(Ooops! Can't find the photo - I'll add it later if I can find it)
We soon found ourselves walking through a most spectacular beech wood - very atmospheric and very clean, with absolutely no undergrowth at all and the ground covered with beech leaves and beech nut cases.
It should come as no surprise to find some wonderful views, and yet each new vista is as fresh as the first - this time looking northwards
And so to Butser Hill, the highest point in Hampshire and the original start of the South Downs Way. As you can see, someone thought it would be a good idea to put a big ugly communications tower on top of it so you can see it from miles around . . .
Click this link to find out more on Butser Hill
The descent from Butser Hill (see below) was certainly one of today's highlights - a huge grassy slope down towards the A3, which is easy to cross because there's an underpass leading to the Queen Elizabeth Country Park, of which Butser Hill forms part. I wonder if it's the only Country Park to be bisected by a dual-carriageway trunk road?
The car park at the QE Country Park was pretty busy, but all the people must have been in the café and visitor centre because the path leading away was deserted - in the next mile and a half we saw just one walker and a park ranger.
Another wonderful view. You might just be able to make out a herd of Sussex cattle (in Hampshire) in the middle field.
The recurring theme today, however, was farm tracks, often with high hedges either side. They don't make for pleasant or interesting walking, and it was a great relief to find a nice bridleway through the woods at South Harting, just before we arrived at our stop for today at Harting Down. There was even a very welcome bench to sit on, though the National Trust need to cut the bushes back as they almost completely obscure the lovely view of South Harting!
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