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Warren Hill circular
By Ben Perkins
The whole area has been designated Heritage Downland and the short but hilly route takes you to the path along Wigden's Bottom
This walk explores a particularly beautiful and unspoilt area of downland overlooking the town of Eastbourne.
Four thousand acres of this area are owned and managed by the Borough Council, including 1,200 acres of grass downland on which walkers can wander freely. Additionally, the whole area has been designated as Heritage Downland, recognising its national importance.
Our short but fairly hilly walk starts out along an easy ridge path, part of a recently-created eight-mile route between Butts Brow and Birling Gap designed for use by outdoor mobility vehicles as well as walkers.
It then picks up paths suitable for walkers only, turning away from the ridge to explore a series of quiet, dry valleys which form such a characteristic feature of the open, largely treeless East Sussex downland.
1. From the car park on the eastern side of the road, follow the grass road verge in the Brighton direction for about 60 yards, after which you can turn right on a signed path which starts past a pole barrier, signposted to Willingdon, and follows a broad unfenced grassy track across open downland.
At a finger post, fork left, signed to Willingdon Hill, soon passing to the left of a dew pond and then a trig point. You are now following sections of two long-distance paths, the South Downs Way and the Wealdway. Join and follow a left-hand fence to a crossing of the A259.
2. Continue along the well-signed South Downs Way which follows a hard-surfaced track. Fairly shortly, where this track divides, ignore a left fork, continuing with the South Downs Way along the ridge as it passes between golf courses.
3. After just under a mile, about 100 yards after passing another dewpond on your right, turn left over a stile and follow a signed path which drops gently downhill beside a right-hand fence.
By car: Park in the Eastbourne Downland Car park at Warren Hill, which can be found on the B2103, about half-a-mile from the junction of the A259 and the B2103, overlooking the town at GR 587979. (Car park fee payable)
By public transport: Regular bus service along the A259 coast road.
What's underfoot: The whole walk follows good downland paths and tracks, muddy in one or two places
Thirsty work: No refreshments on the route.
So you don't get lost: OS Explorer 123.
At the bottom of the hill, go over a stile and forward along the floor of Eldon Bottom, a peaceful and remote dry downland valley.
About 60 yards beyond another stile, fork left to follow a visible, unfenced grassy strip which climbs obliquely up out of the valley. At the top of the slope, go through a gap in a line of gorse and up a bank to a stile.
4. Now follow a left field edge over the ridge of Pea Down and down into Ringwood Bottom. At the bottom of the hill, go over a stile beside a gate, right for 60 yards along a track, then left over a second stile. Now follow a lefthand fence steeply uphill and on to reach the A259.
5. Cross the main road, go over the stile opposite and forward with a house and garden on your left. Go straight over a crossing track and on for another 40 yards to cross a stile.
Once over this stile, bear right, diverging very gradually from the fence on your right to walk down and along the floor of another dry valley, Bramble Bottom.
From this path there is a good view ahead to the former lighthouse at Belle Tout, now a private residence, and the sea beyond.
After about half-a-mile, go over a stile beside a gate in a crossing fence and ahead, with a fence on your left, over the low shoulder of Crapham Down and down into Wigden's Bottom.
6. At the bottom of the hill, go over a stile and left for 50 yards across an area churned up by cattle to join a track through a bridle gate.
Turn left to follow this track along the floor of yet another downland valley, soon passing an isolated building housing a water treatment plant.
Beyond this building, the track acquires a grassy surface where the grass and scrubcovered slope rising up on your right is one of the new public access areas recently made available.
When opposite another small building a little way away to the right of the path, fork left through a gate, continuing on a gradually rising path along the valley.
Eventually, you will be following a right-hand fence up, out of the end of the valley to reach the B2103 opposite the point where you left it at the start of the walk.
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