Devil's Dyke, Sanctuary Beach (14 miles)

Late Pleistocene Ice Age glaciation did not reach the South Downs. The deep gouge of Devil's Dyke was not caused by glacial action, however was caused by meltwaters from Ice Age winter snowfields unable to penetrate frozen chalk permafrost, causing saturated material to slump, aided by freeze thaw.

The result is dramatic enough, and this walk will follow the depths of the Dyke to its highest point.

Then it is on to the sea, Hove actually, more tranquil than its neighbour. The Old English hufe means shelter, Norse hof means sanctuary. Compared to central Brighton, the beach at Hove still offers both, and sits alongside a broad promenade with many colourful beach huts.

Hof also refers to a temple or barrow, of which one in Hove dating from the Bronze Age contained a very rare 1200BC amber cup. This can be found in Hove's free museum, located just before the beach.

The 14 miles length also includes after sojourn on the sanctuary beach, wandering past Brighton's pier to the station for the train home and of course an optional pub rest.

TRAVEL
Take the 9.35 train from London Bridge to HASSOCKS.
Buy an off peak day return ticket to BRIGHTON is £11.65 with a Network card or Groupsave. Walk starts at Hassocks rail station 10.35. Bring a packed lunch. Pub stops for drinks. Walk ends at Brighton.

The organizer will be standing near the ticket office from around 9.15am as a focal point for people to arrange group tickets

How to join?

• The walk is entirely free of charge;
• You only arrange for your own travel and pub expenses;
• Understand our terms and conditions below (the "IMPORTANT" part);
• Understand how to stay safe outdoors, as you will be responsible for yourself. See our quick safety tips:
  https://www.meetup.com/Free-Outdoor-Trips-From-London/about/

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section!

IMPORTANT
Please bear in mind this is a free of charge, self-guided trip with a hobby group. It is not organized by a business nor any entity with commercial purposes.
Any trip details, travel advice, route planning, instructions and other content in our group merely represent our shared personal knowledge, research and suggestions as outdoor enthusiasts. As this is no business, there is no "product", "service" or "package" and also no "tour guide", "operator" or "walk leader".
Each participant is responsible for their own safety. Even if some of us are very experienced walking outdoors, nobody assumes responsibility for any kind of injury, damage or loss that may happen.
Despite this, we take extreme precautions and all trips we plan are very safe, fun, highly educational and popular. Our experienced members volunteer their time and effort to shape a pleasant and quality adventure for everyone :-)
By participating you acknowledge and agree with this disclaimer.

Here are our tips on staying safe during outdoor trips:
https://www.meetup.com/Free-Outdoor-Trips-From-London/about/

TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATION, INSURANCE
Although we provide detailed suggestions, each participant is expected to arrange their own travel and (if required) accommodation - this gives everyone the freedom and choice to join from wherever they want and stay wherever they want. Anyone interested in travel or outdoor insurance should also arrange this on their own. As mentioned above we always take extreme precautions, but some people may still feel safer if covered.
We advise not to buy tickets until the day. People getting tickets from the same station are encouraged to meet early on the day to benefit from discounts such as GroupSave.