Fresh, crisp mornings, a light mist over the South Downs, golden leaves, and bushes heavy with berries and fruit. Autumn in Sussex is a fabulous season filled with markets, foraging, walks and more. To help you get the very best of the season, here are our 20 autumn things to do in Sussex.
Heritage Open Days
The Heritage Open Days event is England’s largest festival of history and culture. It’s also your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all of which are FREE to explore. It takes place from the 12 to 21 September, and in Sussex some of the places you can visit include: Nymans, Lewes Castle, Bodiam Castle, Leonardslee, Bateman’s and many more. Check out the Heritage Open Days website for details.
PYO or foraging experiences
Gathering the harvest in surely has to be one of the most satisfying experiences of the autumn, and you have a great choice of how and what to pick. There are a number of PYO farms where you’ll find late summer fruits like plums and apples, and there are plenty of hedgerows plump with blackberries and sloes. If you’re not confident about picking your own, there are quite a few expert-led foraging experiences where you can learn about mushrooms, truffles and other autumn goodies.
A vineyard experience
Talking of picking, in Sussex there is now an abundance of choice when it comes to vineyard experiences. You can pick for a morning, and then spend the afternoon tasting wine, or you can pick for the entire harvest as part of the team. But if you don’t want to be part of the picking, you could just head to a local vineyard for a tour and tasting experience.
Food festivals and fairs
As a celebration of our bountiful county, there are food festivals and fairs a plenty at this time of year in Sussex. Rye, Steyning and Worthing all have food festivals in September and let’s not forget the Great British Truffle Festival at Plumpton on November 22nd. There is also a beer festival in Eastbourne and an All Things Fungi Festival in West Hoathly, East Grinstead in early September.
Autumn wellness
Autumn can get pretty hectic as we head towards the big C, so why not set aside some “you” time. You could try meditating at the Chithurst Monastery (Midhurst). Alternatively, join Helena Skoog of Forest Bathing Sussex for some autumn forest bathing.
Walks and wanders
No autumn is complete without a hearty walk, kicking leaves, jumping puddles and enjoying crisp, cold air. Check out our walk recommendations for some great autumn walks: The Best Autumn Walks in Sussex. But if in doubt, Ashdown Forest, the South Downs and the Serpent Trail are always a good option.
Baking, cooking and cocktails
The harvest is safely gathered in so why not enjoy the fruits of the county. Try a traditional Sussex recipe such as a Sussex smokie, perfect for chillier days, or combine autumn fruits and Sussex spirits in a cocktail. Horsham was once famous for gingerbread so why not bake your own or grab some Sussex cheese for a good old hearty toastie washed down with Sussex wine. Better still, make your own sloe gin and bake a Sussex blackberry and apple crumble…made with crumbled gingerbread biscuits!
Visit a Sussex garden
Some of our gardens are famed for their incredible autumn colours. Wakehurst, Sheffield Park and Leonardslee all have wonderful displays.
Pumpkin picking
Pumpkin picking followed by pumpkin carving is now a thing. We have a number of PYO pumpkin farms across the county, and it’s a great one to do with the kids or grandkids.
Ghostly trails
What a wonderful time of year to go on a ghost trail. There are a few to choose from in Sussex. Rye has regular Town Crier’s Ghost Walks. In Brighton they have a regular ghost walk every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm from The Druid’s Head pub. They also have a ghost walk in Chichester although dates TBC.
Collect and roast chestnuts
Whether you just want to roast them on a fire, or make them into soup, flour or a sweet puree, half the fun is in finding sweet chestnuts and prizing them out of their prickly shells. You’ll find chestnut trees all over Sussex, so it’s really a case of getting out in the woods and looking for them. Perhaps you can collect some conkers too and put them in the corner of your rooms to keep the spiders away – according to legend. And if you’re anywhere near Ferring on the 11th October, look out for the Sompting Morris Conker Festival!
NB. Sweet chestnuts are edible. Horse chestnuts /conkers are not and are poisonous. Those pictured below are conkers.
Go Morris dancing
There are lots of different Morris sides in Sussex and many of them continue to meet throughout the early autumn.
Ploughing match
Enjoy traditional skills at a ploughing match. There are ploughing matches across the county in autumn like the Hurstpierpoint and District Ploughing Match & Show (28th September).
Bonfire night
Sussex has some incredible bonfire societies and firework events, the most famous of which is Lewes. Nothing says autumn more than wrapping up warm and heading out to gasp at the pop, bang and whizz of the many displays and cheer at the burning of Guy Fawkes. And did you know that Guy Fawkes has a connection to the Cowdray ruins?
Explore spooky ruins
Talking of ruins, if you’re getting ready for Halloween, nothing says spooky more than exploring some of our incredible Sussex ruins. From major ruins like Cowdray, to smaller ruins like abandoned Bedham church in a wood, lots of them also have a few ghost stories attached!
London to Brighton
Right at the beginning of November, the London to Brighton veteran rally is an autumn Sussex staple. The weather always seems to be either brilliantly sunny or torrential rain, but it’s great fun picking your spot on route and cheering the intrepid drivers on as they chug past!
The Battle of Hastings
The 14th of October marks the anniversary of the famous Battle of Hastings. To mark the occasion, there is a re-enactment on the very spot where King Harold and Duke William fought in 1066 with 500 reenactors recreating the drama and intensity of this legendary conflict. It’s at Battle Abbey on the 11th and 12th October.
Autumn festivals
There are a number of autumn festivals in Sussex. You’ll find the Rye Arts Festival taking place in September and the Southdowns Music Festival in and around Bognor in September.
Afternoon tea
Treat yourself to afternoon tea. What about spending the morning exploring the autumn colours of Ashdown Forest followed by afternoon tea at Ashdown Park Hotel in front of the fire, or enjoying a blustery walk on the beach followed by an indulgent afternoon tea at Bailiffscourt?
Christmas markets
Many of the county’s Christmas markets are held in November which is a lovely way to round off the autumn season and prepare for the festivities ahead.
If you’re looking for more things to do, have a look at the autumn edition of our free Magazine:
Sussex Exclusive Magazine
We hope you’ve enjoyed these autumn things to do in Sussex. Have a wonderful autumn!
