St. Roche's Hill

The climb up St. Roche's Hill takes you through proper Sussex countryside before opening out onto views that stretch across the Chichester Plain. It's not a difficult walk - more of a steady trudge than anything punishing - but you earn the vista at the top. On a clear day you can see right across to the South Downs, which makes the effort feel worthwhile.

What you get here is essentially a working viewpoint. There's no visitor centre, no tea shop, no interpretation boards telling you what you're looking at. Just you, the view, and a few benches if your legs need a rest. That's either refreshingly honest or disappointingly bare depending on what you're after. Walkers will appreciate the lack of faffing about - it's a genuine bit of landscape rather than a packaged experience.

Historie types might find it interesting that this area has Bronze Age connections, though there's little on the ground to make it sing. Kids will get a decent 20 minutes out of it, but won't want to hang around for hours. The climb itself is the main draw - the reward view rather than the destination itself.

If you're based at one of the nearby parks - Bow Hill Farm is genuinely excellent, or Chichester Lakeside if you want more facilities - St. Roche's Hill makes a solid morning walk before heading into Chichester proper. Allow 45 minutes return from the car park. Go mid-week if you can, when the South Downs don't feel quite so busy.