South Downs heaven

A journey through idyllic English countryside: green fields and rolling hills in the South Downs. A ride inspired by the routes of Jack Thurston's Lost Lanes.

Mid summer mornings in the UK are a special time where the light comes early and if you are lucky the Spring time birds are still to be heard calling the dawn chorus. Keen cyclists may well be used to the twitterings, tweetings and chirps of wild birds such as the blackbird, robin and thrushes.

The planned ride for the day was a loop of some of the best places in the South Downs National Park (SDNP) starting and finishing in the market town of Haslemere. The SDNP is the newest of the UK’s 15 National Parks having been given its official status as recently as 2010. However, the idea of a National Park in the South Downs can be traced back to 1929.

The riders for the day included two friends from Italy (Angelo and Pietro) plus four of us from the south of England (myself, Charlie, George and Callum). The six riders rolled out of Haslemere, some still rubbing sleep from their eyes. It was a gentle start as we made our way southwards and eastwards towards the village of Fernhurst. The roads were smooth and generally traffic free at this time. The faint chill in the air was soon to disappear as the summer sun began its inexorable rise to its midday zenith. The undulating route then took us through the brilliantly named villages of Lickfold and Lurgarshall; quintessentially British countryside names. The latter is home to Blackdown Cellar who craft local wines and spirits. Given the early morning, a stop at the cellar door would have to wait for another time.

We were soon making our way towards Petworth following the five mile stone wall that surrounds the grounds of the Petworth Estate. Whilst Petworth continues to be a family home as it has done for over 900 years, its grounds and impressive art collection are open to visitors. Having followed the wall around the estate, we then came into Petworth town and stopped for coffee and cake at Coco Café & Sugar Lounge.

A brief sojourn along the A272 and we were into the woods around Lodsworth. We flew past Langham Brewery and yet again had to miss out on any tastings. We turned south again and made our way through Selham and through the impressive polo fields near South Ambersham. We were lucky to be there on a day when there was polo being played and we stopped just long enough to appreciate some of the action.

The road then took us further south still almost onto the South Downs Way. The South Downs Way is one of 15 National Trails. However, it is the only National Trail to lie entirely within a National Park. It is thought that the chalk ridgeline of the South Downs Way has been used by people for more than 6,000 years. We were cycling along some fantastically quiet roads with just enough tarmac to maintain grip. (I would definitely be returning on my gravel bike in future to these roads).

With the caffeine stop at Petworth now a distant memory and the heat of the day beginning to takes its toll, it was just as well that the lunch stop was soon upon us. We diverted briefly from the planned route and crested the rise to stop at the The Three Horseshoes at Elsted. As a local, fellow rider George had been waxing lyrically about this pub stop and it did not disappoint. The views over the South Downs were brilliant and the lunch was not bad either!

After a while, we jumped back on the bikes and made our way north towards Milland. A steep climb just before Liphook took us out of any reverie that we may have been in post lunch. As we neared our start/finish point of Haslemere, there was a return to more normal levels of traffic. Most of the group were boarding a train northwards towards London but not before a fond farewell and a promise to do it again. The south of England and the UK's newest National Park had delivered an unforgettable day out.

Ride highlights