The South Downs Way
Monkton and the Devil's Jumps
There are two interesting features in on either side of the South Downs Way here.
On the south side of the path there's a forbidding wire fence which runs for over a kilometer. This is the boundary of the private Monkton House.
Monkton is an architectural one off commissioned by Edward James - the great arts patron and West Dean bigwig - and once the home of some of most cutting edge art in the world.
To the north side of the track - and not as easy to spot as they might be - are the Devil's Jumps, which are not to be confused with the Devil's Humps at Kingley Vale seven miles to the south.
The Devil's Jumps are the best example of a Bronze Age barrow formation in Sussex.
They are aligned with the position of the setting of the sun on midsummer's day, although the nearby trees mean that the effect of the sun dipping below the horizon is likely to be less uplifting today than it would have been to our downland ancestors.
Further on as you emerge from the woods, the views open up to both north and south.
There's a particularly enjoyable view of the Trundle, or St Roche's Hill and its modern neighbour, the grandstand at Goodwood Racecourse nine miles to the south east, way beyond Winden Wood and Westdean Woods.
Places to visit close to the South Downs Way
Amberley | Arundel | Ashington | Bepton | Bignor | Bramber | Bramber Castle | Burpham | Bury | Chanctonbury Ring | Charlton | Chilgrove | Clayton | Cocking | Compton | Cootham | Devil's Dyke | The Devil's Humps | Didling | Duncton | East Dean | East Harting | Edburton | Findon | Graffham | Harting Down | Heyshott | Houghton | Hurstpierpoint | North Marden | Parham House | Poynings | Pyecombe | Rackham | Singleton | Slindon | South Harting | South Stoke | Stedham | Steyning | Storrington | Torberry Hill | Treyford | Trotton | Truleigh Hill | Uppark | Up Marden | Upwaltham | Upper Beeding | Washington | West Dean
- B&B Midhurst
- Hotels Midhurst
- B&B Chichester
- Hotels Chichester
- Hotels Petworth
- B&B Arundel
- Hotels Arundel
- B&B Worthing
- Hotels Worthing
- B&B Haywards Heath
- Hotels Burgess Hill
Wednesday February 08
- Butser Hill to Harting
- Harting to Cocking
- Harting Downs
- Beacon Hill
- Pen Hill
- Buriton Farm
- Treyford
- Devil's Jumps
- Linch Down
- Bepton Down
- Cocking Down
- Cocking to Upwaltham
- Upwaltham to Amberley
- Amberley to Washington
- Washington to Upper Beeding
- Upper Beeding to Devil's Dyke
- Devil's Dyke to Ditchling Beacon
- South Downs Way Tips
- Cycling in Sussex
- Bike repairs
- Bicycle hire
- Mountain Biking
- Sussex Walking
- The Ramblers
- Other trails
- Horse riding