Hassocks to Brighton Walk

8.7 miles (14 km)

This walk takes you across the South Downs from Hassocks to Brighton. Starting in Hassocks the route heads south along the railway line towards Clayton.... Here you will pass the Jack and Jill Windmills and enjoy some fine views over the Downs.
The route then passes the Chattri Memorial before reaching the outskirts of Brighton. You continue south through the suburbs of Brighton passing highlights such as Preston Manor and the Royal Pavillion. The route then emerges at the seafront, finishing next to the pier.
The opening stretch out of Hassocks reveals the towering northern scarp slope of the South Downs, leading directly up to the iconic Clayton Windmills, known locally as Jack and Jill. Jill is a beautifully restored white post mill constructed in 1821, while Jack is a towering three-storey brick tower mill built in 1866. The scenery from this high ridge gives walkers an expansive view that reaches across the entire Sussex Weald. Further along the high ridge stands the Chattri, a white Sicilian marble monument erected on a peaceful, secluded hillside in 1921 to honour the Hindu and Sikh soldiers who died in Brighton during the First World War.
As the trail transitions into the urban landscape, it runs through the historic grounds of Preston Manor, an authentic Edwardian manor house with foundations dating back to the 13th century. Closer to the city centre, the route showcases the Royal Pavilion, an architectural marvel built as a seaside pleasure palace for King George IV, famous for its magnificent Indo-Saracenic domes and minarets. The walk officially concludes at the Brighton Palace Pier, a historic Grade II listed Victorian pleasure pier that has jutted out over the English Channel since its opening in 1899.
The chalk grassland environments along this downland corridor support a unique selection of British wildlife and specialised flora. The short-cropped turf on the hillsides is rich with wild horseshoe vetch, round-headed rampion, and wild orchids, which provide a vital habitat for rare chalkhill blue and adonis blue butterflies. Walkers can also regularly spot skylarks soaring above the open pastures and kestrels hovering on the thermal air currents along the steep valley ridges. hassocks *