Ditchling Beacon
Northward view from the summit of Ditchling Beacon, looking towards Hassocks and Burgess Hill. For the floor cushion see Hassock. Hassocks is a large Village and Civil parish in the Mid Sussex district Burgess Hill is a town and Civil parish in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex 27 October 2006. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
Elevation	248 m (814 ft)
Location	South Downs, England
Prominence	213 m
Coordinates	50°54′02″N, 0°06′25″W
Topo map	OS Landranger 198
OS grid reference	TQ331130
Listing	Marilyn

Ditchling Beacon is the third-highest point on the South Downs in south-east England, behind Butser Hill (270 m; 886 ft) and Crown Tegleaze (253 m; 830 ft). In topography a summit is a point on a surface which is higher in Elevation than all points immediately adjacent to The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The South Downs is one of the four areas of Chalk Downland in southern England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A topographic map is a type of Map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using Contour lines in modern Ordnance Survey (OS is an Executive agency of the United Kingdom government The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude There are many notable lists of mountains around the world Typically a list of mountains becomes notable by first being listed or defined by an author or group (e A Marilyn is a type of Mountain or Hill in Great Britain, Ireland or surrounding islands with a relative height of at least 150 metres The South Downs is one of the four areas of Chalk Downland in southern England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Butser Hill is a Chalk hill and one of the highest points in Hampshire. It consists of a large chalk hill with a particularly steep northern face, covered with open grassland and sheep-grazing areas. Situated just south of the East Sussex village of Ditchling and to the north-east of the city of Brighton, it is the highest point in the county of East Sussex. East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the Ditchling is a village and Civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. Brighton ( is a town on the south coast of England and with its neighbour Hove, forms the city of Brighton and Hove. A road runs from Ditchling up and across the northern face and down into the northern suburbs of Brighton, and there are car parks at the summit and the northern base. Various charity, sporting and other events which are run regularly between London and Brighton incorporate this steep road as a challenging part of their route. The route along the A23 (and often nearby minor roads from London to Brighton in south-east England is popular for races tours charity rides

Location

The hill dominates the surrounding parts of the South Downs ridge, and particularly the much lower ground of the Lower Weald to the north (where the villages and towns of Mid Sussex are now located). The Weald (wɪəld is the name given to a physiographic area in south-east England situated between the parallel Chalk Escarpments of the North Civil parishes Within the District are the following civil parishes Albourne Ardingly Ashurst Wood This represents an excellent position for defensive purposes, and indeed it is known to be the site of an early Iron Age hill fort. In Britain and Ireland the Iron Age lasted from about the 7th century BC until the Roman conquest and until the 5th century in non- Romanised A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement A single defensive bank and ditch enclosed an area of approximately 5. 5 hectares (13. 6 acres). [1] Relatively little excavation of the fort has been carried out, however, and the existence of dew ponds, paths and tracks, as well as regular ploughing activity over the years, reduces the likelihood of any significant discoveries in the future. Dew pond west leakejpg|thumb|Dew pond on hill above West Leake Nottinghamshire

Access

The only road access to the summit is via the steep and narrow Beacon Road, which runs from the centre of Ditchling village and takes the name Ditchling Road once the summit is reached and the descent into Brighton commences. Beacon Road connects with the B2116, which connects several villages close to the foot of the South Downs with the outskirts of Lewes, the county town of East Sussex. Lewes (ˈluːɨs Lewis) is the County town of East Sussex, England and gives its name to the Local government district in which it Underhill Lane, a minor road directly at the foot of the Downs, crosses Beacon Road adjacent to the car park. The road then commences its steep ascent, rising from 90 metres above sea level to the summit at 248 metres in just over 1. 6 kilometres (one mile), and sweeping from side to side and around a number of sharp bends across the northern slope of the hill.

At the summit is a large car park, owned and operated by the National Trust (which also owns and manages approximately 1. The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organization in England, Wales 6 hectares (4 acres) of land on the hill). Controversy occurred in November 2005 when a £2. 00 charge for parking at this car park (and five others at National Trust-owned sites on the South Downs) was introduced.

