Another fine morning greets us with a very short coach ride up to Devils Dyke Inn. The short ride today means a slightly later start for us at Shoreham, so a little lay-in was most welcomed.
We were soon off on this fine section that overlooks Brighton, Shoreham and Worthing to the sea side and over to our static home to the Weald side. Despite being white and only just a few miles away......we couldn't spot it today! Truleigh communication towers were an easy distance marker and within the hour we were at the same named YHA house, that we had dormed at many years ago on an earlier venture on the downs. 
Although early, it was a good wee- stop and a slightly indulgent, coffee & cake, but why not? Others joined the loo-queue and paused like us. Back out on the SDW we crossed the major works going with laying underground cables from the zillions of wind turbines, visible out to sea. I was told the 'white scar' would be reinstated back to how the eco-trenchers had originally found it....every flower and turf, apparently, good for them we say!
Following the small road towards Shoreham we turned off and down our trail above a steep escarpment, gently descending towards the River Adur in the valley below us. Crossing the busy road at the bottom wasn't easy due to the volume of traffic but once across we were then off towards the nearby river-crossing passing by another bottle-filling water-tap with a shaded seat if you wish. 
The trail & footbridge share the path briefly with bikes on the Downs Link, a route between Guildford and Shoreham on the disused railway that we had completed a couple of times ourselves.....in our youth I might add! Usually with a 'down' section on a walk we know what comes next..an up of course and this one didn't disappoint!
We were now entering a pig-city where pigs of all sizes were scratching around in the dust for whatever they seem to find to eat. A smelly section for near on a mile, but it is agriculture that makes our downs what they are. A drink stop taken as the Monarchs way merges for a short while above Annington Farm. It was here, many years ago on another short walk, that we came across a fishing competition!
Slightly bazar as although we could see the sea, even with the best cast ever........ however, It appears you don't need water to have a casting competition. There were several commemorated seats besides the road and the small monument to a local farmer that both offered an excellent opportunity for lunch.... and it was now over half way. Back on the trail it now became a traditional chalky dual-tracked path where tractors or even horse & carts had worn grooves over a period of time. 
Crops on one side and thick woods on the other, we walked on towards the famous, or since the 'great storm', infamous, Chanctonbury Ring, a circle of trees steeped in Pagan myths and stories, sadly decimated in October 1998. But it's coming back, nature and nurture ensures it will present itself as a distant landmark once again, just as it was when I was young, gazing at it from afar............well, from the North Downs at least! 
Following the broad track we met up again with Clive and Lizzie, his lovely small dog, who seemed to be at roughly the same pace as us, as we had had crossed paths with them each day so far and would do so for the rest of the walk. Starting to descend to a point where we were told to follow a 'Footprints' marked arrow off and down into Washington village. 
In the mid-afternoon sunshine we ambled through the village to be greeted by our ticket wielding red-shirted marshals, under their sun-umbrella in the gardens of the lovely Frankland Arms. A nice rest, a nice pint and back onto the coach for the short ride back to Shoreham, knowing we would be here for breakfast in the morning hopefully consisting of our first bacon-butties of the walk........so-far!
So day 5 tomorrow is awaiting and anticipation at being on less familiar ground from now-on, but we were really relishing the thought of this.