Pulborough

Ancient earthworks crown nearly every hilltop here, making this corner of West Sussex feel properly prehistoric. Pulborough sits in the Arun valley where the South Downs rise dramatically on either side, creating a landscape that's been shaped by human hands for millennia. The town itself is quiet - more of a staging post really - but the countryside around it is absolutely cracking.

Chanctonbury Ring dominates the southern horizon, that distinctive clump of beech trees marking one of the Downs' most famous Iron Age hill forts. It's a proper climb up there, but the views stretch right across to the sea on clear days. Less crowded but equally rewarding is Cissbury Ring to the southeast, where you'll find the Neolithic Flint Mines - some of the oldest industrial workings in Europe. The archaeology here runs deep.

Walking country doesn't get much better than this. Kithurst Hill and Sullington Hill offer gentler rambles if you're not up for the main peaks, while Highden Beeches provides lovely woodland walks when the weather's not playing ball. The South Downs Way passes right through, so you're never short of well-marked paths.

Getting here is straightforward - Pulborough station sits on the London to Bognor line, with regular services from Victoria. The A283 runs straight through town if you're driving from the M25 corridor. Staying at one of the nearby parks makes perfect sense for exploring both the Downs and the coast - you're twenty minutes from Worthing's beaches but right in the heart of some of southern England's finest walking country.