The down that rises behind the Long Man of Wilmington, a brief climb with views that stretch out over the Weald
Open accesson open access land, where the right to roam applies
Wilmington Hill rises to 215 metres, nothing dramatic by national standards, but it counts as a Marilyn: a classification based purely on prominence rather than altitude, requiring at least 150 metres of drop on every side before the land rises again. Its actual prominence comes to 195 metres. The name is a deliberately playful pun on Munro, the much more famous Scottish list, by way of Marilyn Monroe.
The result is a hill that feels bigger than its height suggests. The climb up from the South Downs escarpment below is short but proper, and the trig point on top opens up views north over the Weald and, on a good day, south towards the sea. The Long Man of Wilmington is cut into Windover Hill, the down’s neighbouring summit just to the west, better seen from a distance than up close, and the down is open access land the whole way up.
More at hill-bagging.co.uk
