Up on the Downs, Through some Grounds, On to The Crown

The walk up on the Downs will be brief, just enough to work up a sweat and take in the view before descending to the gentler landscape of parkland, pasture and heath than lies beneath. The downland stretch will also be optional, pulled if the weather is poor or the time is short. That would be a pity because that stretch of the South Downs is among the most magnificent in that range, but there would be plenty else on the walk to compensate. These include: the chase of big trees that surrounds the Elizabethan mansion of Parham House; the pub lunch at The Crown in the village of Cootham; the heaths of Wiggonholt Common; and time-permitting, the café at Pulborough Brooks Nature Reserve.

The sights:

Parham House and Park: Built in 1577 before the era of Elizabethan 'prodigy houses' like Hardwick, it is straightforward and sober in design, and in the classic E-shape plan. The deer park is a magnificent chase of big trees and bracken with the bare South Downs behind as a dramatic backdrop. It was laid out in 1628 and remodelled in the late C18.

Amberley Wildbrooks: 'Grazing marsh and ditches in a floodplain landscape important for rare birds, insects and plants...The River Arun traces a serpentine path across an extensive flat area of grassland, bounded on the horizon by hills and woods. The grassland itself is dissected by numerous ditches, mostly dug in the 1800s to assist drainage, but now supporting a fantastic array of wetland plants and insects' (From the Sussex Wildlife Trust website.)

Amberley: One of the most celebrated villages in Sussex. A superb setting on a ridge overlooking the River Arun Wildbrooks and backed by the South Downs. The village is made up of long, loose, pretty perspectives of cottages that line a quadrilateral of lanes, one going to the C12 church and C14 castle. 

The route (please click the link in red to be taken to the Ordnance Survey website):

We'll follow the South Downs Way east form the station onto the hills before descending to Rackham hamlet. We'll take Rachkam Street to meet the West Sussex Literary Trail through the grounds of Parham Park to Cootham for the pub. We'll then head north and west, taking Hurston Lane a bridleway to Wiggonholt Common. We'll then veer south and use Rackham Street and Crossgates to get back to Amberley. After walking through the village, we'll use the pavement beside the B2139 to get back to the station.

Dogs:

I love having dogs on my walks and this walk is quite suitable for them. It is of moderate length but is along lots of country lanes and a few busy roads on pavements. A dog must be obedient if it is off the lead. 

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(All pictures were taken by the walk leader on his recce in February 2025. OutdoorLads is welcome to reuse them.)