Haslemere to Midhurst via Lurgashall walk

Black Down (heathland with views) and Temple of the Winds (viewpoint), Lurgashall (picturesque village with pub by the green), Cowdray Estate (romantic ruin by Polo Fields) and historic market town of Midhurst.

Length	21.8 km (13.6 miles); 604m/718m Ascent/Descent
OS Map	Landranger 186 and 197, OL 33
Toughness	7 out of 10.
Features	The route leads from Haslemere station through the town’s centre and along the waymarked Serpent Trail through a small Nature Reserve to rise steeply out of town and back down through Camelsdale to then rise with the Sussex Border Path through pastures and pine and heather covered slopes up to the Black Down. Following the crest through open heathland, with far views across West Sussex and out to Hampshire, you reach the Temple Of The Winds viewpoint, with further panoramic views over the Rother Valley to the South Downs escarpment and easterly across to the West Weald. A long descent through the sloping open grounds of Blackdown House and through bluebell-carpeted woods leads to the classic Sussex village of Lurgashall, with its pub and church at the corner of a picturesque village green and cricket pitch. The afternoon takes you through a mix of flat farmland and wooded hills to the Cowdray Estate, with its golf course-with-views as well as several polo fields, to the romantic ruins of Cowdray House, as captured by JMW Turner. Climbing from the River Rother’s banks, Midhurst's Norman castle ruins are passed en-route to the old market town's attractive centre with its many tea options.
Walk Options	A variant of the middle of the route, south of Black Down, enables a lunch stop at the outstanding Lickfold Inn (cuts 900m).
Transport	Haslemere station is on the Portsmouth Direct Line from London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour, with up to four trains an hour Mon-Sat (two on Sundays). Journey time is from 48 minutes Mon-Sat (56 minutes on Sundays). Midhurst Bus Stand has services connecting to Haslemere, Petersfield, Pulborough and Chichester stations. Details on all these connections can be found lower down this page. The most relevant line for this walk, Line 70 to Haslemere, as of 07/16 runs Mon-Sat only, about hourly to 19.05 hours (fare: £4.90). Take the train nearest to 9.15 from Waterloo.
Lunch	The Noah's Ark Inn, The Green, Lurgashall, West Sussex (Tel: 01428 707 346). It is open 11.00-23.30 Mon-Sat and 12.00-20.00 Sun. Food is served 12.00-14.30 and 19.00-21.30 Mon-Sat and 12.00-15.15 Sun, and located 10.3 km (6.4 mi) into the walk. Booking is recommended on weekends. A small shop on the opposite side of the green can supply some snacks. The Lickfold Inn, Highstead Lane, Lickfold, West Susssex (Tel: 01789 532 535). 11.00-23.00 Wed-Sat and 11.00-19.00 Sun. Bar Snacks (‘English tapas’) served 12.00-22.00 Wed-Sat. A la carte menu served 12.00-14.30 and 18.00-21.00 Wed-Sat and 12.00-17.30 Sun. The Lickfold Inn is located 11.0 km (6.8 mi) into the walk. Booking is recommended on weekends.
Tea	The Cowdray Farm Shop & Café, Easebourne, Midhurst, West Sussex GU29 0AJ (Tel: 01730 815 152). Open daily 09.00-17.00. It is located 1.9 km (1.2 mi) from the end of the walk. And plenty of Options in Midhurst (see page 2 of the pdf for details)


Midhurst	Travel from Midhurst Updated Mar-17 There are 4 bus routes to choose from. Catch a bus to/from a station, peferably on the same rail line you arrived from. If not possible, buy a more expensive ticket to Chichester, which is valid on both rail lines. Bus times change frequently. Check before you travel. Especially the time of the last bus! Traveline Southeast - online timetable Stagecoach South - NB: Stagecoach buses have family tickets, but no group tickets. A day ticket is £8.20/£8.50. This might make sense if you are travelling from (say) Brighton. Stagecoach have a £2.50 Evening fare after 7pm Waterloo line to Haslemere / Petersfield North to Haslemere (Mon-Sat, not Sun) Take Stagecoach bus #70 north to Haslemere. Mon-Sat: hourly at xx:58 until 7.03pm. £5.20 (04/18). Takes 20 mins. West to Petersfield (Mon-Sat, not Sun, early last bus) Take Emsworth bus #91 / #92 west to Petersfield. Mon-Sat: every 60 mins at xx:58 to 3:58, then 5:30pm. Takes 30 - 45 mins. Victoria line to Pulbrough / Amberley / Arundel East to Pulborough (daily) Take Stagecoach bus #1 east to Pulborough. Mon-Sat: approx hourly till 6.43pm. Sun: 2 hourly till 6.28pm. Takes 30 mins. Both lines (a more expensive ticket to Chichester, valid for all the above stations) South to Chichester (daily, till late Mon-Sat) Take Stagecoach #60 south to Chichester. Mon-Sat: every 30 mins till late, Sun: hourly till 6:30pm. Takes 25 mins, About £4. You will need a train ticket to Chichester. Chichester's trains aren't evenly spaced, if you miss one you may have a long wait. The bus station is opposite the train station. Buses leave from behind it. Midhurst Taxi BJ's Private Hire (01730 716327 or 07732 590806). Uber is about £25 for Midhurst to Haslemere.
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Help Us!	After the walk, we would love to get your feedback You can upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are: swcwalks swcwalk48
By Train	Out (not a train station)
By Car	Start GU27 2PD Map Directions Finish Midurst GU29 9DJ, West Sussex Map Directions
Amazon	OS Explorer OL8 OS Explorer OL33
Help	🚧 Start walking Large print Using GPS data National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Travelline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234
Version	Sep-17 Thomas G
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