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175:"In reality the 300-foot-deep valley was carved by tremendous amounts of water running off the Downs during the last Ice Age when large amounts of snow thawed and the frozen chalk prevented any further absorption; erosion was aided by the freeze-thaw cycle and the valley was deepened by the 'sludging' of the saturated chalk.".
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found out about the Devil's intentions and came up with a plan to stop him. He proposed a wager - if the Devil could complete the trench in a single night he could have
Cuthman's soul, but if he failed then he would have to abandon the project and leave the people of Sussex alone for good. The Devil
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was permanently frozen. In summer, the snowfields melted and saturated the top layer of soil, because the water could not permeate the frozen chalk underneath. Waterlogged material situated above the permafrost slid down the gradient, removing material by friction, exposing deeper layers of frozen
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so that it would start crowing in alarm. The light and the sound of the cock crowing convinced the Devil that dawn was about to break, and thus that he had lost his wager with
Cuthman. He therefore ran away in disgrace, leaving behind the unfinished trench henceforth known as Devil's Dyke.
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At the bottom of the Dyke are two humps, known as 'the Devil's Graves', under which the Devil and his wife are supposedly buried. Legend has it that if a person runs backwards seven times around these humps whilst holding their breath, the Devil will appear.
382:, and its conversion infuriated the Devil as he thereby lost his last stronghold in England. He therefore resolved to exterminate its inhabitants by digging a trench through the South Downs so that the sea would flood through and drown the people of the
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It is a misconception common amongst local residents of
Brighton that the valley was formed by some kind of glacial action, the myth of a 'glacier' being a misunderstanding of accounts such as this one from the
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In the Iron Age, Devil's Dyke was an important site. All the vegetation was scraped off the white chalk, leaving Devil's Dyke as an impressive monument to both attract and intimidate the populace.
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276:, Devil's Dyke was used as a defensive site. This was probably because of its commanding view of the surrounding terrain, and also its steep edges surrounded by large expanses of flat land.
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times Devil's Dyke became a tourist attraction, complete with a fairground, two bandstands, an observatory and a camera obscura, all served by a branchline from
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From 1894 to 1909 a cable car operated across the valley, covering a distance of 350 metres (380 yards), suspended 70 metres (200') above the valley floor.
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135:. Devil's Dyke was a major local tourist attraction in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is now a popular viewpoint and site for walking,
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ended, the snowfields covering the South Downs melted, and rivers formed across Sussex. The Devil's Dyke valley was completed by one such river.
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303:. During its heyday, Devil's Dyke was a huge attraction for the Victorians, with 30,000 people visiting on Whit Monday in 1893.
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Traces remain of all three ventures, including the remains of concrete pylon supports for the cable car system.
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Devil's Dyke has also become a popular site for hang gliding and (more recently) paragliding.
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toward the sea. The mounds of earth thrown up by his digging formed the nearby hills of
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The hills surrounding the valley rise to 217 metres (712') and offer views of the
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508:"Alan MacKenzie - Wildlife Photographer: The Natural History of Devil's Dyke"
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accepted the wager and began work that night, working his way southward from
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https://www.shgc.org.uk/files/siteguides/SHGC%20Sites%20Guide%202018a.pdf
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From 1887 to 1938 a single-track railway branch line operated from near
370:. The most popular form of the story begins with the conversion of the
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490:"A potted history and photographic gallery - Devil's Dyke"
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in southern
England, 5 miles (8.0 km) north-west of
448:. Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England
446:"Designated Sites View: Beeding Hill to Newtimber Hill"
378:. Sussex was the last of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to
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Steep Grade
Railway rose 100 metres (300') from near
251:area, being an easy journey of just a few miles.
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366:Local folklore explains the dyke as the work of
159:which originated as marine sediments during the
247:. It is a popular local beauty spot for the
587:National Trust Information on Devil's Dyke
228:, and – on a clear day – the
677:National Trust properties in West Sussex
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216:The Devil's Dyke Hotel and Restaurant.
346:to the northern edge of the hillfort.
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108:is a 100 metre (300') deep V-shaped
155:The Dyke is formed in rocks of the
133:Site of Special Scientific Interest
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657:Tourist attractions in West Sussex
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512:thinkingwithpictures.blogspot.com
566:"Devil's Dyke myths and legends"
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527:"The Aerial Cableway 1894-1909"
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600:Abandoned Lines and Railways
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179:The Devil's Dyke V-shaped
171:by Timothy Carder (1990):
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169:Encyclopaedia of Brighton
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647:Landforms of West Sussex
494:mybrightonandhove.org.uk
317:The Dyke railway station
236:, all that remain of an
468:"Facilities and access"
124:. It is managed by the
652:History of West Sussex
525:GJMG (11 April 2013).
325:From 1897 to 1909 the
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263:View from Devil's Dyke
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380:embrace the new faith
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272:Before and after the
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667:West Sussex folklore
232:. It is the site of
42:View of Devil's Dyke
19:For other uses, see
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388:Cuthman of Steyning
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151:Geological history
672:Linear earthworks
397:Chanctonbury Ring
372:Kingdom of Sussex
249:Brighton and Hove
183:is the result of
147:passes the site.
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409:Firle Beacon
405:Mount Caburn
384:Sussex Weald
376:Christianity
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531:Fulking.net
474:12 December
354:Current use
333:914 mm
222:South Downs
157:Chalk Group
139:flying and
114:South Downs
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65:Coordinates
57:West Sussex
641:Categories
611:50°53′06″N
432:References
411:, and the
309:Aldrington
187:and river
181:dry valley
161:Cretaceous
110:dry valley
75:50°53′06″N
614:0°12′18″W
368:the Devil
340:funicular
328:3 ft
297:Victorian
226:The Weald
208:Geography
78:0°12′18″W
59:, England
48:Geography
536:11 April
452:18 April
393:Poynings
362:Folklore
344:Poynings
295:In late
274:Iron Age
243:, and a
241:hillfort
238:Iron Age
234:ramparts
163:period.
122:Brighton
53:Location
415:in the
255:History
202:Ice Age
193:climate
189:erosion
143:. The
112:on the
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118:Sussex
595:video
197:chalk
538:2023
476:2021
454:2019
421:cock
407:and
313:Hove
301:Hove
374:to
315:to
311:in
245:pub
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
