Devil's Dyke
Devil's Dyke is a well known beauty spot on the South Downs near Brighton. At nearly a mile long, the Dyke valley is the longest, deepest and widest 'dry valley' in the UK. There are two explanations of how it was formed. The first says it was created over 10,000 years ago by melt waters at the end of the last Ice Age. Nah, boring! The truth, of course (or, at least, the one I prefer), is that it was dug by the Devil, who wanted to drown all the people living in the area, by digging a trench through to the sea, because they were the last in the country to convert to Christianity and he was miffed at the thought of losing his only stronghold. He had boasted he could complete the work in one day, but was tricked into thinking it was already dawn (by someone with a candle and a cockerel ... really?), whereupon he abandoned the job and fled, humiliated, never to return. Oh, and he threw some of the earth down in disgust as he fled ... forming the Isle of Wight. So now you know. :)))
The people on the footpath give an idea of scale.
Devil's Dyke
Devil's Dyke is a well known beauty spot on the South Downs near Brighton. At nearly a mile long, the Dyke valley is the longest, deepest and widest 'dry valley' in the UK. There are two explanations of how it was formed. The first says it was created over 10,000 years ago by melt waters at the end of the last Ice Age. Nah, boring! The truth, of course (or, at least, the one I prefer), is that it was dug by the Devil, who wanted to drown all the people living in the area, by digging a trench through to the sea, because they were the last in the country to convert to Christianity and he was miffed at the thought of losing his only stronghold. He had boasted he could complete the work in one day, but was tricked into thinking it was already dawn (by someone with a candle and a cockerel ... really?), whereupon he abandoned the job and fled, humiliated, never to return. Oh, and he threw some of the earth down in disgust as he fled ... forming the Isle of Wight. So now you know. :)))
The people on the footpath give an idea of scale.