Cissbury – the Devil's Ring

Cissbury Ring is credited in legend as the work of the Devil, for when he was digging the Devil’s Dyke near Brighton it is said clods of earth flew from his gigantic spade and created many of the most prominent earthworks in Sussex. These include Chanctonbury Ring near Washington, Mount Caburn near Lewes and, of course, Cissbury Ring. Other past explanations associate the earthwork with Julius Caesar, presumably a fanciful 17th-century attempt to explain the name as ‘Caesar’s bury’.

Men of flint

Long before the fort appeared, the hill had been a major flint mining area. This was in Neolithic times, when the pits with their complexes of radiating galleries were hand excavated using mainly red deer antler picks; their shoulder blades were used as shovels. The seams were about 40 feet (12m) below the surface, and this industrial-scale mining took place over 5,000 years ago, millennia before Iron Age man made his mark. The filled-in shafts and waste tips can be seen all over the west part of the hill.

Men of iron

The hilltop was fortified during the Middle Iron Age around 250 BC, and the great rampart and outer ditch enclose a vast area of 60 acres (24ha). The ditches have silted up and were originally at least 5ft (1.5m) deeper than now, and the rampart has similarly eroded in height. Also in your mind’s eye you must add timber palisades along the top of the ramparts, and so the defences must have been even more impressive than they seem nowadays. On this route you enter and leave by the two original entrances.

The western half of the ramparts enclose most of the old flint mines, with outside a few mines and many spoil heaps. The area enclosed by the fort was large enough for cultivation as well as occupation.

Now owned by the National Trust, it enjoyable to stroll along the ramparts, which are about 1 mile (1.6km) in circumference, and complete an additional circular route.

From the car park cross the lane to take the gate in front of the National Trust sign, and go half left on the track (signposted as a bridleway) that skirts to the left of Cissbury Ring.

Near the top, fork right, and immediately right again to go through a kissing gate and across the hill-fort’s ring ditch to pass through the gap in the ramparts, the original east gateway, and into the enclosure. Head to the trig point at the hill summit that is 603ft (184m) above sea level.

There are fine views from here over Worthing, well out to sea and a long way along the coast, eastwards to Shoreham with its power station chimney visible and to the west to Littlehampton’s gasholder. On a clear day you can see Chichester Cathedral’s spire and even the Isle of Wight. Leaving the summit, go forward to head generally towards a distant communications mast, the path soon becoming a broad greensward path bearing left towards a clump of trees. This path goes between the trees, mostly oak, ash and sycamore, and leaves Cissbury Ring via the south ‘gate’ or gap in the rampart and ditch, identified by steps either side of the breach.

Out through a kissing gate follow the path ahead and downhill, woods to your left. At the corner of the wood turn right, signposted 'Findon'.

Beyond a gate continue ahead, the path generally keeping parallel to the curve of the ramparts and ditch above to your right and amid downland grass. When just below a National Trust sign for Cissbury Ring to your right, take the left-hand of three gates. The path then descends and ascends again briefly, having merged with a track coming in from the left alongside a post and wire fence. Pass through a gate and keep ahead to the gate at the car park.