South Downs Way sign at Eastbourne to be moved

October 17, 2018

The South Downs National Park Authority has apologised after a new way marker at the start/ end of the popular national trail was installed 4m away from its intended location.

The sign, which was unveiled during the Eastbourne & Lewes Walk Fest, will be moved to the correct location before 14 November. The cost of the move will be covered by the contractors who installed it.

The sign as it currently stands isn’t the final version, which is why the old sign remains in place for the time being. An additional finger post clearly showing the routes of the footpaths and bridleway into the National Park was delayed ahead of a final decision on proposals for a 31-mile section of the new England Coast Path from Shoreham to Eastbourne. However following comments from the local community this will be installed at the same time as the sign is moved.

Natural England are currently preparing a report on this section of the England Coast Path for submission for the Secretary of State’s consideration which may result in small changes to the start of the South Downs Way and these will be incorporated into the sign as and when necessary.

Andy Gattiker, South Downs Way trail manager, said:

“Completing the 160km (100 mile) South Downs Way is on many people’s bucket lists and we want them to have the best possible experience – from when they first set foot on the trail to their final celebratory step. We are sorry if the incorrect positioning of the sign has spoiled anyone’s experience of the trail or the wider National Park.

“We’ve had a positive response to a similar sign installed at the Winchester end of the South Downs Way last year and lot of requests for a clearer marker here at the eastern end. We hope that people will similarly appreciate the Eastbourne sign once it is in its correct position.

The new sign, which was part-funded by the South Downs Volunteer Ranger Service, the South Downs National Park Trust and the National Park Authority, includes an electronic donation point where people who love the South Downs Way can make direct donations towards the trails upkeep.

Facts & figures

The South Downs Way is 100 miles/160km long and covers the entire length of the South Downs National Park from Winchester to Eastbourne;
It is one of only two National Trails in the country that can be completed by walkers, cyclists and horse riders;
More than 20,000 long-distance walkers, cyclists and riders complete the trail every year – that means at least 15 thousand pairs of boots, ten thousand tyres and eight hundred hooves travelling the length of the trail each year;
Millions more people explore a section of the trail. The South Downs National Park visitor survey estimates there are around 20 million visits to the trail each year.