A Trip to Devil's Dyke

I recently wrote about why I'm joining in with the #Take12Trips travel challenge this year. The aim is to take one trip every month and that could be anything from a holiday to an exotic location to a day trip somewhere local. So I'm starting with our little trip to Devil's Dyke we did a couple of weeks ago at the beginning of January. Devil's Dyke is set in the South Downs, about five miles north of Brighton. It consists of a peak with stunning scenery, an incredibly steep and deep valley and walks in several directions. On this particular day the weather was a bit rainy but in between showers we decided to get some much needed fresh air with a walk of the area, starting at the peak, doing a loop along the ridge of the dyke, passing the cows on the way and even having time for some splashing at the end, something my little boy is very into right now! He did nearly all of the walk himself and it's nice that he can walk longer distances now as he's way too heavy to carry. I've been taking out my DSLR a lot lately so I'm sharing some of the photos I took that day. 

There is so much history in and around Brighton and I'm always curious to read about sites I visit. The National Trust states that the Dyke valley is the longest, deepest and widest 'dry valley' in the UK! According to legend, the valley is the work of the Devil, hence the name. There are several different stories. One in that the Devil created the dyke with the aim of causing the sea to flood the churches in the surrounding area. While digging, the Devil disturbed an old lady who lit a candle or had woken a rooster making it crow. These things led the devil to believe that morning was approaching so he fled leaving the valley unfinished. He threw the last shovel of earth over his shoulder which fell into the sea, forming the Isle of Wight. There you go, a completely believable story right?! The scientific version is that the valley was formed naturally during the last ice age 10,000 years ago. 

I had no idea that Devil's Dyke was a big Victorian tourist attraction, complete with it's own station, a fairground, two bandstands, an observatory and a camera obscura. There was even a cable car, suspended 70m across the valley. Those views must have been amazing! You could get on the train at Aldrington and ride up to Devil's Dyke. For those not local to Brighton you have to drive along the main road to get to the peak or take the bus these days. The old train line sounds much more fun although there is an open deck top version of the bus in summer. Brighton town was also a huge Victorian attraction and I wouldn't mind jumping back in time to see what it was like, it all sounds very exciting! Many famous people have visited Devil's Dyke. The English painter, John Constable described Devil's Dyke as 'the grandest view in the world'. The views are stunning and on clear days you can see the Isle of Wight across the sea!

After the walk, saying hello to cows and more splashing it began to rain again so we headed into the Devil's Dyke pub for a bit of lunch in the warmth, a change of clothes for toddler and some very nice food. Even Sheepy ate some peas. Although it wasn't a particularly nice day weather wise it's always nice to get out and about come rain or shine. If you're interested in seeing the summer version of Devil's Dyke the last time I visited was on a gloriously beautiful day where paragliders were flying ahead. I'm looking forward to returning once it gets a bit warmer. 

Have you been to Devils Dyke? What trips have you been on lately?

also linking up with #thelist