Images of the South Downs 2012 Calendar. The South Downs National Park is England's newest National Park, having become fully operational on 1 April 2011. The park covers 628 square miles and stretches 87 miles from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in the east through the counties of Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex. The stunning landscape photography showcases the chalk ridge of the South Downs, with its celebrated chalk downland landscape that culminates in the iconic chalky white cliffs of Beachy Head and the heavily wooded sandstone and clay hills and vales.