Public toilets in the South Downs

The South Downs run as a long green ribbon from Winchester to Eastbourne, never far from a town, which makes them one of the friendlier parks for finding a loo. Winchester, Lewes, Petersfield, Midhurst and Arundel all have public toilets, and the big visitor spot at Seven Sisters has free facilities right by the car park.

Because the park is narrow and threaded between towns and villages, you're rarely as cut off as you'd be in the uplands, but the Way itself runs along the tops for long stretches with nothing on the ridge. The trick is to drop into a village or use the country-park loo before you commit to a long downland section.

Have a look at the map near your start, particularly for the coastal honeypots on a sunny weekend, when Birling Gap and the Cuckmere fill up fast.

Accessibility

Seven Sisters Country Park is the standout, with free accessible toilets and a Changing Places facility next to the visitor centre, and there's a disabled-access toilet at the South Downs Centre in Midhurst. The ridge-top stretches of the Way have none, so plan around the country parks and towns.

Seasonal

The Seven Sisters toilets run 7am to 9pm in summer and 7am to 6pm from late October through winter, following the car park, which locks overnight. Village loos along the Way can cut hours off-season.

Where the gaps are

The open downland along the Way is facility-free for long stretches, and there's nothing on the beach or cliffs at Seven Sisters beyond the visitor centre, so use a village or country-park loo before you head up onto the ridge.