At last an area of outstanding natural beauty has been given the recognition it deserves, as the South Downs have been officially designated as a National Park. It may come as a surprise to many to learn that this iconic landscape, which covers an area of 160km stretching all the way from Winchester to the white cliffs of Beachy Heady, was not already a National Park as it immensely popular with locals and tourists alike, but it is with thanks to the South Downs National Park Authority who worked alongside other local authorities and organisations to secure the status.