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About the routes in this guide

The 160km South Downs Way National Trail is the centrepiece of the guide. Mountain bikers riding the SDW in its entirety approach the endeavour in a variety of ways. Some ride the route in stages at different times and others complete the whole route in one go. Of the latter, some will complete it over several days – camping or staying in accommodation along the way – while others will take two days and some seriously fit individuals ride the whole route in one day. Then there are those remarkable people who do what’s known as the South Downs Double, which involves riding the whole route there and back – that’s 320km (200 miles) – in 24 hours!

This guide breaks the SDW route down into three stages, with ‘how to get there’ information for each leg. These stages provide a good day’s ride for mere mortals and can be combined into longer rides for the seriously fit.

Most people riding the SDW do so from west to east because of the prevailing winds – wind direction is an important factor for mountain bikers, especially when covering long distances and particularly on elevated and exposed terrain. It makes sense, therefore, to describe the route from west to east.