View from just south of the summit, looking towards the eastern side of Brighton. Brighton ( is a town on the south coast of England and with its neighbour Hove, forms the city of Brighton and Hove. The road is named Ditchling Road at this point.

From this point, Ditchling Road descends through open downland for approximately 4 kilometres (2. 5 miles) until the edge of the Brighton built-up area is reached at Hollingbury. Hollingbury is an area of the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex. The road crosses the A27 Brighton Bypass and continues as a busy suburban road for more than 5 kilometres (3 miles) into the centre of Brighton. The A27 is a major Road in England. It runs from its junction with the A36 at Whiteparish (near Salisbury) in the county of

The Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company, Brighton's main bus operator, has operated special services from locations in the city centre to Ditchling Beacon, via Ditchling Road, since 2002. Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company operates almost all bus services in the city of Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom. Route 79, often operated using open-topped buses, originally ran during the summer only, but its increasing popularity means that as from 2006, some journeys have also been operated during the winter.

A footpath and bridleway runs across the ridge from east to west, taking in the summit; this forms part of the South Downs Way. In England and Wales, public rights of way are paths on which the public have a legally protected right to pass and re-pass The South Downs Way is a Long distance footpath and Bridleway. Various footpaths and bridleways run down both the northern and southern slopes towards Brighton, Ditchling and other nearby villages such as Westmeston and Clayton. Westmeston is a hamlet and Civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. Clayton is a small Village at the foot of the South Downs in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. The road is considered too dangerous to walk along.

View from the summit towards the north-east.

Access by rail can be achieved from Hassocks, from where a well-used path runs alongside the line to Clayton, at the western end of Underhill Lane. For the floor cushion see Hassock. Hassocks is a large Village and Civil parish in the Mid Sussex district From here, access can be gained to several paths and bridleways leading up to Ditchling Beacon itself, or points slightly to the west on the South Downs Way.

Flora and fauna

A wide variety of plants can be found on Ditchling Beacon, especially during the summer. Flowers and herbs suited to chalk grassland, such as marjoram, thyme and certain types of orchid (notably the common spotted orchid), are often reported. Marjoram ( Origanum majorana, Lamiaceae) is a somewhat cold-sensitive perennial Herb or undershrub with sweet Pine Thyme (ˈtaɪm is a well known herb in common usage the name may refer to either the any or all members of the plant Genus Thymus, The Common Spotted Orchid ( Dactylorhiza fuchsii) is acommonly occurring Species of European Orchid. (Some parts of the surrounding land are merely scrubland, however. Scrubland is a Plant community characterized by scrub Vegetation. ) Butterflies are common; a notable example is the Chalkhill Blue, which is particularly well suited to uncultivated chalk downland areas. The Chalkhill Blue ( Polyommatus coridon) is a Butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. Some parts of the hill and the surrounding fields (particularly Ditchling Down, a large open area near the base of the northern face, close to the Beacon Road car park) are used for the grazing of sheep.

Westward view from part way up Ditchling Beacon (north face), showing Wolstonbury Hill. Ditchling Down is in the foreground.

Signpost at Ditchling Beacon

Blackdog Hill

Close to Ditchling Beacon is a small spur known as Blackdog Hill, which is reputedly haunted by a headless black dog. This is also occasionally said to appear on the section of Underhill Lane between Ditchling and Westmeston villages, which runs alongside the foot of the hill and follows its contours. A straight path runs diagonally across the hill, taking no account of the extent of the slope, and appears to point directly towards the church of St Martin in Westmeston; the supposed presence of the black dog is sometimes attributed to the former use of this path as a "coffin road", allowing for the transportation of dead bodies in a straight line to their burial place.

External links

• "All About Sussex" - Ditchling Beacon
• Flora and fauna information, and maps
• Hill fort information
• Blackdog Hill information
• National Trust information
• BBC News report on charges at the main car park - November 2005