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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, 12 August 2023

Saturday Walk - Pulborough to Petworth or Circular

Pulborough to Petworth (bus return): 9.6 – 11.8 miles/15.5 – 19km
Pulborough Circular via Petworth: 14.8 – 16.3 miles/ 24 – 26 km

Difficulty: 6 out of 10 for Pulborough to Petworth; 7 or 8 out of 10 for Pulborough Circular

Petworth House is one of the National Trust's finest properties but it is not easy to visit without a car. The idea here is that you can do a three-hour walk to the town and spend the afternoon visiting the house or exploring the deer park, then catch a bus back to Pulborough. Admission for non-NT members is £17 (2023). There is no charge to enter Petworth Park, landscaped by Lancelot “Capability” Brown in the 1750s and widely acknowledged to be one of his finest creations. 

After lunch in the town you can do as much or as little walking around Petworth Park as you wish: some routes are suggested but you can of course wander freely around this deer park.

There is also Newlands House Art Gallery, which has a photo exhibition Eve Arnold – To Know About Women - Guardian 4* review – "legends tired, hungover and flashing their rears". Cost is £14.50.


Trains: Take the 0937 Bognor train from London Victoria (Clapham 0943, East Croydon 0954) arriving 1052. Return trains are xx24 and xx55 with 2155 being the last. Bus from Petworth is Stagecoach No 1 (£2) to Worthing,  from Angel Street junction with Sheepdown Drive.

Lunch: There are no refreshment places on the walk route until you reach Petworth (12 km, 7.5 miles) There are two pubs near the town centre: the Angel Inn (01798-344445) has a fairly up-market menu; The Star (01798-368114) has a patio area on Market Square and serves traditional pub food all day at weekends. Some of the cafés and tearooms do light lunches.

Tea: on the Circular Walk is the White Hart at Stopham Bridge, a picturesque spot by the River Arun 2¼ km, 1.5m before the finish. The bus also stops near this delightful pub. There is nothing in Pulborough, apart from  two takeaways, not even a shop for 'supplies'.
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1 comment:

PeteG said...

Just 5 off the train with one person on the next. Two more at lunch, an early starter and the walk author on a shorter trip updating the local coffee shop information, so n=8. Good walking weather with one light shower. 3 of us did the long circular, though walking independently. We ended up getting the 1824,after meeting for an essential stop in Stopham. I assume the others got an earlier train.