South Downs Way Short Break

Tour Type:

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

Activity Level & Terrain

This trip is rated ‘easy-moderate’ overall. The path is on good surfaces with gentle and gradual gradients, other than a few moderately steep sections. The walk to Eastbourne is particularly undulating, but since there are only two days of walking, this trip is manageable for all walkers.

Navigation

The South Downs Way Way is very well waymarked and easy to follow. Navigation is straightforward as you can use the Macs Adventure Smartphone App which has maps, GPS tracks and daily route information. Simply download the GPS tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone with the assurance that navigation on this tour will be made simple and you cannot get lost.

You will find more information on downloading the app in your Macs Adventure Account.

• Bed and breakfast accommodation in ensuite rooms wherever possible
• Door to door baggage transfer
• Access to maps, GPX tracks and daily route information with the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app
• All your trip documents provided digitally through your online Macs “My Account”
• 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our UK office

• Lunches, dinners, snacks and drinks
• Entrance fees (where applicable)
• Travel Insurance
• Transport should you need to skip a stage

• Additional nights

When To Go

This walking holiday can be enjoyed from April to September.  Summer can be hot on the South Coast and very busy, especially over the school holidays. We would advise walking in the Spring to see the wildflowers that coast the fields you walk through. Please note we recommend not starting the tour on a Monday as a lot of the attractions in Lewes are closed.  

NOTE: This trip is not available to start between the 20th and 31st of August. 

Getting to the Start

Lewes has a train station and is about 1 hour train journey from London. Leaving from London Victoria train station, there are direct trains with Southern Railway up to twice an hour. For more information please check the Southern Railway website.

We recommend travelling by train as it is straight forward and more environmentally friendly. However, if you prefer to drive, there are numerous public parking options in either Lewes or Eastbourne. More information can be found here. It may be possible to park your car at your accommodation for the duration either in Lewes or Eastbourne but this cannot be guaranteed, and there may be an additional cost involved, please ask us about this when booking. There is a train between Eastborune and Lewes which takes about 25 mins should you need to travel back to Lewes at the end of the trip to pick up your car, or you can leave the car in Eastbourne at the start of the trip and travel to Lewes by train for your first overnight.  

Getting from the End

Eastbourne has a train station and is about 1.5 hour direct train journey to London. For more information please check the Southern Railway website.

Luggage Transfer

Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.

General Information

The distances and ascent/ descents are approximations of the recommended routes.

Walking Direction

Our standard itineraries describe the walk in an West to East direction. Prevailing winds at your back and a finish at the white cliffs near Eastbourne generally dictate that this is the best direction. If however you wish to walk East to West we can arrange this for you.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.