Discover the new flavour of the South Downs

Drew and Arran enjoy an exclusive Discovery ice cream as they run for the bus in the South Downs SUS-141107-154718001

To celebrate the launch on Saturday July 5, for one day only, Sussex residents were able to ‘discover’ a summer ice cream surprise at selected locations across the South Downs.

Launching in advance of the summer holidays, the Discovery ticket allows unlimited, one-day travel across the region for £12.50 for a family and the ticket is timely as new local research shows that whilst many Sussex residents are keen to travel by bus, over half (56%) think it’s difficult to visit favourite places and 33% worry about the cost of getting there.

However, the research showed that top days out for Sussex residents include Arundel Castle, Petworth House and Park. Seven Sisters Sheep Centre and Lewes Castle, all of which are accessible via the new Discovery bus ticket.

To mark the launch, tubs of exclusive ‘Cream Tea’ flavoured ‘Discovery’ ice creams were handed out to anyone who travelled by bus to the following attractions: Lewes Castle and Seven Sisters Sheep Centre (2pm -5pm) in East Sussex and Arundel Castle in West Sussex and Queen Elizabeth Country Park in Hampshire.

Nick Stewart, Campaigns & Identity Project Manager, South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) says: “We hope the Discovery ticket will make our popular attractions and beauty spots easier to visit and better value for money by bus, giving visitors even more of a reason to leave the car at home and explore the South Downs with the kids this summer.”

Sarah from Downsview Farmhouse says “We are passionate about helping people enjoy all that is special about the region and hope that a combination of the new Discovery ticket and a bespoke ice cream flavour will become the recipe for a perfect summer day out’.

Missed out on the ice cream? Don’t worry, to make it even easier for families to Discover the South Downs National Park on a budget the SDNPA is working with the most popular attractions in the area to offer 2-4-1 entry to reward those who leave the car at home and arrive by bus including Seven Sisters Sheeps Centre, Petworth House and Gardens and Hinton Ampner.

Sussex residents can share their Discovery experiences on social media with #DiscoveryTicket throughout the summer. For further information visit www.discoveryticket.co.uk or follow @sdnpa on Twitter for updates.

Report and picture contributed by Becci Gould.