A24 Ashington Bypass

The A24 Ashington Bypass doesn't sound like much - a stretch of road near Pulborough in West Sussex - but it's actually one of Britain's earliest examples of modern motorway engineering, built in the 1930s to relieve congestion on the old route through Ashington village. If you're staying at Washington Caravan & Camping Park or any of the nearby sites like Honeybridge Park, it's worth a quick stop to see how road design looked before the M1 changed everything.

What you're looking at is essentially a historical curiosity rather than a tourist attraction in the traditional sense. The bypass itself is just a road, but understanding how it functioned as an early bypass tells you something about the era - the optimism about motor transport, the engineering solutions available then. It's the sort of thing that appeals to transport historians and anyone interested in how the British landscape was deliberately shaped by infrastructure decisions.

There's no visitor centre or formal admission here. You can pull over safely and observe the structure, though frankly you won't spend more than fifteen minutes unless you're genuinely into mid-20th century road engineering. It works best as a quick detour between exploring the South Downs and visiting Knepp Wildland Safaris across the way - gives your trip a bit of depth without eating into your day.

Go in daylight, obviously. Don't expect facilities. It's the sort of place that rewards curiosity more than casual tourism.