Bazehill Road

With very little in the way of traffic and some of the most beautiful panoramic views of both the sea and the downs this has to be one of my favourite skate spots. I discovered this road one «board» afternoon when I first moved to Sussex and was staying in Rottingdean.
The road itself used to serve as access to and old water pumping station but is now nothing more than a residential road connecting two small farms and a house nestled away in the downs with the rest of the world. With the exception of a little gravel spilling out from a drive at the top and the odd pothole, midway down this run is something of a utopia for the retro short boarder. It’s a three quarter mile straight run surrounded by soft grass verges and fields, that levels out for long enough to stop before becoming a kamikaze drop into a T junction. Remember to stop at the flat or you could get into some serious difficulties with gravity and automotive traffic.
The only real draw backs to this place are that it’s a little too narrow for long boarders to carve properly and if you get the wind behind you you’re almost sure to carry too much speed for the short run off. Other than that it’s a beautiful way to spend an adrenalin filled summers afternoon with plenty of time on the walk back up to the to to have a natter about how good the last run felt. Get pumped!

For those familiar with the film ‘Dogtown and Z-​Boys’ Bazehill Road will be a sight to behold: a quarter-​mile, straight, fairly smooth road with a gentle but effective gradient and safe run-​off. It’s really easy to find and it’s pretty much unknown as a skate-​spot. Fringed with fields and a sweeping panoramic of the coast it’s one of the most beautiful spots there is. When the sky is blue and the wind is calm, Bazehill Road is always in my mind. I recommend you and your skater mates take a car, some short-​boards and some tunes and head up to the most picturesque, easily accessible and perhaps safest run in Sussex. It doesn’t reach white knuckle standards but it’s massively satisfying.