South Downs Way 4 : Amberley to Cocking walk
South Downs Way along the ridge of the South Downs NP. Views in the morning, a forested trail in the afternoon. Travel by bus.
Length |
18.6 km (11.6 mi) with 450m/350m ascent/descent. |
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Toughness |
6 out of 10 |
Maps |
OS Explorer OL8 (Chichester) and OL10 (Arundel). You'll need an OS Map, or a guidebook to the SDW with maps |
Features |
This is a ridge walk along the South Downs Way (SDW) along a good, easy to follow path. There are fine views in the morning. The afternoon is forested, so even though you're on top of the ridge, it's like walking along a forested trail. There are better views in winter (weather permitting). There are no facilities along the route apart from a cyclist's cafe at Upwaltham. There are pubs ~ 1km off the South Downs Way, in Duncton, Graffham and Heyshott. The walk finished where the SDW meets the A286 by a bus stop about 1km south of Cocking. In Cocking itself is the Blue Bell pub (re-opened 2022), a tearoom at Moonlight Cottage B&B, and the same (regular) bus service south to Chichester or north to Midhurst (change again for Pulborough). Or stay overnight, and continue along the SDW towards Petersfield. |
Walk Options |
Divert north to MidhurstCocking has good bus connections, but the train journey from Chichester is longer and more expensive. As an alternative, Midhurst, a pretty village with plenty of amenities, is just 5 km north of Cocking and has a direct bus connection to Pulborough, which is on the same train line as Amberley, but one stop closer to London. The 2 bus fares are not cheap however. In reverse: Cocking to AmberleyIf you walk in the other direction, there is a nice pub in Amberley to finish in. |
Eat |
Cadence Cafe, Upwaltham, Littleton Farm, GU28 0LX. Kiosk selling drinks, cake and rolls. Popular with cyclists. (Only) outside seating. 8km from the start. The farm is marked on the 1:25K OS map. If you do the walk in reverse, there is a riverside tearoom and pub by Amberley Station |
South Downs Way |
This walk is one of 9 stages of the South Downs Way - a 109 mile national long distance path - that traverses the South Downs National Park in South East England. |
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Profile | |
Help Us! |
After the walk, please leave a comment, it really helps. Thanks! You can also upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are: |
By Train |
Out (not a train station) |
By Car |
Start BN18 9LT Map Directions Finish Hillbarn Lane, Cocking, West Sussex Map Directions |
Map Walk | This walk requires an OS map and a compass or GPS for navigation. You can print out OS maps using the link above. |
Amazon | |
Help |
National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234 |
Version |
May-22 Andrew |
Copyright | © Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml |
Walk Directions
Starting in Amberley, follow the SDW to Cocking (clearly waymarked on the ground, and marked on the OS map).
In Cocking, there is a bus stop actually on the SDW, or divert north to the village to the pub
Alternative Endings/Starts to/from Midhurst, either from/to Cocking or via Heyshott are shown on the route map.