The South Downs Way runs for a hundred miles along the chalk ridge from Winchester to Eastbourne, and for most of that distance there is a railway station or a bus stop within a few miles of the trail. Walking a day of it without a car is not a stunt. It is often the easiest way to do it.

What it does need is planning, because the trail and the transport do not always meet where you would like them to. Here is how to put a car-free day together, from choosing the section to catching the last train home.

Why the trail suits car-free walking

The South Downs Way is linear, which normally means two cars, dropped keys and a long drive at the end of the day. Here the valleys do the work instead. The Arun valley line, the Seaford branch, the East Coastway and the Portsmouth Direct line all run close to the ridge, and there is a coastal bus corridor from Portsmouth through Chichester, Worthing and Brighton to Eastbourne.

The trail itself follows the high ground, while the villages sit below it in the valleys — which is precisely where the stations are. You walk the ridge, then drop down to a platform.

Step one: choose your two stations

Start with the transport, not the map. Pick the station you will arrive at and the station you will leave from, then find the walking route between them. Useful anchors along the way:

• Winchester — the western trailhead, on the South Western main line.
• Petersfield — a link path of a few miles reaches the trail near Buriton and Queen Elizabeth Country Park.
• Amberley — a mile or so below the trail at Amberley Mount, on the Arun valley line.
• Hassocks — a link path climbs from the village towards Devil's Dyke.
• Southease — the trail crosses the Ouse almost at the platform. Rare, and very useful.
• Berwick — about three miles from Alfriston, on the East Coastway.
• Eastbourne — the eastern trailhead, with buses running along the coast.

Distances from trail to station matter more than they look. A mile of road at the end of a long day feels like three.

Three days that work

1. Petersfield circular over Butser Hill — roughly nine miles, starting and finishing at the same station. Climb south out of town towards Queen Elizabeth Country Park, pick up the trail over Butser Hill, drop down to Buriton and return on the link paths. Short, steep climbs, wide views and no transport complications at all.
2. Southease to Berwick via Alfriston — about eleven miles. From Southease the trail climbs to Itford Hill, runs east along the ridge to Bopeep and drops into Alfriston for lunch. The afternoon takes in the Long Man of Wilmington, then a quiet descent through Alciston to Berwick station. Both stations sit on lines that connect at Lewes.
3. Eastbourne to Alfriston — about eleven miles, and easier to organise than it looks. Take a train to Eastbourne, walk west past Jevington and Wilmington, and finish in Alfriston. From there, either add three miles to Berwick station or pick up a local bus towards Seaford or Eastbourne. Check the times carefully; these are thin services, especially at weekends.

Timings: be honest with yourself

Naismith's rule still works well on the Downs: allow an hour for every five kilometres, plus an hour for every 600 metres of ascent. The chalk ridges are not mountains, but a day on the South Downs Way usually includes several short, sharp pulls of 100 to 200 metres, and those add up.

Add an hour for lunch and another for the sort of dawdling that makes the day worthwhile. For most walkers, ten to twelve miles is a solid full day out; fourteen is a long one. In winter, daylight is the real constraint, so plan to be off the ridge well before dusk and carry a headtorch anyway. In high summer you can walk until nine in the evening, but the last train will not wait for you.

Tickets, buses and the last mile

For a linear walk, two singles usually make more sense than a return, though an open return is worth pricing if you start and finish at the same station. Off-peak fares, Railcards and advance tickets can make a real difference, and where PlusBus is available it bundles local bus travel with your rail ticket.

Buses are the weak point. Rural services thin out sharply on Sundays and through the winter, and some summer routes only run at weekends. Identify your last viable bus or train before you set off, and give yourself a margin. A missed connection on a Sunday evening can turn a good day into an expensive taxi ride.

What to carry

• Two litres of water per person on a warm day. There are long stretches with no tap.
• A paper map or a charged offline map. The acorn waymarks are good, but not everywhere.
• Food, and a little more than you think you need. Village pubs are not always open when you are.
• A waterproof jacket and a spare layer. The ridge is exposed and the weather turns quickly.
• Sun cream and a hat — there is very little shade on chalk downland.
• A headtorch, a charged phone and a power bank.

One health note: ticks are present on the Downs, particularly in longer grass and along woodland edges. Check yourself at the end of the day, and speak to a pharmacist or GP if you are worried about a bite.

Before you set off

Check the timetable twice, note the last two connections home, and tell someone your route. Buy your ticket before you reach a rural halt, where the machine may not exist. Fill your bottle at the station. Then walk east or west, eat your sandwiches somewhere with a view, and catch the train back with the mud still on your boots.

Photo: Pexels / Pixabay