SWC (Free) Walks

Walk 14 : Pulborough Circular

This is a long but easy walk which explores the water meadows of the River Arun, with the South Downs as a dramatic backdrop.

Length	Main Walk: 20.5 km (12.7 miles). Five hours walking time. For the whole excursion including meals and trains, allow at least 9 hours 30 minutes. Main Walk, with short cut: 17 km (10.6 miles). Four hours 15 minutes walking time. Short Walk, finishing in Amberley: 11.75 km (7.3 miles). Needs instructions from Book 1, Walk 32. Long Walk, continuing to Arundel: 22.5 km (14 miles). Needs instructions from Book 2, Walk 22.
OS Map	OS Explorer 121. Pulborough, map reference TQ043186, is in West Sussex, 18 km SW of Horsham.
Streetmaps	Pulborough ¦ Amberley Wild Brooks ¦ Amberley ¦ Rackham ¦ Parham
Toughness	3 out of 10 (2 out of 10 with short cut).
Features	The walk climbs gently at first to give a panoramic view of the South Downs from Pulborough Park. It joins the Wey-South Path to go past two medieval bridges across the canalised River Arun, which was part of an important transport link between London and the South Coast in the 19thC. The walk then goes across the extensive water meadows of Amberley Wild Brooks, an important area for bird-life and wetland plants, coming to the unspoilt village of Amberley for a pub lunch. In the afternoon, you can choose between a long route through Parham Park with its Elizabethan manor house, and past the gliders at Parham Airfield, or a short cut along a quiet country lane. Both routes come to the RSPB Pulborough Brooks Nature Reserve at Wiggonholt, which has a tea room in its Visitor Centre. There is the opportunity to spend some time bird-watching in the reserve before returning to Pulborough alongside the River Arun. Note that the water meadows are deliberately flooded in winter and can be boggy at any time of the year after heavy rain. This walk should therefore only be attempted in relatively dry conditions.
Shortening the Walk	All the walk options have the same morning route to Amberley, so at lunchtime you can simply switch to one of the shorter options, or indeed just walk along the road to Amberley Station (about 1½ km). If you want to end the Main Walk at Pulborough Brooks, there is an hourly bus (not Sundays) to Pulborough Station up to 5.15pm; the bus stop is on the main road by the entrance to the RSPB Nature Reserve.
Transport	There is a half-hourly service from London Victoria to Pulborough (hourly in the evening and all day on Sundays), taking about 1 hour 15 minutes. If driving, Pulborough Station car park is free on Sundays and Bank Holidays, £3.50 at other times.
Saturday Walkers Club	Take the train nearest to 9.40 from Victoria to Pulborough.
Train Times	Between London and Pulborough: Tomorrow ¦ next Saturday ¦ next Sunday
Lunch	The recommended lunchtime pub is the Black Horse (01798-831700) in Amberley, which has an attractive garden and serves excellent home-cooked food. A little further on, The Sportsman (01798-831787) doesn't look quite so appealing but it also serves good food and has fine views out over the water meadows. There are also pubs along the route in Stopham and Cootham.
Tea	The Visitor Centre at RSPB Pulborough Brooks (01798-875851) is conveniently situated for tea and has lovely views of the water meadows from its terrace. It stays open until about 4.45pm on weekends. Stronger fare is available at the Oddfellows Arms (01798-873766) in Pulborough's Lower Street, although this is over 1 km from the station. The up-market Chequers Hotel on the A29 doesn't go out of its way to attract walkers, but as a last resort you should be able to get a snack or a hot drink from one of the fast food outlets near the station.

Walk Options ( Main )

Click on any option to show the sections making up that route, or the heading above to show all sections.

Main Walk (20½ km)

Main Walk, with short cut (17 km)

Short Walk, finishing in Amberley (11¾ km)

Long Walk, continuing to Arundel (22½ km)

Walk Directions

Click on any section heading to show/hide its directions, or the heading above to show/hide all directions.

Pulborough to Stopham Bridge (2 km)

Leave the station and bear left across the entrance to the main car park towards a bicycle shelter. Turn left and then immediately veer right onto a public footpath on the other side of a chain link fence, heading NE, with the car park on your left and a service road to an industrial estate on your right.

