Sunday, January 13, 2013

Easy Sunday Walk in the South Downs



This is a splendid little 3 hour walk, starting and ending in Patching, West Sussex, just North of Worthing. Its weaves and meanders around paths on the South Downs.

 Map: OS Explorer No: 121. Start Point Grid Ref: 880068

To reach the start of the walk, follow the A27 and come off on the roundabout at the A280 heading North and you will see a small 'B' road to the left, drive down it past Patching Pond and turn right to Patching village. Drive as far as you can go, passing Patching Church and at the very end of the road you will find parking places next to a farm gate.

The Route we followed was a zigzag loop, so that we could have the rare January sun in our faces as much as possible.

Start: facing the farm gate next to your car, you will see three footpaths, take the far left option and head up North West over open ground. Some great views from the top of Patching Hill, wind in the hair and up your kilt if you are wearing one! You will eventually come to the boundary of Angmering Park Estate and a thick wood ahead of you.



Approach to the Angmering Park Estate Wood

Walk into the wood climbing over over a stile or through the gate as you go. Keep walking and you will happen upon a cross roads of paths.This is the point where we meet the Monarch's Way,  take the track to the right, down the Monarch's Way it follows the contour line of the hill to the heading left as it goes down.


Track down along the Monarch's Way
 Follow the track down and you meet a small, 'friendly' tarmac road.


Track Meeting Small Tarmac Road
 Keep Going until you reach a set of red Estate Gates, standing out at you.

Road Approach towards Estate Gates

Estate Gates
Pass through the Gates and keep enjoying the surrounds, you pass by a few old buildings,  and then you wander out into open country again.


Footpath Gate
Out in open country by Jove
Follow the road and on a left bend you will see two footpaths heading off to the right up a small incline. Take the one that goes to the North East, it zig zags down into a small quaint little valley.


Path follows fence line heads down the contour line into a small valley
You eventually reach a gate in a fence at the top of the other side of the valley, pass through it and turn left, heading up in to great open country. Depending on the time of year and crops grown the field will be flourishing with winter crop. On this occasion winter rape crop.


Winter Rape Crop
Keep walking and enjoy 360 degrees of good vista with the sea glinting in the distance to the South. 

Keep walking and in due course you will reach another path to the right, heading sharply back to the South East, pass through the gate and follow this path.


Looking South East towards Blackpatch Hill
Sea Glinting in the distance!

Maintain your route and skirt the base of Blackpatch Hill. Keep going down the path, after a while you will come across a jumble of horse stables and onto another rather 'friendly'  tarmac road. Follow the road and take the first path to the right, which takes you again onto the Monarch's Way. Follow the way and you pass through small farms plots and horse paddocks and then a long and old crumbling wall, covered in ivy and character to your left.


We spied what looked like a Red Kite flying high over the wall
Mosey on and you will reach again the tarmac road Estate Gate that you went through earlier. Turn left and follow the road down, instead of going up the Monarch's Way back to the car, which is the same path you came down from the thick wood, keep going for a nice little alternative route back to HQ.

Byepass the Monarch's Way path to the right and follow tarmac for a while
Walk down towards the trees and little farmstead ahead


As you walk through the small farm , you will spy a footpath to the right, climb over the stile and keep left going behind a couple of wooden stables and up a hill. Carry on up and over to Patching Hill.

Up Patching Hill
Keeping a stiff upper lip for the squelchy track, veer to the left and in due course you will see your car parked up ahead, perhaps you may spy a dog relieving itself on your car tires as i did, adds body to the rubber. You have just completed a 3 hour section of the South Downs National Park. Enjoy!