Varncombe Hill

The walk up Varncombe Hill rewards you with a proper Sussex vista - rolling farmland dropping away toward the Weald, the sort of view that makes you understand why people settled here centuries ago. It's not a brutal climb either; from Henfield, the ascent is steady rather than punishing, taking most walkers around an hour to reach the top.

What you get is straightforward. A ridgeline walk with good paths, open downland, and if the weather holds, sight lines stretching south toward the coast. On a clear day you can pick out the landscape changing beneath you - chalk slopes giving way to clay fields. Families with older kids will manage this easily enough, though younger ones might find an hour of steady uphill tedious. Serious walkers do this as part of a longer circuit across the South Downs, and it works brilliantly for that.

There's no visitor infrastructure - no tea room, no car park with facilities - so bring water and snacks. The approach is free and entirely accessible. Spring's best, when the downland's alive with wildflowers, but autumn brings clearer air and fewer insects buzzing about.

Stay at one of the campsites near Henfield - Foot of the Downs or Downsview Park are closest - and you've got a proper walking base. The hill sits within easy reach of the broader South Downs network, so you could string together several walks without repetition. It's not dramatic enough to justify a special trip on its own, but as part of a week in the Downs it's well worth the morning.