Visitor information

This section of the page features an image gallery, so if you're using a screen reader you may wish to jump to the main content.

Notice: Saddlescombe is a working farm and is only fully open on special open days. Please see 'what's on', on the right of the screen, for details of these days. You are welcome to visit the cafe, information barn and Donkey wheel at any time. Please note there is no parking in the farm.

A hidden hamlet nestled in the downs

Saddlescombe Farm is a hidden gem on the South Downs Way. Near Devil’s Dyke in West Sussex, the hamlet is only five miles from the seaside city of Brighton.

Documented in the Domesday Book, this unique example of a Downland farm recounts what life was really like throughout the last 1,000 years. Intriguingly, it was even once home to the Knights Templar.

Newtimber Hill, one of the finest examples of chalk grassland in the country, borders the farm and offers walks with superb views of the sea and the South Downs. In early autumn, the hill is covered in a purple blanket of Devil’s bit scabious. It is also a real hot spot for rare flora and fauna like the silver spotted skipper butterfly, burnt orchid and juniper tree.

The north face of Newtimber Hill is home to woodland which has stood the test of time for thousands of years. Here you can discover truly ancient lime trees, bluebells galore and beech trees with graffiti dating back to 1880.

The Hiker’s Rest tea-room at Saddlescombe, provides the perfect spot to re-energise and reflect after an invigorating walk.

Our special open days at Saddlescombe

Hayrake at Saddlescombe Farm

Saddlescombe is a working farm and we're not able to open it fully all year. But we do have two very special open days where you can discover the secret places and intimate history of this fascinating hamlet.

Go camping in the Sussex countryside

Come and stay at our special backpackers' campsite, just 5 miles from Brighton. Accessible on foot or bicycle, this is a real get-back-to-nature experience.

Our other places on the South Downs

We care for some of the best and biggest bits of downland, woodland, coast and heath in the new South Downs National Park. Find out where these places are and how we care for them.