Not far from Findown and just north of Worthing in West Sussex, you’ll find Cissbury Ring. Now owned by the National Trust (entry is still free), it’s the largest hill fort in Sussex (and the second largest in England) and has signs of life from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages periods. Like Chanctonbury Ring, just to the north, there’s evidence of a Roman settlement here too and in Tudor times, Cissbury was the site of one of the beacons lit along the coast as a defensive warning.
Cissbury is roughly oval in shape and after the steep, one-kilometre climb, you’re rewarded with amazing views as you walk around the perimeter. 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 soak up the views.
Cissbury Ring is also a 208-acre biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The site also has a Neolithic mine, one of the earliest in Britain. It would have had about 200 shafts up to 12 metres deep!
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