Walking and Riding on the Steyning Downland Scheme

Although widely used by local people, in fact the 165 acres of land managed by the Steyning Downland Scheme is not a public park and access to most of it is permitted on a purely voluntary basis by the landowner. The aims of the SDS include conserving wildlife, so when walking and dog walking there, we need to do so with respect for the fauna and the wildlife as well as to each other.

Several Public Rights of Way pass through the area, including those known locally as the Upper and Lower Horseshoe. These paths give the public the right to cross private land, but legally only by not deviating from the path. Normally, if we stray off any Rights of Way (RoW), this is trespassing. The RoW’s are marked on the notice boards at main entrance points.

There are several types of RoW, most are Footpaths or Bridleways. Not all tracks and paths are public rights of way. Footpaths are for walkers only and these are marked with YELLOW arrows. Bridleways are marked with BLUE arrows and are for walkers, horses and since 1968, for bikes.
Since the rise in use of mountain bikes, there has been an increasing number of conflicts with other users. Many bike riders seem to be unaware that, under the Country Act 1968, they must slow down and give way to walkers and equestrians.

On the SDS land, much is being done to educate and promote good relationships with mountain bikers. The British Horse Society and their partners, Cycling UK have a new campaign which we are promoting at the SDS called ‘Be nice, say hi'. We encourage all bike riders and equestrians to have a look at this online or pick up a leaflet.

Dogs should always be kept under close control, for the protection of the fauna the wildlife (as well as the dogs themselves). Adders are one of the protected species which live in the area known as the Big Picnic Field, where dogs have been bitten on several occasions. Any dog thought to have been bitten should be taken straight to the vet.

Dog walkers are expected to pick up after their dogs and there are dog poo bins located at the main entrance areas for this purpose.

We are planning to start a scheme called ‘Dog Ambassadors’ to promote good practice on the SDS. Anyone interested in helping with this should contact us at: sds@wistonestate.co.uk tel: 01903 817996.