Length: 19.8 km (12.3 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 388/389m
Net Walking Time: ca. 4 ¾ hours
Toughness: 5 out of 10
OR
Length: 25.7 km (15.9 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 514/515m
Net Walking Time: ca. 6 hours
Toughness: 7 out of 10
Take the 09.35 Bognor Regis & Southampton Central train from
Victoria (CJ 09.42, EC 09.53), arriving Amberley 10.57. The
train splits at Horsham, you have to be in the Bognor Regis part!
From London Bridge, take a train no later than the
09.39 Brighton train (Thameslink) and change at Three Bridges (10.13/10.21)
or earlier (i.e. East Croydon or Gatwick).
Return trains : xx.04 (79 mins journey time).
Buy an
Amberley return.
Take the train at 08.32 for the long walk!
The blurb for the long walk:
The route follows the South Downs Way out of the scenic Arun
Valley along some steep chalky tracks high up onto Bignor Hill for some
magnificent views along the ridge, out to sea and across the West Weald. You
leave the South Downs Way and pass Glatting Beacon with its transmission masts
to then gradually descend from the ridge – not without a few short re-ascents
up Farm Hill and Barlavington Down – past a few hanging woods into the
Rother Valley.
Pass the quaint setting of Duncton Mill and head for The Cricketers
pub for lunch. Onwards you go through the magnificent Burton Park
with its ponds, before you walk through several idyllic commons, part wooded,
part sandy heathland, and eventually cross the Rother River and progress
to Pulborough along a westerly route familiar from other walks, past the
picturesque Stopham church and medieval bridge.
A Shortcut from Bignor Hill, through
hanging woods to the quiet villages of Bignor and Sutton, cuts 5.8 km/3.6 mi
and 144m ascent, resulting in a 5/10 walk.
Bus line 1 (Midhurst – Worthing
via Pulborough Station) calls Fittleworth every two hours, i.e. at 14.52
and 16.52; and Stopham Bridge 3 mins later.
Lunch: The White Horse (9.6 km/5.9 mi, food to 16.00,
a small table has been booked for 12.45) in Sutton, or – on the longer
walk – The Cricketers Inn (13.0 km/8.0 mi, food
served all day) in Duncton. Tea: The Swan Inn (5.3 km/3.3 mi from the end) in Fittleworth (this has just
re-opened) and The White Hart (2.3 km/1.4 mi, open all day
and now a ‘gastro pub’ apparently) in Stopham.
For walk directions, maps, height profiles, photos
and gpx/kml files click here . T=swc.39.a
2 comments:
4 SWC-cies met on the platform in driving rain, separating themselves from a slightly larger other group. It had been raining for a while, so everyone was already donning what waterproofs they had and we serenely trod off into the Arun Meadows. They were not as waterlogged or muddy as feared, but one of us nevertheless slid and fell hand-first into some thorny bushes, cue a short First Aid-break.
On up out of the valley and at the quiet lane one crosses immediately, walker n=5 was awaiting us. She (a car driver) had missed the train at P'borough by a minute and drove to said lane to drop her car there.
On up the Downs and the more one looked, the more the scenery looked like a proper wild mountain environment: driving rain, the tops in the clouds and the meadows a watery plain. An argocat driver in camouflage gear and with a couple of retrievers was seen driving into one of those large arable fields where sheep munch on what looks like mini-turnips or swedes (what are they?), but shots we did not hear.
On through the driving clouds with no views, down into the big dip past those extra-large barns and back up Bignor Hill, but the weather was still unchanged and the views were non-existent. The sound was dominated by the pitter-patter of raindrops on waterproofs plus the odd (unseen) plane on approach to Gatwick rather than by skylarks... No SDW through-hikers though either, on the plus side!
As per the forecast, the rain stopped just as we reached the final top and started our descent. This was interesting, to say the least: the steep bits through the wood were treacherous and slippy, the grassy bits were just slippy and most of the rest was taken over by running water, especially the final track into Bignor village, which "will be a streambed after heavy rain". And so it was. The two sneakers wearers were found out a bit.
By then we were behind schedule compared to the pre-booked table at The White Horse, but a phone call made sure they'd not give it away. Once there, we had a small table for 3 in a corner and 2 seats at the bar, some very pleasant food as well as fine drinks and extremely likeable staff. 90 minutes later we departed...
There then came some muddy tracks (bridleways) but we managed to dance around the fringes of the worst of it and mostly evaded the water-filled holes as well. The sky now even showed some blue streaks inbetween the bands of clouds and we had a fair amount of chat and banter. Passing the Swan Inn in Fittleworth, one could not fail to notice that it has been beautifully refurbished under (or for) its new management and was also busy for the time of day (16.00).
Approaching The White Hart in Stopham, it became clear that the 4 Londoners could just about make their next train, but the car driver would certainly miss hers out to Amberley to retrieve the car, so - purely out of solidarity, of course - we all popped in for a drink. The 16.50 (delayed by 25 minutes) and 17.04 trains we did then take. All in, a jolly good day out.
w=rain-for-100-minutes-then-cloudy-with-some-blue-skies
Correction to train times: 17.50 and 18.04, of course...
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