Robust Rambles

Section 34

Stoughton to West Marden

Walk Details

Walk Instructions

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 34  Out

Stoughton to West Marden

Map: OS Explorer 120 Chichester

Distance: 5.5 miles/3 hours

Start: The Hare and Hounds; pub has a small car park so ask if intending to patronise (well worth it); otherwise on road parking with discretion as roads are narrow.

Comment: Wonderful country and excellent walking with isolated valleys and great views. This is downland so very hilly, expect long inclines and steep descents. These villages are in a parish called the Octagon with a group of eight very historic churches, all open every day. The outward route passes two of them, of great heritage and well worth visiting.

From the front of the Hare and Hounds pub, turn sharp left to walk down the side and past the garden up to a gate. Go into a field and on up to a stile by a field gateway. Continue up the side of the field ahead to trees at the top.

In the top corner, by a seat, bear left into the wood and keep left inside the bottom edge of the wood for 10 metres. Now turn sharply right uphill.

Go under wires, then over a cross track and on into woods. Go through a wooden barrier and begin to drop down hill. Cross another forest track and continue down through trees.

At the bottom, emerge onto the top edge of a field. Head straight down the field towards farm buildings. At the bottom continue with a hedge on your right. Where the hedge ends (about 10 metres before a road and double metal fieldgates), turn right to go up a concrete yard between buildings. Pass the farm office and go on up to join a grassy farm track.

Follow the track along the top edge of a valley field. On reaching a sharp left corner by a large oak tree, turn right, across the open field to a junction of paths in midfield.

Here turn left still across the open field. At the far side go ahead onto a broad green way between fence and trees with a pasture on your left. Reach a T-junction and turn left along a gravel bridleway.

Pass a metal barrier, then, opposite a house, turn right, on a footpath across the centre of a field towards trees.

Leave the field into woods. Eventually pass under power lines and reach a stile.  Cross and continue on an enclosed path between wire fences.

Pass by buildings to reach wooden gates onto a road. Turn right a few paces, then left, opposite an 1870 cottage, up through a gap in the hedge into a field.

Bear slightly diagonally right across the field, passing a shed. At the far side enter the churchyard at Up Marden; an atmospheric Downland church well worth a visit.

Walk around the church to reach a gravel track at the rear by a barn. Turn left on this and follow it straight down hill.

At a junction of ways keep straight on down.

Ignore a cross track and continue forward on an increasingly narrow track. Near the bottom of the slope come out into the open and join a grassy tractor track going down through scrub to the very bottom of the valley and a corner of a large field.

The bridleway seems to take an enclosed route up the field edge but it is completely overgrown. Instead take the clear tractor track up the side of the field with the hedge on your left.

At the top of the hill, go straight on, still uphill through trees (ignore tracks on all sides off into fields). Keep forward on a clear track for some way.

At a meeting of tracks by a power line pole, bear left slightly, then right into field, to go down the edge with hedge and trees on your right.

The path goes increasingly steeply downhill. As the trees begin to close in, look for a gap in the hedge on your right through to an old stile (ignore previous gaps to telegraph poles). Cross the stile and continue downhill to soon meet a bridleway.

Turn right up it. Stay on this track for some way, ignoring a track off right and a metal fieldgate on the left into a field. In a further 50 metres turn left down a footpath into a field and cross to the far opposite corner.

In the corner, go through a metal kissing gate. Cross an old concrete yard to another metal kissing gate by a broken metal fieldgate. Through this turn left down the field edge with the village of Compton ahead.

Exit through a metal kissing gate by a metal fieldgate and go down the gravel track beyond. Reach a tarmac road and turn right, down to the Coach & Horses and shop and cafe in the village centre.

Go across to face the pub. Now turn left up the road towards the school with flint cottages on your right. Pass the school entrance and continue up a clear gravel track.

Pass a path up steps on your left (it goes across to the church, again worth a visit), and keep on up to a Y-fork. Bear right and soon come to another meeting of paths. Again, bear right and continue steadily uphill with fields on your right.

After a long climb, the path levels and reaches a T-junction. Turn right downhill.

Emerge onto a road. Turn right again downhill to a crossroads. Go over with care and on 20 metres to reach the Victoria Inn in West Marden and the end of the section.

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 34  Return

West Marden to Stoughton

Map: OS Explorer 120 Chichester

Distance: 3.5 miles/2 hours

Start: The Victoria Inn; a small hamlet with little on road parking so ask at the pub if intending to visit later.

Comment: Wonderful country and excellent walking with isolated valleys and great views. This is downland so very hilly, expect long inclines and steep descents. Some tracks are very stony and test footwear; another case for two walking poles. These villages are in a parish called the Octagon with a group of eight very historic churches, all open every day. The return route passes Stoughton Church dating back to Saxon times and well worth visiting.

From the Victoria Inn, walk back to the crossroads. Go straight over. Immediately past the wooden bus shelter, turn right up a steeply rising path by the side of Fourways house.

Soon reach the bottom corner of a field. Go straight ahead up and across the centre. At the far side go straight ahead to a hedge and treeline.

Keep forward in the same direction, down and up the field ahead to woods in the distance. On reaching the woods, enter and go steeply up, to emerge at a field edge.

Go forward up the centre of the field, and at the far side emerge onto a road. Turn right along it.

The road soon begins to drop downhill. Ignore a footpath off right into a field. In a short distance further, where the road begins to drop steeply, turn left on a gravel drive to Keeper’s Cottage. Ignore a footpath off right halfway along.

Where the track swings left to a house, turn right on a grassy bridleway through trees. Stay on this for ½ mile through woods, ignoring cross tracks.

As the descent steepens the track becomes very stony (ignore a bridleway off right on this section). Finally reach a road.

Cross and continue up the side of the field ahead. At the top of the rise bear left into woods and continue steeply uphill.

At a clearing at the top, under wires, go straight on, ignoring path off right. Keep up then down for a good way. Eventually pass between houses at the bottom. Pass the entrance on your left to the church, then arrive at the little village green, by The Old Parsonage.

Turn left along the road to soon reach the Hare and Hounds and the start of the section.