Not far from Findon and just north of Worthing in West Sussex, you’ll find Cissbury Ring. Now owned by the National Trust (entry is still free), it makes a fabulous walk with incredible views across Sussex, Worthing and out to sea. It also joins up with other footpaths for those that want a longer walk, and is a place with lots of history and legend.
Logistics
There are signs to the car park from the main road when travelling south from Findon to Worthing. It’s a smallish but free car park. There are regular buses from Worthing and Horsham which drop you close to May Tree Avenue, from where it’s a short walk to the base of the hill.
If you’re less mobile, you can enjoy a fabulous bimble on the lower fields, but if you want to go up to Cissbury Ring itself, it is less than one kilometre to the top, although in places it’s a steep climb.
Cissbury is roughly oval in shape, with a raised path that goes around the perimeter. After your climb, you’re rewarded with amazing views as you walk around the oval. It’s somewhere particularly worth a visit at sunrise or sunset, and it’s the sort of place that replenishes the soul. From here, you can walk on to Chanctonbury Ring and the South Downs Way, or just sit a while and soak up the views.
Cissbury Ring history
Cissbury Ring is the largest hill fort in Sussex (and the second largest in England) and immediately feels special and significant. It dates back to the Neolithic (Stone Age) period when there were sophisticated flint mines here which included a network of underground shafts. Look out for the crater-like dips, mounds and basins within the main oval of the ring and head to Worthing Museum for artefacts excavated from here.
During the Bronze Age, the role of the site changed and it became a burial ground, then by the Iron Age, it was a defensive hillfort which in turn became a settlement. Perhaps Iron Age man watched from here as the Romans arrived. Evidence of a Roman settlement has been found here too and maybe the Romans watched across the waters as the Saxons invaded. Years later, the Tudors used it as one of the beacons lit along the coast as a defensive warning, and in WWII, it once more became an important defensive location.
Myths and legends of Cissbury Ring
There is a long standing story that Cissbury Ring was connected to Offington Hall to the south by a tunnel. Sadly, Offington Hall was demolished in the 1960s but there was said to be buried treasure in the tunnel, guarded by giant serpents! It is also said that Cissbury was formed as the Devil frantically dug Devil’s Dyke, the flying mounds of earth he dug creating this (and other) mounds. And at Midsummer, look out for fairies.
Cissbury and nature
Cissbury Ring is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. You may spot ponies grazing as part of a conservation initiative and it’s home to butterflies, birds, wild gorse and lichen lawns.
Walks at Cissbury
From the car park, to walk up, all the way around the perimeter and back down is about 3 km. To walk on to Chanctonbury Ring is about 5.5 km (from the car park), making it an 11 km round trip. Or walk to the South Downs Way, then head east along it almost to Steyning Bowl and then head back via Monarch’s Way for another 11 km walk. You won’t regret it, whatever your choice.
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