Brighton Way

Summary

The Brighton Way long distance footpath was devised by Norman Willis, who was inspired to create the walk while looking out of a train window during his railway journeys commuting to and from Brighton. The Brighton Way is a route through farmland and villages and over the South Downs, linking with the South Downs Way National Trail at Buckland Bank and the Sussex Border Path near Burgess Hill. From the nominal start of the walk at Horley, the Brighton Way visits Fernhill, Burstow, Copthorne, Layhouse Wood, Worth, Worthlodge Forest, Worth Abbey, Paddockhurst Park, Balcombe, Pilstye Wood, Upper Ryelands Bridge, River's Wood, Haywards Heath, Cuckfield, Burgess Hill, Ditchling Common Country Park, Ditchling, Keymer, Hassocks, Jack and Jill (the Clayton Windmills), Ditchling Beacon Nature Reserve, Stanmer Down, Falmer, Buckland Bank, Balmer Down, Long Hill, Newmarket Hill, Whitehawk / Race Hill Nature Reserve, Red Hill, Kemp Town, and the Brighton Promenade before finishing at Brighton Station. The walk passes and/or deliberately diverts to a number of railway stations, which Norman purposefully added to make the walk a simple exercise to break down into daily stages by using public transport.