The map gives some idea of the extent of the area

                                                                      Black Down

Southern England may be one of the most populated places on the planet but it is easy to find plenty of quiet spots with miles of countryside all to yourself. Sussex and Kent form a great bowl bordered by the North and South Downs and filled with the delights of the Weald, but in that bowl are numerous ridges and pockets of high ground that sit up like giant lumps of cereal. One such area is Black Down.

View out over the Weald

The slopes of Black Down

 

Black Down is a popular Sussex beauty spot that Lord Tennyson loved so much that he decided to get a house here to get away from day trippers on the Isle of Wight where he lived. You can understand why he liked it because it is the highest spot in Sussex and also in the South Downs National Park (919ft) and sits like a great mound just south of Haslemere, with fantastic views all round towards Leith Hill, the North and South Downs, and of course the Sussex Weald. ill Sussex is the most mature and tame of landscapes and Black Down is about as wild as it gets round these parts, which isn’t very, and shares the same features as other well known southern beauty spots such as Ashdown Forest with its open heathland  and scattered woodland. In fact it’s like a much hillier Ashdown Forest, crossed by winding and switchback little lanes swinging between banks of trees and undulating countryside.

The Weald from Black Down

 

You can access Black Down directly from Haslemere town centre by following the little lanes south up from the main street. This takes you up to Tennyson Ridge and Tennyson Lane. Take the Lane and the road heads upwards in a pretty straight trajectory past some rather large ‘stockbroker’ type houses to end up at a series of car parks at the top where the highest points of Black Down can be easily accessed. There’s lots of sandy paths through the woodland and heath, but in the winter you do need boots as the mud and puddle mix does mount up.

You can do a ‘circular’ route which takes you south to the Temple of the Winds which sounds like a place where you will meet assorted time lords doing funny wizardy things with staffs and the odd Gollam scurrying through the undergrowth. In fact it is a splendid viewpoint looking out over the Sussex Weald and across to such iconic spots as Ditchling Beacon, Chanctonbury Ring and Devil’s Dyke. Here there is a topograph (bet you’ve never heard of that!), one of those steel direction pointers that indicates direction of well known landmarks and how many miles away they are .

Woodland on Black Down

If you swing round to the west from here you can follow the slopes of Black Down along a well marked path which follows the contours and enjoy the more rolling countryside but still expansive views out to the west. Whereas trees hide the horizon to the west when approaching the Temple of the Winds, here the views out to the west are uninterrupted and more treeless heathland. Keep going and the path takes you back into the woodland and then back to the car park.

Haslemere is an ideal place to find respite after a bracing walk on Black Down, although it is a tad well heeled (definite beige handbag area) so be prepared for any steep prices. Actualy it has  a little museum in the town centre with quite an interesting section on Black Down. Visiting this museum was the first time I became aware of the famous local beauty spot.

Black Down at dusk