In 300m this footpath comes out onto a minor road, where you turn left. Cross over the railway and follow the road as it curves round to the left. Where the road bends to the right after 300m, take the public footpath on the left to climb gently through a field, heading W. There are soon fine views of the South Downs and Pulborough Brooks on your left.

In 350m the path passes a WW2 pillbox and heads into some trees, where it turns left and then right to meet the driveway to Park Farm. Cross over the driveway and head uphill on a wide path with wooden railings on the right.

You are now on the Wey-South Path, which you will follow all the way to Amberley. At the top of the rise go into the wood and turn left at the bridleway sign just inside it. Follow this attractive path gently downhill near the edge of the wood for just under 1 km, ignoring ways off, until it descends to meet the A283. Cross over this main road, take the footpath opposite and turn left on a minor road to go past the White Hart pub (with a fine view of the medieval Stopham Bridge¹ on your right).

Stopham Bridge to Greatham Bridge (2¾ km)

Continue on the minor road as it climbs gently uphill and curves left to go parallel to the A283. Where the road swings left to join the main road, continue ahead through a small car parking area and go through a metal kissing gate to take the public footpath heading SE. This goes past a bend of the River Arun and then across a footbridge. On the other side, head SE across a potentially muddy field to leave it via a kissing gate. Go up some steps, over a bridge across the River Rother and past a Pumping Station.

Immediately after going through a new wooden gate, turn right at a public footpath sign along a concrete track. Turn left in front of an industrial building onto a path with a fence on your right. Go through a metal fieldgate and turn right onto a broad track². In 150m turn left at a public footpath sign and head for a bridge across the railway, then down to the A29.

Cross this busy road with great care and turn right along the pavement for 25m. Just past Priory Cottage, take the public footpath on the left and cross a stile into a small field. On the other side of the field, cross another stile to go down into a narrow strip of woodland, which follows the course of an old spur of the Wey & Arun Canal³. In just under 1 km this path comes out onto a minor road, where you turn left to reach the other medieval bridge on this walk, Greatham Bridge.

Greatham Bridge to Amberley (3½ km)

After crossing the River Arun, go over a stile on the right and up to a path heading S along the riverbank (this would be a nice picnic spot). In 200m the path leaves the river and reaches a farm track, where you turn right. In 125m bear right at the top of the rise. In a further 200m, after passing Limekiln on your left, follow the track round to the left.

In 250m, having veered around some farm buildings, turn right onto a path in front of a wood. Follow this path around the wood, then down a slope to pass Hayles Barn. Go through a wooden fieldgate and turn left along a grassy path. Finally, go through a metal fieldgate and turn right, heading S. After all these twists and turns you are now in Amberley Wild Brooks.

For the next 2 km you simply follow an attractive path S through these water meadows. In about 1 km the track becomes wider (and potentially muddier) where it is used by farm vehicles. It then merges with another farm track from the left and you veer half-right; later it curves back to the left and you resume your original direction. Eventually the path climbs a short slope and comes out between houses onto a street in the very pretty village of Amberley. Turn left to reach the Black Horse pub in 125m.

For the Short Walk, go to §10. For the Long Walk, continuing to Arundel, go to §11.

Amberley to West Lodges (2¾ km)

If you want to explore the village before continuing the Main Walk, turn left out of the pub and then right at a road junction in 75m. St Michael's church is about 350m along this road, with Amberley Castle (now a luxury hotel) a little way further on.

To return, retrace your steps from the church but then turn left along a minor road after 200m. After the road curves to the right you pass the footpath where you came up from Amberley Wild Brooks. Go straight past the Black Horse to continue the walk.

Turn right on leaving the pub and then immediately right at the road junction to head E along a minor road. In 800m you pass The Sportsman pub on your left. In a further 500m, soon after the last house on the left (Whiteoaks), turn left off the road onto a public footpath. This goes half-right downhill across a large field, heading NE.

At the field boundary go through a hedge and across a ditch to reach the corner of another field. Cross a stile here and bear left along a path through a small wood. This emerges between a house and a disused outbuilding, Rackham Mill. After passing these the path heads N with a ditch on the right and views of the water meadows on the left.

In 250m the path crosses a brook on a footbridge and enters a wood. Turn right here at a three-armed footpath sign to go along a path just inside the wood. In 200m there is a short cut going uphill to the left, but it is more interesting to continue ahead. This path comes out onto a small open area, with sandstone rocks to the left and Rackham Old School on your right.

