From 2/10 (16.1 km/10.0 mi) with 213m ascent/descent to 9/10 (30.0 km/18.6 mi) with 716m ascent/descent
Return trains: xx.28 (change at Petersfield to cut 23 minutes journey time to Waterloo).
This demanding West Sussex walk in the undulating western part of the South Downs is characterised initially by a mixture of park- and woodland, then steep lonely valleys and some far views to the main South Downs Ridge.It starts off towards Stansted House along a 1.5 km-long beech avenue – one of the best in England according to Pevsner, and then heads north along the easterly edge of Stansted Forest and across fields via the hamlets of West, Up and East Marden to a very remote pub in Hooksway, with particularly nice views on the route between the hamlets, including up to the northern escarpment of the South Downs.From lunch you climb back out of the secluded valley on a westerly route to Compton, from where another couple of hills need to be crossed to finish along the westerly edge of Stansted Forest back into Rowlands Castle, with its teashop and a choice of pubs.
The walk (especially the extended version) features several sustained, steep climbs and descents.
An extension after lunch adds 3.4 km and 162m ascent/descent. It follows a lonely, narrow, wood-fringed valley to the main northerly escarpment of the South Downs and then follows one of the most undulating sections of the South Downs Way with unrivalled far views from Pen Hill and Beacon Hill, making this a real challenge.
For summary, walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.68
5 comments:
Is this just the Rowlands Castle Circular walk?
I'm a little confused by the mention of 5 days. Thanks!
It is
Just to clarify further, the "5 days" refers to the trip to Scotland this month.
Just me on the later train for the "short" walk in near-continuous rain, which was easing as I waited for the 3.28 train home. Although the shorter loop misses out most of the drama of this walk, it was worth it for the bucolic scenery, charming farmyard with free-range hens, many garlic patches and the first orchids of the spring.
As per the previous post, 1 walker took the late train to do the short walk, and 13 were on the posted one for the main walk and the long walk. Those 13 included 9 Scotland trippers, 2 runners, 1 first-timer (w/o waterproofs) and 1 other regular.
We only saw the runners very briefly obviously, but then surprisingly we saw them again, overtaking us on the bluebell diversion in Standsted Park; they must have started anti-clockwise before realising that that may get them to the lunch pub later than planned, as that is where some of us spotted them again, leaving as we arrived. Mr No-Waterproofs seemingly enjoyed himself and we may see him again, who knows?
It had been raining while on the train out, so most of us put their waterproof trousers on, which as per usual was a surefire way to ensure that the rain had stopped by the time we started walking. After half an hour some took their waterproofs off, which unfortunately just signalled that the rain was about to start again, and it then pretty much did not stop until late afternoon, before clearing up and even breaking for some late sunshine!
Late April/early May is the sweet spot for this walk, and yes, the bluebells were aplenty but about a week past their peak, while the wild garlic was very much at its best and there in enormous patches in many places, with several woods completely taken over by them. Is a wet winter good for wg? I certainly had not seen that much of it on any other walk before. The rape oil seed fields were also at their best, in full colour and without any petals yet blown off by the wind. There were even plenty of buttercups in the last pasture of the day.
Wildlife: a deer family including 2 albinos, later on another two deer, a nursery pasture with about a dozen pregnant cows, whom we admired while speculating about their breed, when a very very recently born calf waddled around the corner from behind a hedge.
10 of us (plus the runners) had lunch at The Royal Oak, with the backmarker just missing the kitchen cutoff time. We then split into 4 Main Walkers and 7 Extenders, all of which surprisingly then also walked the Extension-within-the-Extension. You guessed it: all those 7 are going to Scotland.
By now the rain had stopped and we had another short stop in Compton at the covered well. [The pub is closed after being taken over and there is planning permission sought for 3 en-suite rooms, so perhaps it will come back as a pub with rooms; while the shop-cum-cafe has also closed and was emptied completely, but according to a local is expected to re-open as a shop with cafe soon-ish.]
Upon reaching Rowlands, a few found time for a half pint at The Castle (no food service on BH evenings) and others to visit the village store, before we all caught the 19.28 (the 18.28 it had been for the Main Walkers). Due to the overtime ban on the rail, there was in fact no fast train that we could have changed onto at Petersfield, so a slow journey it was, fuelled by those purchases from the village store.
n=14 w=mild-steady-rain-breaking-to-late-sunshine
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