#DUTDTRAIL
Welcome to the Don’t Urbanise The Downs Nature Trail!
The sunflowers are out, the bees are busy and the views are stunning. We have put together a nature trail along some of the many beautiful public footpaths that go through the land and fields owned by Eton College. These footpaths and views, along with all of the wildlife you see on the trail would be completely altered and/or destroyed, forever if Eton College get the go ahead for their ‘vision’.
You can help us by simply sharing a photo (or many photos!) from your walk. We want to fill the hashtag #DUTDTRAIL with all of the amazing wildlife and views spotted on this land. To show that they are far from “devoid of birdsong” or “deafeningly silent”. Together we can emphasis just how much of a loss it would be if these beautiful spaces were to be taken away from not just our local communities, but from everyone else who comes to visit them, every single day.
Choose our trail and make your walk, make a difference this Summer.
(The village telephone box library, where you can pick up your free trail map)
How to find the Trail
The trail starts at the far side of the community ‘TECT’ field. The entrance to the field can be found opposite The Jolly Sportsman. In the Telephone Box Library you will be able to pick up a free Trail map that has some wildlife and views to keep an eye out for!
Telephone box library location: Novington Lane, Lewes, BN7 3AY or what3words location: fizzy.clays.anode
If you’re visiting from outside of the village and planning to drive over to the trail. There isn’t any allocated parking available, so please be considerate of the local residents and busy farmers who are working extremely hard at this time of year. Make sure not to block any roads or passing points along our narrow lanes.
If you would like to make a day of it, then consider popping into The Jolly Sportsman Pub, as they have their own car park.
You can also reach the trail directly from Plumpton station. Once you arrive, just follow the footpath alongside the railway track for about 5 minutes, and it will link you right into the trail!
Once you’ve got your map and made your way across the community field, you should spot one of our large sunflower signs which marks the footpath that takes you across the railway and to the start of the trail.
Trail Map
If you’d like to download and print off the map before visiting, then you can find both sides, below:
What to look out for on the trail
Bevern Stream - This lovely little stream winds its way through the fields. Not only is it extremely picturesque, but it’s an incredibly important water habitat in the area. Sea trout will swim up these specific types of streams to breed.
Chalk streams are some of the rarest types of streams on the planet, which is why it’s so important to prevent Eton from developing on the land that surrounds Bevern Stream, to keep it free from potentially irreversible pollution.
Blackcap - Along North Barnes Lane, you will be able to see some amazing views of the South Downs. Straight ahead you should see Blackcap hill. This group of tree was planted in the 1830s to celebrate the the coronation of Queen Victoria. More trees, and a plaque were added for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
Sunflowers - You will spot quite a few of these beautifully sunny flowers on the walk. Along with hundreds of very busy bees. The importance of flowers and areas of countryside like this, which attract pollinating insects is something that shouldn’t ever be ignored.
Enjoy wandering through these fields, just keep in mind that these sunflowers belong to a local farmer, and they have been planted to help boost the pollinators in the area. Take time to appreciate the sunny site and snap some photos, but please be careful not to damage the crop.
‘V’ Planation - Just along from Blackcap you will see the ‘V’ plantation. These trees were planted here to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887. It’s made up of just over 3000 trees. This footpath along north Barnes Lane is one of the best places in the area to get such an amazing view of both Blackcap, and the ‘V’.
Common Blue - Butterflies are in abundance in the clover fields. It’s not just the beautiful Blue you will spot here, there are many varieties to be seen.
The bright blue butterflies are the male Common Blues, the females however, are much more brown in colour. They have a slight tinge of blue in the centre of their wings and body. With orange dots along the outer edges of their wings.
They are quite fast flyers, so we are looking forward to seeing if anyone can get a good photo!
Lacy Phacelia - One of the best plants for pollinators. Bees absolutely love it! It’s sometimes referred to as ‘Scorpion flower’, due to how it curves over at the top.
It’s sometimes known as ‘Purple Tansy’, because of its beautiful colour. Or the ‘Honey Plant’, due to it’s incredible ability to draw in pollinators.
Clover fields - When you walk through the clover field, you will see many different pollinators doing their thing. You may also spot the odd sheep in the north field.
The flowers of this specific clover variety are quite a lot bigger than other you may have seen before. They also vary in colours, ranging from the usual beige/white, all the way to a bright pink/purple.
These fields in particular are absolutely buzzing with insect tunes.
Chicory - You will come across this flower in numerous places on the walk. It’s an easy one to spot with it’s cornflower blue/lilac colour, and unique petal shape.
They can sometimes have white or pink flowers, but this is incredibly rare in comparison to the beautiful blue.
Chicory is used in many different ways when it comes to cooking. All parts of this plant are often used to benefit different dishes, and add flavour.