Brighton Days Out: Devil’s Dyke

I love a walk – but I think my favourite time of year to get out and about in the countryside is definitely Autumn! I love wrapping up and feeling that crisp air whilst the sun is shining down on you – especially when the leaves are starting to turn. We’ve now been in Brighton for a month or so, so decided it was time to explore some of the surrounding areas! So where better for a lovely Sunday walk than the beautiful Devil’s Dyke.

Devil’s Dyke is a short drive outside of the centre of Brighton, with the bus taking around half an hour and the drive being about 25 minutes. It’s 6 miles from the seafront – we got the 77 bus from the train station which was £5 each return (this route goes from the centre to Devil’s Dyke and back). We originally planned to get it from by Churchill Sq. but just missed it (we literally saw it drive away) and it only runs once an hour on a Sunday, so we decided to go for a wander and get it from the station instead. 

As Devil’s Dyke is a national trust location, there is also quite a bit of parking available for a small fee! We did see quite a few cyclists too!

Once we arrived we were just amazed by the view. The first view was that of the V shaped valley (this actual valley is Devil’s Dyke) as we drove in, the second was the amazing viewpoint from the top grassy area on the other side. We decided to first do a walk around the valley, then come back and admire the second view. I’d had a look on the National Trust website at the different walking trails before arriving, but these were also on a board next to the path with a map so we knew where we were going (spoiler alert, we still got lost!).

We decided to go for the pink one as it was the middle length – we would’ve gone for the longer one but we were already hungry! After missing our first bus, we were an hour behind ‘schedule’. I’d definitely recommend wearing trainers or boots with a good grip, as the rocks on the path are quite slippery (even though it was dry) as it a chalkland!

We walked down one side of the valley and ended up taking a wrong turn somewhere in the woods, so in the end we just wandered around until we made it back to our starting point. Rather than walk down into the valley and back up the other side like we were supposed to, we ended up on the other side of the big hill, which had the most amazing views! 

I was quite happy getting lost and taking in the views of the countryside, especially after not leaving the city centre for a month.

After our walk we decided to grab some food in the pub – ‘The Devil’s Dyke’. There is only one pub there, so if you know you’re definitely going it may be a good idea to book! It’s a big pub so even though it was busy, we managed to get a table for two without a booking. We weren’t looking to eat anything huge, so although the roasts and other mains looked amazing, we decided to just get a couple of starters. We shared the Salt & Pepper Calamari and Lamb Kofta, which were both really yummy. Both starters and a couple of drinks came to £17.

After our food we had a wander round the other side to where we walked, which had the amazing view. There are other paths on this side too, so we’ll definitely be heading back to do more walks! By this point the sun had come out too and it was an even more incredible view across the rolling green hills soaking in the sunshine.

You can also see the city from up there, with the i360 distinguishing where exactly everything was! What did confuse me was to see the position of the wind farm – from our flat on the front by the pier they look like they’re directly in front in the sea, but from this position they looked like they were much further to the right! Still a bit confused by this (note to self, check maps).

We got our bus home after a few hours of exploring and eating, satisfied with a lovely day out. Devil’s Dyke is really beautiful and a great escape for a walk and some fresh air. We’ll definitely be returning and I’d recommend it to anyone who hasn’t visited before! There’s many more trails that we didn’t get a chance to walk this time, so there is still much more to explore that we didn’t see – I can’t wait to go back!

Did you find my post useful? If so, pin it! x