs Way goes onto the road, leave it and keep along the hard track, gradually descending. After 1 mile (1.6km) turn right at a complex of tracks, taking the second gate from the right, marked with a dark red arrow. This descends quite steeply. Ignore minor side turnings and carry on to the car park at Cissbury.

Turn left opposite the car park, taking the gate by the National Trust sign for Cissbury. Immediately fork left on the rising bridleway skirting to the left of Cissbury Ring. Near the top fork right and immediately right again, through a kissing gate and through the ramparts. From here there are huge views over Worthing, Littlehampton with its gas holder, and Shoreham with its power station chimney, and on a clear day you can see the cliffs on the east side of the Isle of Wight. At the trig point head towards a distant mast and follow the greensward.

Go through the south gap in the ramparts (with steps either side), and after a gate, go down, with woods on the left. At the corner of the woods turn right (signposted to Findon), generally keeping parallel to the ramparts. Near a National Trust sign take the left-hand of three gates and follow the path back to the car park.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Firm, grassy downland tracks

Landscape - Open downland, grassy ramparts of hill-fort

Dog friendliness - Lead required around grazing sheep

Parking - Car park at Cissbury Ring, accessed from Findon village centre

Toilets en route - None on route

Walks in West Sussex Dog-friendly walks in West Sussex

About the walk

High up on the downs north of Worthing, and connected by lonely, chalky tracks where you have little except sheep and skylarks for company, lie two very contrasting prehistoric sites. Both were supposedly created by the Devil when he dug up giant clods of earth in creating the Devil’s Dyke near...

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Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

Divided from East Sussex back in 1888, West Sussex has a variety of landscapes and coastal scenery, but it is the spacious and open South Downs with which the county is most closely associated. There are plenty of walking routes in the South Downs National Park, cycling routes by the sea or visitors can explore the pretty town of Arundel with its historic castle and buildings.