Go up to the road (Rackham Street) and turn left. In 150m continue ahead at a road junction, following the sign to Wiggonholt (this is where the short cut mentioned above rejoins the route). In a further 150m you come to a pair of lodges on your right, the entrance to Parham Park.

To take a short cut to Pulborough Brooks, go to §8.

West Lodges to Cootham (2 km)

Turn right and go through a kissing gate to the left of the main gate to enter Parham Park. Continue E on the driveway, in 500m passing a lake (with a view of Parham House⁴ beyond) and later going alongside a stone wall.

Where the driveway comes to a T-junction, with private roads off to both sides, continue ahead (slightly to the right) along a grassy path, as indicated by the "Footpath to Cootham" sign. In 250m the path curves left to merge with the main entrance to the house, which is now behind you on your right. Follow this road E to leave Parham Park at Douglas's Lodge, and continue along the driveway⁵ to the junction with the A283.

Cootham to Hurston Lane (2 km)

Continue E along the main road, soon passing a footpath on the left which leads onto Parham Airfield.

This footpath goes around the other side of the airfield. If you decide to take this alternative route (not described here, but shown on the Walk Map), rejoin the directions at [•] below.

For the main route, go past Clay Lane. 100m before reaching the Crown Inn, turn left at a footpath sign onto a lane. Turn left again in front of some houses and follow the lane round to the right. For the next 250m you go through an estate of (im)mobile homes. At the end, bear left to find a footpath sign indicating a path going into a strip of woodland. 50m along this path, fork left on a path going up to the airfield.

Strictly speaking, the right of way is along the main path. This soon crosses a small brook and goes up a few steps to a three-armed footpath sign, where you would turn left. The path later recrosses the brook and comes out onto the edge of Parham Airfield. The right of way now continues around its perimeter, initially heading N and later curving slightly to the left.

If you took the left fork up to the airfield, bear right and stay fairly close to its perimeter so as not to interfere with gliders taking off or landing. In 350m the alternative route around the other side of the airfield joins from the left.

[•] Continue NW along the grassy path, passing to the right of a railing to go alongside a track for exercising horses. In 400m, after the path has curved to the left, turn right at a footpath sign onto a narrow path which leads up to a strip of woodland. In 75m you go through a wooden gate and in a further 75m reach a minor road (Hurston Lane).

Hurston Lane to Pulborough Brooks (1½ km)

Turn left on the lane and then immediately fork right along a driveway at a bridleway sign, heading NW. In 600m ignore a footpath on your right and bear left with the path, with a large garden containing a long narrow pond coming into view on your left. At the end of the garden the path crosses a stream and turns sharply left to go back along its other side. In 125m you pass a wooden gate on your left leading to a house and bear right onto its driveway, heading W. In 400m this comes out onto the A283.

Cross the main road carefully and take the bridleway opposite (slightly to the right). This bears right to run parallel to the road for a short distance and then bends left to reach a minor road. Cross the road and continue ahead.

You should be able to see the overflow car park for the RSPB Pulborough Brooks Nature Reserve⁶ through the trees on your right; the Visitor Centre is about 300m further on. Stay on the main bridleway at first, but where it goes downhill on a sunken path, veer right and look for a narrow path on the edge of the wood. Bear left when you reach this and follow it to a path junction with a sign for the Visitor Centre and Tea Room. Turn right to go alongside the main car park for a short distance and then bear left. There is a side entrance to the tea room on the left of the main building.

To continue the Main Walk, go to §9.

West Lodges to Pulborough Brooks (2 km)

Continue on the road, heading N. In 800m stay on the road as it bends to the right, ignoring a bridleway forking off to the left (note the unusual round house on your right here). Finally, after another 650m along this quiet road, you come to a T-junction. Cross over and go straight ahead onto a bridleway heading N into a wooded area, Wiggonholt Common⁷.

Follow this bridleway as it curves gently round to the right. 400m from the road, take the left fork at a three-armed footpath sign to climb uphill. In 200m the path emerges from the wood alongside the main car park. Turn left to reach the Visitor Centre for the RSPB Pulborough Brooks Nature Reserve⁶. There is a side entrance to the tea room on the left of the main building.

