Category Archives: Devil’s Dyke

3000 years in 3 hours

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Saddlescombe in the Bronze Age
Saddlescombe Farm, Sunday 23 February 2014, 10:00am — 1:00pm, all tickets £3.00, children and dogs on leads welcome, slightly challenging walk, advance booking not needed.

An opportunity to discover an ancient downland farm and its surroundings. Saddlescombe Farm has seen over 1000 years of history and still retains many of its old buildings, including the donkey well and 17th century barn. The surrounding downland holds even greater allure with over 3000 years of stories to tell.

More information: Graham Wellfare, 01273 857712, graham.wellfare@nationaltrust.org.uk

“A community impact assessment”

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Nineteen Acres
The Argus reported yesterday that:

Travellers have moved onto national parkland north of 19 Acres in Brighton. About 40 vehicles were reported to have set up an unauthorised encampment on land north of 19 Acres in Dyke Road, Brighton yesterday. The group is believed to be the one evicted from Sheepcote Valley by Brighton and Hove City Council on Tuesday evening. Officials believed the group would move into West Sussex, not onto land it owns in the South Downs National Park.

A council spokesman said that officers will visit the new site to carry out “a community impact assessment”.

Fungal Foray

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Bioblitz -- The Devil's Dyke great fungal foray 3
Bioblitz — The Devil’s Dyke great fungal foray: join us for a day of hunting and recording as many species of fungi as possible, across Southwick Hill, on the South Downs, near Brighton. A team of scientists will be on hand to identify and record all that is found. The order of the day: 10:00am Meet at The Mile Oak pub; Introduction to the day. 10:15am Go out hunting for fungi on Southwick Hill. 12:00 noon Lunch on the hill. 2:00pm. Finish off the day with a cup of tea and cake at Mile Oak farm tea shop (not provided). Finish survey with a quick round up of the days findings. Friday, 1st November 2013, 10:00am — 2:00pm.

Booking essential. More info here.

Snow on the Bomb House

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The Bomb House near Devil's Dyke, South Downs, Sussex
Fulking residents see it every day as they look up at the Downs. But what is it? When was it built? Why is it in that location? Is it a relic of the Napoleonic wars? Was it once a semaphore station? A camera obscura? Did it play a role in James Hubbard’s Victorian recreation complex on the Dyke? Why is it called “the bomb house”? Did it ever have a roof? Why is it half full of earth? Why are several walls damaged? Is Canada to blame?

You’ll find out the answers to these questions, and many others, if you attend Martin Snow’s talk The Devil’s Dyke — Pleasure Ground to Bombing Ground at the Beeding & Bramber Local History Society meeting at 7:45pm on Wednesday 2nd October in the Village Hall, Upper Beeding.

Two free guided walks

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Number 77 bus to Devil's Dyke from Brighton
Saturday 14 September: 1100 – 1530 leaving from the bus stop outside Brighton Rail Station on the 11.12 Breeze Bus 77 to Devils Dyke then on a 6½ mile linear walk along the South Downs Way to Saddlescombe, Pyecombe, the Jack & Jill windmills and Hassocks where you can return to Brighton via train or bus. Remember to bring a picnic lunch.

Sunday 15 September: 1015 – 1345 for an 8 mile circular walk starting at Clayton windmills car park OS Explorer ref 122/303134 (bus service 769 leaves Brighton Station at 0940 to stop nearby, walk up from the A273. Return on 40X or 769) and heading south to the Chattri Indian Memorial. Then along the Sussex Border Path and the South Downs Way back past Pyecombe Church to the windmills.

Party at Saddlescombe

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Hundreds join secret rave near Devil's Dyke
The Argus reports:

Up to 400 revellers partied at an all-night rave at the weekend. The secret party started just before midnight on Saturday and was still going on Sunday afternoon. Entry was forced to fields adjacent to Saddlescombe Farm, near Devil’s Dyke. The National Trust asked party goers to respect nocturnal animals in managed areas. .. An organiser behind Fraktal, one of four soundsystems onsite, said: “The landowner was briefly on site on Sunday and said he had no issues with the event as long as all rubbish is cleaned up afterwards.”