Sullington Circuit, South Downs

 First walk of the new year ... and a chance to fit another piece into the south downs way jigsaw. We would fill in the gap between Washington and Storrington. We squeezed into the last spot at the Downs path near Washington carpark where we had been for the Chanctonbury ring section trip.

Heading in the opposite direction to everyone else we dropped down to the A24 and leaped over the dual carriage way

The road soon turned into a metalled lane and then after the last house (and Water tap - the first I had actually spotted on the South downs way, the books say there are a number!) the lane morphed into a track.

All the while we gained height up to the top of the downs.

As we got up to the ridgeline we passed this old WW2 bunker - apparently it had been used by Canadian troops for flame thrower practice.

then on the track on the rolling ridgeline

Looking back it we could make up the rise to Canctonbury ring ... the tree copse not quite distinguishable yet, and further to the south was the Cissbury iron age fort.

The ridge was very open and the track curved around the contours.

As the track dropped down to the car park at the top of Chantry lane (un marked on the map) we could see the ridge we would walk down on the way back facing us on the other side.

Changing from open pasture to a contained track, a little muddy at the start then more chalky.

This led down to the carpark above Storrington - this was where we had started the South Downs way jigsaw.

At the meeting point we had a swift 180 turn and up the slightly diverging track aimed at the top of Kithurst Hill.

From this high point looking south to the coast, and north to the hogs back and north downs.

Dropping down the steep chalk banks on the ridge dropping down to the valley. At the bottom of the open grass land we got funnelled into a horse stables - very muddy and over grazed ... one gate was so bad it was easier to climb the fence than wade through the mud.

Opposite this travesty was a house with a selection of large ponds and weirs in their garden, coming out at a small waterfall, beside the road.

From here we climbed up a bank and onto the fields of the valley.

The track followed the side of these large fields, following a general line of the hedges.

At one point we crossed a gallop with some fences - race horse training.

A better track from here, starting as a tree lined avenue then open fields portrayed as part of a wild life reserve before it degenerated into a muddy quagmire through some houses

This came out at a bridge over the main A24 dual carriageway and dropped down into the village of Washington. 

From here we could follow the side road around and up to the car park, or better across the fields and up the side of the quarry.

At the top it was then down the road from Canctonbury and back to the van.