Pulborough Brooks to Pulborough (4 km)

If you are an RSPB member, or are prepared to pay the entrance fee, you can spend some time in the reserve. To resume the walk, pick up the public footpath which runs across the reserve, leaving it near Little Hanger hide, and pick up the the directions at [•] below.

To continue the walk without visiting the reserve, leave the Visitor Centre to join the access road leading out of the main car park. Almost immediately, however, turn left onto a public footpath (the continuation of the one you arrived on), heading N between hedges. The path soon reaches a more open area, then goes into a dip and climbs back up to the hamlet of Wiggonholt.

Just before a wooden fence in front of the small church⁸, turn left onto a car-wide track which goes past its lychgate and heads downhill. In 250m the track crosses the perimeter path around the RSPB reserve.

Cross a stile into the large field opposite and head for a point halfway along its right-hand edge. Go over a stile (or through a gate) into the next field and head NW towards its top left-hand corner. Go over another stile and turn half-left to go downhill on a car-wide track, leaving the RSPB reserve.

[•] In 100m the track out of the reserve curves to the right and comes to a potentially very muddy area, where you go over a stile by a gate to enter the water meadows. Turn half-left to head NW towards an embankment 200m away (you may have to detour around some boggy areas). Climb up the embankment and turn right along it, with the River Arun on your left.

Follow the path N as it meanders alongside the river. After 750m, when you can see a footbridge ahead on your left, drop down off the embankment to cross this bridge. On the other side, go over an embankment to find a pair of footpaths heading across the meadows. Take the left-hand one, heading N towards a row of houses on the outskirts of Pulborough.

This grassy path is the right of way, but you could also turn left and walk along the embankment as it curves round to the right. In 200m you would need to go down steps to join the footpath, to avoid ending up on the wrong side of a water channel.

After reaching a water channel and going alongside it for about 150m, the path climbs gently to reach a narrow lane. Continue uphill to the A283. If you want some refreshment before the return journey, the Oddfellows Arms is about 100m away to the right; otherwise turn left towards the station.

If you are in a hurry, you can reach the station directly by continuing along the A283, but the route given below is more interesting and not much longer.

Cross over the main road at some point. In 300m, climb up some steps on your right at a public footpath sign to enter a field. Follow the tarmac path half-left up the hill and bear right at the top (with some fine views of the South Downs behind you) to reach a lane.

Turn left on the lane and go past the Chequers Hotel to the A29. Cross this busy road with great care and go straight ahead into Church Place (you can detour into the churchyard but St Mary's church itself is usually locked). In 250m, just before this minor road crosses the railway, turn left onto the footpath you started out on, retracing your steps to Pulborough Station.

Amberley to Amberley Station (3½ km)

Turn left out of the Black Horse and then right at a road junction in 75m. Continue past Old Place and The Pottery to reach St Michael's church. Now pick up the directions in Volume 1, Walk 32 (Arundel to Amberley) between points [13] & [14] and follow them to the end of the walk.

Briefly: The route continues past Amberley Castle on a footpath that heads W across the water meadows towards the River Arun, where it turns left. The final section follows the riverbank and reaches the B2139 by Houghton Bridge Tea Garden, near Amberley Station.

Amberley to Arundel Station (14¼ km)

Turn left out of the Black Horse and continue for 300m down to the B2139. Cross over and take the minor road opposite going steeply uphill. In 400m you pass High Titten on the right and continue up past a house (Highdown) to reach some grain silos. Now pick up the directions in Volume 2, Walk 22 (Amberley to Arundel) at point [2] and follow them to the end of the walk.

Briefly: The route heads E along a farm track towards Rackham Hill, where it turns right onto a bridleway and eventually descends into the pretty village of Burpham. The final section is along the riverbank into Arundel. There are plenty of opportunities for refreshment in this attractive town before heading for the station.

Return to Top ¦ Walk Map ¦ Walk Options ¦ Walk Directions.

Walk Notes

Driving	Start: Pulborough Station is near : RH20 1AX. [gmap]
Train Travel	London to Pulborough
Downloads	Download and print the PDF file. Tip: In the Print screen, select Page Scaling : Multiple Pages per Sheet. Try 2 pages. Download Walk (Updated: Mar-08)

Walking Instructions

Download and print the PDF file for complete walking instructions.