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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.

Sunday 27 August 2017

Christs Hospital to Billingshurst [New Walk]

Christs Hospital to Billingshurst 
27.1 km (16.9 miles)
Difficulty 4 or 5 out of 10
A long (but flat) new walk visiting the estate of Knepp Castle where a re-wilding project is into its 10th year. Expect to see Old English longhorn cattle, Tamworth pigs, Exmoor ponies, fallow and roe deer, and, if you're really lucky, maybe even a purple emperor. The walk also offers views of historic buildings (Shipley Windmill, Knepp Castle, as well as a listed farmhouse and an old Quaker Meeting House associated with William Penn).
Trains Get the 9.02 Bognor Regis train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 9:09, East Croydon 9:23) arriving Christs Hospital 10.09.
Return trains from Billingshurst at xx:33. Get a return to Billingshurst.
Lunch The Crown Inn, Dial Post (01403 710902) after 14.3 km (8.9 miles). A 16th century inn on the village green with fare ranging from sandwiches through to venison from the re-wilding project. Food is served till 2.30 and the pub closes at 4.
Tea The Railway Inn opposite the station.
Directions: here
Options: There are shorter options involving the 23 bus to or from Horsham (see text). These inevitably miss out some of the walk's highlights and the bus is 2-hourly (approx) on Sundays.
  • Here are the times for the 10.8 mile (Knepp Castle to Billingshurst) version [Get the 10:25 train to Horsham from Victoria arriving there 11:47. Then the 23 bus from stop L at 12:04 (direction Worthing), alighting at the "Partridge Green turn" at 12:32. From there, using the alternative start (Partridge Green bus stop to Knepp Castle), you would get to the The Crown Inn for about 13:40.] 10.8 miles is the total length to Billingshurst from the bus stop (see comment below) .
  • The versions heading back to Horsham (from Knepp Castle or Dial Post) would need careful timing to meet the infrequent bus at Partridge Green (13:58, 16:08 and 18:08 direction Crawley). Trains leave Horsham at xx:00 and xx:44. I'll let you work the rest out.
T=swc.283

6 comments:

Andy Poole said...

I know the pub and it can get busy with diners so will reserve a table. If anyone else intends to dine then add a post and I'll book an appropriate sized table

Anonymous said...

The shorter version appears to be longer than the original. Can you clarify.
jfk

Anonymous said...

Hi, very much looking forward to my first walk with the group. Linn

Andy Poole said...

The shorter route of 10.8 miles includes 0.7 miles from the bus stop to joining the route and the 10.1 miles remaining (16.9-6.8), although does not include the recommended short diversion to view the new castle itself

Mr M Tiger said...

Thanks jfk - and Andy.
Ive tweaked the wording slightly to make it clearer

Sandy said...

Nine of us on the train, another two materialised for a late lunch at the Dial Post (and expressing some derision for the time we'd taken to get there) making n=11 in all for a beautiful walk, full of interest especially in the rewilding area. The viewing platform over a pond populated by fallow deer, cattle, a heron and wold pigs had a Jungle Book feel in the w=beautiful-sunshine. I didn't partake of the pub lunch but everyone must have been served efficiently considering we didn't get there till 2. A couple of people managed to down a quick beer at the Railway Inn, Billingshurst before the 1833 train. Many thanks to Andy for putting this walk together, a great day out.