Gallery

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East Dean walk on 25th June 2025

Mark and Jo's walk set off from East Dean village, the last home of playwright Christopher Fry (The Lady's Not For Turning). We first headed East, then turning North to head for the shade of a wood quaintly named Bubholts. It was uphill at first but the gradient gradually reduced as we entered another wood called Chisledown. We then crossed the Selhurstpark Road on its way to Goodwood racecourse and joined the Halnaker Gallop before turning into Open Winkins.  Open Winkins is a wood mentioned several times by Eleanor Farjeon in her book "Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard", written whilst she lived in nearby Amberley. That was some years before she wrote the hymn "Morning has broken", made popular by Cat Stevens. Oddly named woods are an occupational hazard in this area as we were then walking in Ladys Winkins, which was our furthest point south for the day. A quick walk led to a suitable coffee stop next to Hat Hill before we headed towards the edge of the Goodwood Racecourse. Once we had crossed the road it was mostly downhill through Park Hill and Eastdean Park. For some reason flowers seemed to be much more in evidence after our break and the barley in Manor Farm had a few very unfamiliar invasive growths. Soon we were back in East Dean where we all enjoyed a great lunch in the Star and Garter.

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Itchenor walk on 18th June 2025

We gathered in the sunshine and increasing heat at The Ship Inn at Itchenor where Isabel talked us through our options for shortening the walk if the heat became too much.  Having worked out the points where we could cut the walk short we set off down to The Lipchis Way on the south bank of the Chichester Channel.  The tide was out leaving some yachts and boats moored high and dry but there were still some out on the water for us to admire as walked down towards Horse Pond.  We came across some impromptu swings hanging from trees on the bank which were too hard to resist.  At Horse Pond we turned inland back towards West Itchenor, stopping off at St Nicholas’ church where the shade and benches were perfect for our coffee stop accompanied by organ and choir practice.  A couple of our walkers peeled off to shorten their walk, while the rest of us carried on until we reached the path across the fields of Oldhouse Farm where we decided to brave the direct sun and shorten our walk too.  As we neared Westlands we took the west bound Lipchis Way through Westlands Copse and took our time looking at the real estate before returning to the Channel bank, past piers and then back to The Ship Inn for lunch.

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Rogate walk on 11th June 2025

We started on Tim and Jane's walk from the layby on the A272 at Terwick. We welcomed Jo, a guest walker from New Zealand - who must have started out MUCH earlier than the rest of us!  Heading north up a gulley between fields we eventually reached Terwick Common where we crossed the road to continue our northwards route. Eventually reaching Dangstein Road, we turned west and took the road past the Fyning Hill Estate, before eventually turning down into Fyning Common. After walking through the trees, our route eventually took us through fields of intensively grown sweetcorn. We spent some time wondering how they removed the miles of polythene no longer required by the plants, but failed to arrive at any conclusion. The nearby Rogate Village Recreation area provided an excellent spot to rest our legs and have a drink and also to celebrate a birthday. Once revived we walked into Rogate and took a path through Parsonage Estate and then through fields to reach a bridge over the somewhat murky River Rother. Some more lane walking until we reached Habin Bridge, thought to have been built in the 15th or 16th Century by monks from the nearby Durford Abbey, perhaps a hundred years before any European found New  Zealand. We then walked alongside the Rother before making for the church of St Peter in Terwick.

There we found the Lupin Field,  click here :- LUPINS. 

The weather this year has been not particularly good for lupins but there was still a good display. New plants had been protected from the slugs by sheeps wool which is an interesting alternative to all the other remedies that never seem to work very well.  Crossing the road we found our cars and heading to The Elsted Inn, where we all enjoyed an excellent lunch, promptly served!

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Fernhurst walk on 4th June 2025

Starting from the recreation ground car park we walked across the Midhurst to Haslemere road onto Vann Road and took the footpath towards Hawksfold Farm.  On to Lower Hawksfold, across fields and into Amon’s Copse and more fields until the footpath crossroad near Lower North Park Farm where we turned north.  On entering Furnace Woods we stopped at the Fernhurst Iron Works and Gun Foundry remains for our coffee break. This  is one of the best preserved sites of its type in south-east England.

The Pond was the source of water to power the water wheel which worked the bellows to heat the furnace sufficiently to melt iron ore. Iron making was taking place from the 16th to the 18th Century throughout the Weald and it is said that this was the start of the Industrial Revolution. Iron manufacture in southern England only stopped when coke was developed as a much hotter fuel in the north of England.

The whole area has many hard chips of slag in the ground, a by-product of the furnace process. Reaching Vann Road again we turned west before taking the footpath to the right into Oakreads Wood and then east towards Greenhill House and back to Fernhurst.  Lunch was at The Red Lion on the Fernhurst Green.

There is to be an open weekend in September at the site of the Fernhurst iron works.:- Open day at the furnace site

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Midhurst walk on 28th May 2025

We met at The Half Moon on the outskirts of Midhurst for our 4.2 mile walk around Midhurst Common and the surrounding heathland.  There was a short uphill section to a small glade on Midhurst Common where we turned right into the woods on the Common, then dropping down to the lower common and onto Severals Road.  Heading down towards the Bepton Road, past the tree trunk carving we crossed by the Countryside Inn through fields and back into the Warren woods over the old disused railway embankment. Trains used this railway between 1864 and 1955. At the edge of The Warren we crossed a stream and the fields to Minsted Road where we turned north and had our coffee break beside the disused gravel pit.  Further up the road we turned towards Quags Corner, skirting the edge of the woods at Stedham Common to Woolmer Bridge where we picked up the Serpent Trail back across The Severals heath and Midhurst Common before the final downhill back to the Half Moon for our lunch.

Lots of information is available about the railway on the Gravelroots website :- Midhurst to Petersfield railway.

For more information about Midhurst generally:- Midhurst history

Thanks to Gravelroots for all this great information.

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