Highdown Hill

Highdown Hill rises abruptly from the coastal plain just west of Worthing, a chalk knoll crowned by an Iron Age hillfort and gifted to the town, so it is council open space rather than National Trust; the practical upshot is that take-off from the hill is realistic where so much South Downs land is off-limits. From 80m up you get a genuine 360 the Channel and Worthing seafront south, the main Downs escarpment and Chanctonbury Ring north, and the Arun valley west. It is a modest climb from the car park by the famous Highdown Gardens, which are walled and separate keep flying to the open hillfort and grassland, not the gardens. Airspace is clean Class G; the nearest activity is the Ford parachute drop zone about 10km west, well outside any zone, but it is worth a glance at a map before you fly. Winds lift and accelerate over the isolated hill, giving lively conditions and the odd thermal. The hillfort is popular with dog walkers and families at weekends, so an early start keeps you clear of people. Skylarks nest on the slopes in spring. A compact, legal, big-view flight that punches above its height.