Opened officially by HRH the Queen in 2013, YHA South Downs is a uniquely refurbished Sussex…
Our View
Mount Caburn NNR’s ancient, traditionally managed chalk downland has extensive south-facing slopes, perfect for sun-loving flowers and their associated insects, including many rare butterflies. The reserve has the largest population of burnt-tip and pyramidal orchids in Britain. Wildflowers such as marjoram, deep-blue round-headed rampion, tiny chalk milkwort and the bright yellow horseshoe vetch also thrive on the sunny slopes. Butterflies found here include the Adonis, chalkhill blue and silver-spotted skipper, while day-flying moths such as the metallic-green scarce forester and the red and black six-spot burnet can also be spotted. The re-introduction of the wartbiter cricket in the 1990s has established a new population of this nationally rare species. Skylarks, meadow pipits, yellowhammers, corn bunting, kestrels and buzzards are among the birds that find their homes and food in the skies above Mount Caburn. If you’re lucky, you might also catch a glimpse of the speedy peregrine falcon – the fastest bird on the planet.
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Discover East Sussex
East Sussex, along with its western counterpart, is packed with interest. This is a land of stately homes and castles, miles of breezy chalk cliffs overlooking the English Channel, pretty rivers, picturesque villages and links to our glorious past. Mention Sussex to many people and images of the South Downs immediately spring to mind – ‘vast, smooth, shaven, serene,’ as the writer Virginia Woolf described them. She and her husband lived at Monk’s House in the village of Rodmell, near Lewes, and today, her modest home is managed by the National Trust and open to the public.
There are a great many historic landmarks within Sussex, but probably the most famous is the battlefield where William, Duke of Normandy defeated Harold and his Saxon army to become William the Conqueror of England. By visiting Battle, near Hastings, you can, with a little imagination, picture the bloody events that led to his defeat. East Sussex’s pretty towns such as Lewes, Rye and Uckfield have their charms, while the city of Brighton offers museums and fascinating landmarks, the best-known and grandest feature being the Royal Pavilion.
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