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Harting Down

Location

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Last Visited: 2016 View Google Map, Geocoding, Google Earth pushpin, what3words, etc.

Varying between 157m above sea-level when crossing Bramshott Bottom (at point 5 and again at point 14), and 242m at its highest, this 3 mile (5 km) walk is not without its challenges.

However, it more than repays the effort, as the near 360° views from the top of Beacon Hill (point 12) are absolutely stunning.

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From there you can see Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight to the South-West, Chichester and the English Channel to the South, over towards Midhurst to the East and Butser Hill and on towards Winchester to the West.

To the north the view towards Guildford is blocked by a belt of trees. However, as this part of the view is visible on long stretches of the walk, it hardly matters.

Park in the National Trust's Harting Down car park. At the time of writing (2016) it's £2 a day for non-members.

Vandalian Tower

Location

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Last Visited: 2016 View Google Map, Geocoding, Google Earth pushpin, what3words, etc.

As you walk back towards the car park, on the other side of the main road on Tower Hill you will see the remains of the Vandalian Tower.

This was designed in about 1770 by Henry Keene for Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh, the then owner of nearby Uppark. It is said that the tower was built to celebrate the founding of the American settlement of Vandalia in 1774, the year Sir Matthew died.

The following year the American War of Independence broke out. As a result, Vandalia was never approved by the British Crown. Later when the settlers sought to be admitted as a state called Westsylvania they were unsuccessful, because they had no legal title to the land and were opposed by the governments of West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The tower lies on the edge of the National Trust's Uppark Estate and is in ruins. It is fenced off and cannot be entered.

External Links and References

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