Blackcap, East Sussex

Because of the height of the hill at 206 metres (676 ft), the top of Blackcap was largely spared the farmers' plough and the ground has not been "improved" for monoculture crop fields as much as the rest of Downs were after the second world war.

The brow of Blackcap is still described by David Bangs as an area where "Crows caw, Jackdaws squark, clouds pass, peace still reigns in this old-fashioned place".

[2] In the 1830s a copse of trees was planted on top of Blackcap either to celebrate the coronation of a new queen, Victoria, or, as folklore would have it, as a guide or smugglers.

[5][6] In order to keep the scrub under control, the National Trust graze the top area using sheep and Exmoor ponies for the tougher plants.

However, the area and particularly the lower grasslands are still under-grazed, meaning much of the scarp slope between Blackcap and Mount Harry is still invaded by scrub.

Consequently, grayling and other species that used to frequent this rich, biodiverse chalk downland area still have not returned despite National Trust management and the lower slope pastures are separated from the crest by large thickets making access both along and up the slope difficult unless you're on a path The National Trust reserve contains the hills of Blackcap in the parish of East Chiltington, Mount Harry 196 metres (643 ft) in the parish of Hamsey, the wooded area of Ashcombe Bottom in the parish of St John Without and the Clayton to Offham Escarpment that runs down to the Sussex Weald to the north.