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.

SDC10376
SDC10376

Jun-10 • Andrew Murphy

book3, swcwalks, walk33 5856064231363040306 P

SDC10377
SDC10377

Jun-10 • Andrew Murphy

book3, swcwalks, walk33 5856064247666481026 P

SDC10378
SDC10378

Jun-10 • Andrew Murphy

book3, swcwalks, walk33 5856064264131096082 P

SDC10379
SDC10379

Jun-10 • Andrew Murphy

book3, swcwalks, walk33 5856064283334660226 P

SDC10380
SDC10380

Jun-10 • Andrew Murphy

book3, swcwalks, walk33 5856064304975694434 P

SDC10381
SDC10381

Jun-10 • Andrew Murphy

book3, swcwalks, walk33 5856064332396390866 P

SDC10382
SDC10382

Jun-10 • Andrew Murphy

book3, swcwalks, walk33 5856064350703554514 P

Length

18.6 km (11.6 mi) with 450m/350m ascent/descent.

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 Midhurst

Cocking 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 Amberley

If 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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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.
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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

The directions for this walk are also in a PDF (link above) which you can download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone.

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.

© 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