Butser Hill is the most glorious place, high up on the South Downs, roughly three miles down the A3 from Petersfield. It forms part of the South Downs Way, which runs for approximately 100 miles from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Sussex. At 271m high it is the highest point on the main ridge of the South Downs … you can see for absolutely miles and you really do feel as though you are on top of the world. There are over 20 miles of trails running across the hill so there are plenty of walking routes to choose from, depending upon whether your looking for a short amble or a long ramble. Butser Hill, is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and since 1998 as a National Nature Reserve.
You can park at the bottom of Butser Hill in the main car park for the Queen Elizabeth Country Park and walk under the A3 and up to the top, however if you would rather spend your time exploring the hill and taking in the views rather than walking up it then I would leave the car in the pay and display car park at the top of the hill. (streetview) This is reached by driving along the main drive through the Park to the top of Butser Hill – this is accessed off the A3 at the Chalton/Cowplain exit. Follow Hogs Lodge Lane, which turns right into Limekiln Lane. (map)
When you are up on Butser Hill don’t think for a minute that the terrain will be boring. The landscape undulates freely and you can wander up and down to your heart’s content and as you do so your view changes constantly as the horizon disappears and reappears. You can clamber down Ramsdean Down to the clump of trees at Rake Bottom, and then wander round and back up to the top at Cross Dykes for a reasonable stroll, or you can just follow your nose and just keep on going. The first time we visited Hooves took off down Ramsdean Down so fast he couldn’t stop and was heading like a runaway train towards three dog walkers who were unsuspectingly standing half way down the hill with their backs to us, idly chatting…as they heard the stampede and turned round to see 46 kilos of out-of-control hound galloping towards them, with what they later described as complete panic on his face as he realised his brakes were failing! It was hysterical: all I could see was his bum wiggling at a rate of knots with tail thrashing around wildly as it disappeared into the distance, and all they could see was a huge yellow ball of dog getting larger by the second. He managed to come to a halt at the last moment, and stopped with a look that said ‘nothing to see here….’ How I love it when animals lose their cool…
If you need ‘facilities’ there is a loo at the top of Butser Hill, although when we last visited there was some sort of work going on so a portaloo was on duty, however there is a coffee shop and some loos at the main car park back down at the bottom by the A3, where there are also a whole load of woodland walks, with places for barbecues, bridle paths, cycleways the lot … but I’ll save those for another day…