| Downs Link | |
|---|---|
 The Downs Link passing through the former Bramley & Wonersh station | |
| Length | 36.7 mi (59.1 km) |
| Location | South East England |
| Trailheads | St Martha's Hill, Surrey 51°13′31″N 0°31′23″W / 51.2253°N 0.5230°W Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex 50°50′26″N 0°17′12″W / 50.8405°N 0.2868°W |
| Use | Hiking, running, cycling, horse riding |
| Trail map | |
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The Downs Link is a 36.7-mile (59.1 km) path and bridleway in South East England. It connects the North Downs Way at St Martha's Hill in Surrey with the South Downs Way near Steyning in West Sussex, from where it continues as the Coastal Link to Shoreham-by-Sea. The majority of the route follows the track beds of two former railway lines, the Cranleigh Line and the Steyning Line, both of which closed in the mid-1960s.
The path was opened from St Martha's Hill to the South Downs Way on 9 July 1984, with ceremonies at the former Baynards station, in Surrey, and at St Botolph's, in West Sussex. The extension to Shoreham-by-Sea opened on 4 October 1993. The path is managed as a collaboration between Surrey County Council, West Sussex County Council and Waverley Borough Council. The Downs Link forms part of National Route 223 of the National Cycle Network, and intersects several other long-distance paths, including the Greensand Way, Wey South Path and Sussex Border Path.
Since much of the Downs Link runs along closed railway lines, the path is mostly gently graded. Evidence of the route's past includes the double bridge over the River Arun at Rudgwick, and station platforms at Bramley & Wonersh, Baynards, Christ's Hospital and West Grinstead. The off-road surface varies between compacted earth, gravel and asphalt, and there are short on-road sections at Christ's Hospital, Partridge Green and Henfield. A fatal collision occurred between a cyclist and a motor vehicle in 2020 at Rudgwick, where local campaigners have called for a bridge to carry the Downs Link over the A281 road.