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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Saturday 27 May 2017

Along the South Downs to the sea

Extra Walk 26 – Amberley to Shoreham-by-Sea
Length: 24.1km (15 miles) Toughness: 5/10 T=SWC.26b

09:36 Chichester and Bognor Regis train from Victoria (Clapham Junction 09:42, East Croydon 09:53) arriving at Amberley at 10:55. The train divides at Horsham, so make sure you are in the back half of the train.

Return trains direct from Shoreham-by-Sea to Victoria are at xx:17 and xx:42 (journey time 70-75 mins). Don’t bother taking the alternative route at xx:04 and xx:34, changing at Brighton, as this would save 3 minutes at most.

Buy an off-peak day return to Ford, which will be valid for both the outward and return journeys. Separate Advance tickets for each journey will be a bit cheaper if you buy them now and are prepared to commit yourself to getting a particular train back.

This glorious long walk along the crest of the South Downs ridge hasn’t been done on a Saturday for five years, so it’s due for an outing, especially as fine weather is forecast. There are splendid views to both sides, but little shade along the way, so don’t forget the sun cream. Most of the route follows the South Downs Way, only diverting from it to get to a lunchtime pub (the Frankland Arms (01903 892220) in Washington), which adds one mile to the length. However, this is an ideal walk for a picnic, so there’s no need to divert unless you particularly want a pub lunch. Chanctonbury Ring hill fort is passed in the early afternoon.

For tea, there are plentiful cafes in Shoreham. Tom Foolery in the High Street has been recommended and seems to stay open quite late.

The walk can be shortened to 12 miles by descending into Bramber (as described in the walk directions), where you can catch bus no. 2 for a 20-minute journey to Shoreham-by-Sea, departing at 15:43, 16:45, 17:39, 18:40 and 19:33. Later in the walk there’s a slightly shorter ending at Lancing, but this finishes with a mile along suburban roads.

You will need to download the Walk Directions.

2 comments:

Chris L said...

n=12 w=cloudy_and_windy_but_dry
General relief that we weren't doing this shadeless walk in baking sunshine. Two of the Five who detoured to the Frankland Arms for lunch met the picnickers for tea in the Crown and Anchor in Shoreham.

David Colver said...

From the top of the Downs there was clearly visible to the north some kind of festival, with many cars and tents and suchlike. And we came to a slightly tatty van, parked with a couple of dishes, one pointing towards said event and the other towards the sea, clearly marked as a temporary broadband relay for the festival.

Anyone know what that festival might be? From the map the most plausible location is Parham House, but I can't see any major event listed there in late May.