The Weald view
From a 217-metre ridge the green plain runs to the horizon, and on a clear morning the Isle of Wight shows to the south-west.
A century and a third ago this bare hill above Brighton took thirty thousand visitors on a single bank holiday, delivered by their own railway branch, swung across the valley in a cable car seventy metres up or lowered down the northern escarpment to Poynings on a funicular. All of that vanished between 1909 and 1938, leaving only what people had come for in the first place: the deepest dry valley in Britain, a hundred metres of V-shaped green turf, and above it a 217-metre ridge that lays the whole Weald out to the horizon. John Constable is said to have called this the grandest view in the world, a very English overstatement that on a clear morning, with the Isle of Wight showing far to the south-west, does not feel entirely wrong. Local legend has the Devil digging the trench overnight to drown the churches of Sussex, until a saint's candle and a startled rooster convinced him dawn had broken. The truth is quieter: meltwater at the end of the last Ice Age carved the chalk some fourteen thousand years ago. Today it is open grazing land run by the National Trust inside the South Downs National Park, with no gates, no tickets and no timed slots. On a fine weekend the sky fills with paragliders launching off the edge, which holds children's attention far longer than any view. Getting there from Brighton is simple: twenty minutes by car up to the National Trust car park (£1.65 for an hour, £3.30 for two, £8 all day, free for members), or the open-top Breeze 77 bus from Brighton station, Churchill Square and Palace Pier in about half an hour, about £3 a single under the national fare cap, so budget around £6 return unless a day ticket works out cheaper. It runs weekends and bank holidays all year and daily in the school summer holidays from mid-June to the end of August, but check the timetable before setting out, since buses run only every 45 minutes or so. A plain word about the ground: there is no shade and no shelter, and the wind never quite stops even in July, so pack a jacket in summer. Walking along the top is level and suits everyone, and the short marked loops fill a pleasant hour with children, but the drop into the valley floor is steep, muddy after rain and no place for a pushchair. The toilets are at the pub on the summit, a British pub-restaurant with a conventional menu, so a picnic on the grass is the better plan. In winter the days are short and fog can swallow the view completely; if the sky is not clear, keep the visit brief or save it for another day.
From a 217-metre ridge the green plain runs to the horizon, and on a clear morning the Isle of Wight shows to the south-west.
On fine weekends they launch straight off the edge above your head, and nothing here holds children's attention better.
A hundred metres of V-shaped turf cut by Ice Age meltwater fourteen thousand years ago, with a legend that blames the Devil.
Devil's Dyke Road, Poynings, Brighton BN1 8YJ
On a clear, calm day, yes: an hour on the ridge watching paragliders plus a picnic on the grass is plenty and the children will love it. On a grey or windy day the view disappears and the wind wears small children out, so the beach or Palace Pier is the better choice. Do not expect attractions; it is an open hill with toilets and one restaurant, nothing more.
The car is quicker and more flexible, with parking at £8 all day or £3.30 for two hours. The open-top bus is an outing in itself for about £6 return with two children free per adult, but outside summer it runs only at weekends and gaps between buses are long, so if you are short on time or have small children, drive.