Temple of the Winds
Children will enjoy the viewpoint on this walk with a curved stone bench as well as open access woodland and heathland to explore. They should look out for the grazing belted Galloway cattle and listen for the bells around their necks too!
The highest point on the South Downs won't disappoint
The Basics
Time: 1 hour
Distance: 3.2 km
Terrain: Some rough paths and other sandy and smooth, mainly flat
Pushchair: No
Dogs: Yes, under close control due to grazing livestock
Refreshments: None
Toilets: None
Public Transport: There is no public transport to this location
Parking: Black Down Car Park, Tennyson’s Lane, free with an overflow car park further along the lane (Postcode: GU27 3BJ -W3W: catchers/footpath/loaf)
There are plenty of benches strategically placed to make the most of those views!
If you want to find what could well be the best views in The South Downs National Park, then head to The Temple of the Winds on The National Trust managed Black Down, near Haslemere. You will be able to follow easy and flat trails in the footsteps of former local resident Alfred Lord Tennyson to the highest point in the national park.
The Route
Walk south from the car park along the broad track, passing the second little car park. Continue straight and go through the gate onto Black Down. You will pass a line of sawn up tree trunks before getting to the information board. After the information continue straight along the sunken track and look out for the first viewpoint and bench on your left.
For this walk, you will be following The Serpent Trail, so look out for the serpent badges on the footpath posts. At the first fork, follow the serpent left and then left at the next fork again. This will bring you along Beech Hanger where magnificent beech trees hang to the side of the wooded hill.
At the next fork, go right, ignoring the less trodden looking path to your left. You will pass a pond on your left and then soon after Tennyson’s bench with a viewpoint through pine trees. After this, you will almost immediately need to veer left slightly downhill to come to the main viewpoint. The views here across The Western Weald are extraordinary and this is the highest point in The South Downs National Park. There is a beautiful old curved stone bench and this would make a good spot to stop for a snack or picnic.
After enjoying the view, continue into the trees with the view to your left. The path is slightly less obvious for a few metres here, but you will be turning right up the hill roughly when you see a bench on your left.
As you come out from under the trees, ignore any left forks and continue by walking on the sandy path along the side of the ridge. You will stay now on this same path for the return leg until you see the sign for Tennyson’s Lane Car Park, where you should fork right. After passing a pond to your left, you should return along the same sunken lane that leads you back to the car park.
We recommend viewing the map as a Trails Map
Did you know?
Alfred Lord Tennyson lived nearby and often walked on Black Down. One of the benches is inscribed with his words which were inspired by the views; ‘You came and looked and loved the view, long known and loved by me, Green Sussex fading into blue with one grey glimpse of sea.’
Black Down has been voted one of the top ten ‘dark skies’ locations in the country, meaning it is a great place for a star gazing walk at night.
The viewpoint gets its name, Temple of the Winds, from a Bronze Age circular bank.
