Tom's Place

The South Downs rise sharply just north of Brighton, and Tom's Place sits at one of those sudden vantage points where the city sprawls out below you like a map. It's not marked with fanfare or visitor facilities - just a proper stopping point on the ridge where walkers and cyclists catch their breath and look back at where they've come from.

What you get here is straightforward: views across Brighton and the coast beyond, the kind of perspective that makes the seafront look properly distant even though it's only a few miles away. On clear days the horizon stretches far enough to remind you why people bothered building a city down there in the first place. The South Downs Way passes through or very near this spot, so it works brilliantly as a checkpoint on a longer walk rather than a destination in itself.

This is walkers' territory, really. If you're based at Brighton Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite - just under a mile away - or at Chalky Downs Campsite at nearly two miles, you've got immediate access to the ridge walks without needing to drive anywhere. Families after a gentler stroll might find the climb to Tom's Place a touch steep, but once you're there, the kids will get the appeal quickly enough.

There's no tearoom, no gift shop, no admission charge. Just bring decent shoes and decent weather. It takes perhaps twenty minutes to walk here from the lower ground, forty if you're taking your time. Best visited on a clear day - fog up here is common and rather defeats the purpose. Proper spot for stretching the legs between campsite and coast.