The Best Places to Walk Your Dog on the South Downs

The Best Places to Walk Your Dog on the South Downs

Nothing beats getting in the car, heading into the countryside with your four-legged friend and finding a new place to explore.

You’ll find no end of great places to walk your dog across the South Downs. Spanning the southern coastal counties of Hampshire and Sussex, this beautiful expanse of countryside packs in ancient woodland, river valleys and rolling hillsides. It covers 1,600 square kilometres, and features innumerable breathtaking views and hidden gems. It’s heaven for dogs.

In fact, the area is so vast that the hard part can sometimes be choosing where to go for a walk. So how do you go about choosing the best dog walk for you and your loyal friend?

It’s worth investing a few quid in a guidebook such as The South Downs – A Dog Walker’s Guide. This collection of tried-and-tested circular walks has been written specifically for dogs and their owners, allowing for maximum off-lead time.

These dog-walking routes, covering the west and central part of the South Downs National Park, will allow you to explore somewhere new, safe in the knowledge that the surroundings will be suitable for your dog. Every walk includes details of:

·         Distance & terrain

·         Livestock and stiles

·         Dog-friendly pubs & cafes along the way

·         Numbered route directions

·         Points of interest along the way

·         Contact details for the nearest vets

Here are a few highlights for dog walkers in and around the South Downs (all of which appear in the book):

Devil’s Dyke: a v-shaped valley and the largest chalkland ‘dry’ combe in the country. An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it is home to many interesting plants and butterflies. The wide-open grassland spaces you’ll find here are just a perfect for your dog to run free. 

Goodwood Country Park: this area to the south and east of the racecourse is a treat for dogs and their owners alike. There are sensational views over the racecourse itself and the area surrounding Chichester, and dogs will love the mix of open fields and woodland to explore.

Stoughton Downs to the Devils’ Humps: woodland paths, grass rides and stony tracks combine with ancient landmarks here. Check out Kingley Vale where some of the trees are thought to be 2,000 years old, and the Humps of course – a series of four Bronze Age barrows or burial mounds.

West Harting Down: owned by the Forestry Commission, West Harting Down is criss-crossed by public footpaths and bridleways, allowing for your dog to run free most of the way.

Black Down: the onetime home of Alfred Lord Tennyson, this corner of West Sussex makes for a great dog walk. Black Down has always been common grazing land. The heathland is perfect for energetic dogs, and throughout the walk you’ll be treated to lovely views of Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex. As long as they don’t bother the cows, dogs can run free all the time you are in the enclosure.

Binsted: a delightful rural Hampshire village, where you can take in half-timbered cottages and quaint surroundings, as well as the graveyard where Field Marshall Montgomery is buried, before heading out to open arable land to let the dogs run free as views of Hampshire stretch out ahead of you.

There are so many great dog walks across the South Downs of Hampshire and Sussex that it’s hard to fit them all in here, but this should give you a great starting point. You could always grab a copy of TheSouth Downs – A Dog Walker’s Guide and use it as a starting point before exploring further afield and discovering your own favourite corner of this special part of the world.