Robust Rambles

Section 31

East Dean to Singleton

Walk Details

Walk Instructions

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 31  Out

East Dean to Singleton

Map: OS Explorer 121 Arundel; 120 Chichester

Distance: 3.5 miles/2 hours

Start: The Star and Garter pub in the centre of East Dean; on road parking just possible, or maybe the village hall if no event taking place.

Comment: The mileages are small in this section but the hills are many, so allow extra time. The views are outstanding and this is essential ‘Downs’ countryside so take time to enjoy it. There are stiles, generally in good condition. These villages seem to have lost their shops; there is a café in Singleton as well as the pub.

With the Star and Garter behind, turn right, up the road. Pass the village hall car park and come to a double metal fieldgate and stile on your left. Cross the stile.

Bear diagonally left up the field to a stile in the hedge halfway up (do not follow the tractor tracks which swing right). Cross the stile and continue diagonally left across the corner of a large field to a stile at the top.

Cross this and turn right, along by a fence and trees on your right. Reach a junction with a sunken chalky track. Turn left on this a few paces then right, up a grassy sunken bridleway to a gate by a seat.

Go through the gate and up the shady bridleway for some distance. Finally, it emerges into an open field. Here bear left, off the bridleway, onto a footpath going diagonally left across the open field, aim to righthand side of a gap between two groups of trees at the far side.

On reaching the corner of the righthand trees, go forward along the field edge with the trees on your right. Keep on for a good way.

On reaching a corner of the field, go ahead into woods on a clear, grassy path. In 100 metres reach a cross track. Turn left on this for some distance.

Reach the end of the wood at a stile. Cross into a field. Bear slightly diagonally right across the centre of the field, heading towards a chalky Down in the distance. Exit through a kissing gate at the far side.

The route may not be evident now. It continues in the same diagonally direction as before to meet the bottom end of the hedge over on your left (it is opposite the bottom end of the fence on your right). At this point leave the field on a grassy tractor track (there is a stile hidden in a bush).

The tractor track soon swings left. Keep on straight down on a feint footpath. This becomes steeper and finally drops down a set of steps to meet a chalky byway. Turn right on this (it becomes a bridleway at this point) for 100 metres. Look for another bridleway turning off left and turn left onto it across the valley floor.

At the far side reach a metal fieldgate with a wooden gate alongside on your left. Go through into the Levin Down Nature Reserve. Bear left on a footpath off uphill (this is a permissive path). Soon reach a Y-fork. Go right steeply uphill for some way through trees.

At the top emerge onto the Down and meet a narrow footpath (this is a public right of way). Turn left on this for a good distance enjoying the views.

Eventually reach and pass through a single gate and keep on down. Reach a further single gate by a wooden fieldgate and continue for another 50 metres to a junction of tracks by a gate.

Here turn right, away from the gate, steeply uphill for ¼ mile. Go through a gate near the top and keep on up (ignore a gate in the fence on the left). Eventually reach a set of double gates (possibly once a sheep fold), and emerge onto an open moor-like area. Two feint paths start off here. Take the lefthand one for a hundred metres, diagonally left across to meet a bridleway at a wooden fingerpost.

Turn left on this bridleway. Where it meets bushes, it divides. Bear left down to a wooden kissing gate. Soon reach a second gate and head straight downhill towards Singleton village below.

At the bottom go through a gate by a metal fieldgate and continue down an enclosed path between a school and a cemetery. Emerge onto a road and turn right.

At a Y-fork keep right on the road and soon come to a junction with a main road. Here turn sharp left down a narrow side road (the building on the corner is a café), and walk along a short distance to reach The Partridge Inn and the end of the section.

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 31  Return

Singleton to East Dean

Map: OS Explorer 121 Arundel; 120 Chichester

Distance: 3 miles/2 hours

Start: The Partridge Inn in the village centre; the pub has a car park for customers, some on street parking possible.

Comment: The less pleasant side of downland walking is using the – often ancient – chalky tracks. In bright sunshine they are hard on the eyes but also stony with flints which are hard on the feet. This return route involves some distance on these tracks as the terrain has reduces footpath availability. Few stiles and plenty of trees and views.

From the car park entrance of the Partridge Inn, cross the road to a narrow side street opposite and go up by a high buttressed flint wall. Pass Church Cottage on your left and immediately turn into a narrow path between the church hedge on your right and a fence.

Emerge by the church gate (worth a visit). Bear left a couple of paces then right, to continue on in the same direction as before, soon passing a children’s playground. Through a hedge, go forward through sheltered housing and on down the approach road (The Leys).

Cross the road ahead to continue on an enclosed path between houses. At the back turn right to a kissing gate. Enter a large pasture. Go straight ahead, along by an old fence on your left, but gradually veer off to the right, along the fence up on your right, as the exit stile (by a metal fieldgate) is at the end of this top fence.

Leave the field and cross the road ahead to a side road opposite heading into houses. Continue along this charming road to reach a war memorial at the end.

Here turn right. The road gets rougher and after a farm with impressive buildings on your left, becomes a rough farm track. Keep on uphill passing a pylon on your right. The track becomes grassy and shaded. Keep on up for ½ mile.

At the top meet a wide treelined, gravelly track by the side of a horse racing track (Goodwood is nearby). Turn left on this for another ½ mile to eventually reach a road.

Turn sharp left here down a shady track on The Monarch’s Way, soon crossing a stile by a metal fieldgate and on between logpiles.

Eventually cross a stile into an open grassy area and go ahead down the edge with trees on your right.

At the bottom of the grass, enter trees again, to emerge on the far side at the top of a steeply sloping field with East Dean village below. Bear diagonally right down to the bottom corner just right of a pylon.

Cross a stile just short of the corner and go down then up a field edge to a stile by a gateway at the top. Go through to a road. Turn left downhill to a T-junction at the bottom.

Turn right to soon return to the Star and Garter and the start of the section.