Robust Rambles

Section 35

West Marden to Finchdean

Walk Details

Walk Instructions

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 35  Out

West Marden to Finchdean

Map: OS Explorer 120 Chichester

Distance: 4 miles/ 2.5 hours

Start: The Victoria Inn just off the main road; very limited on road parking or ask at the inn if intending to visit.

Comment: Wonderful country and excellent walking with isolated valleys and great views. This is downland so very hilly, expect long inclines and steep descents. Not a long walk but great variety, from woodland to open fields and great views, at once of timeless countryside and next, a panorama of distant Portsmouth. St. Hubert’s Church, isolated in a field, at Idsworth with medieval wall paintings is another Downland gem. There are stiles.

With The Victoria Inn behind, turn right on the road, uphill, away from the crossroads, for 150 metres.

As the road bends left, several footpaths go off. Take the first path on your right, down the access drive to Marden Down. In a few paces, bear left into an enclosed path and on to a stile.

Cross and continue to a second stile. Cross onto a pleasant woodland path, coming eventually to a third stile by a stand of noble beeches. Keep on gently uphill.

Reach a sloping pasture on the left and keep on along the bottom edge, past a water tank, to reach a stile in a corner under power lines. There is a junction of tracks here.

Cross the stile and turn right on a farm track going uphill along a field edge. At the top of the rise reach another junction of tracks. Turn left on a chalky tractor track towards distant trees. Go steadily uphill.

At the top of the rise with excellent views reach a log. Stay on the track as it swings left here, revealing views of distant Portsmouth. At a Y-fork by an old shed, bear right, still on the main tractor track.

After some way, reach an old barn with a pylon behind. Here turn right, on a grassy track, towards trees, with a hedge on your left.

Enter the wood and drop down to a T-junction. Turn left on a grassy bridleway for some way.

Go under power lines and straight on to a junction with a bridleway coming up from the right. Bear left, slightly uphill. Reach a T-junction at the edge of woods, and turn right, on a footpath downhill along the edge of the wood.

Soon re-enter a wood and keep gently downhill traversing diagonally left down the slope on a clear path. Eventually go down steps onto a forest track. Turn left to continue downhill.

At the bottom of the slope, turn right, off the track, down a long flight of steps into trees. Go on through a wooden barrier. Soon exit the wood through a wooden kissing gate, and continue down to a stile with a road beyond.

Do not cross, but turn left up the narrow pasture, along by a wire fence up on your left. Reach a corner with a stile by a metal fieldgate. Cross and continue along the edge of the field ahead with a fence and hedge on your left.

At the end of the field reach a metal kissing gate. Do not go through but turn right uphill on the field edge with a hedge on your left. Near the top corner, turn left through a metal kissing gate. Go down to the little church of St. Hubert at Idsworth (well worth a visit). Past the church, go on down to a road.

Turn left along the road. Soon turn left over a stile by metal railings to go down the edge of a field (not on OS map). At the bottom, bear left, still in the field, and go on up past a house on your right, towards woods on the hill ahead.

Climb up to a wooden kissing gate, and through this enter the wood and turn right on a path running along the edge with a wire fence on your right. Go steeply uphill.

At a Y-fork, go right. At the top of the rise bear slightly right, still on the same path, as a path comes in on the left.

Eventually exit the woods over a stile into a field and go across to another stile at the other side. Cross and continue to a wooden kissing gate. Do not go through, but turn right down the edge of the field with a wire fence on your left.

The field narrows. Opposite the end of an old wire fence over on your right, bear diagonally right down and across the field towards the railway on a feint grassy track.

Look for an old stile on your right. Pass this and go down to pass a second broken stile. Go on across the floor of the valley to a stile by a metal fieldgate onto a road.

Turn left on the road under a railway bridge and keep on into the village of Finchdean. Reach The George pub in the centre and the end of the section.

Greatstone to Gillingham Robust Ramble

Section 35  Return

Finchdean to West Marden

Map: OS Explorer 120 Chichester

Distance: 3 miles/ 2 hours

Start: The George pub; very limited on road parking or ask at the inn if intending to visit.

Comment: A short and straightforward return but still with some climbs and steep descents; a nice contrast of woodland and open fields.

With The George pub behind, turn left along the road a few paces. Cross the car park entrance and immediately turn left over a stile by an old metal fieldgate into a rather gloomy enclosed path.

Soon go under a railway and climb up across a large field towards the end of a treeline at the top. On reaching it, continue on with a hedge on your left, to a T-junction with a tarmac drive. Turn left on this, up through trees.

At the top of the rise, by the entrance to Rookwood Cottage, bear right, still on the drive to pass a farm and reach a large concrete farmyard. Go straight up this yard (ignore a footpath off right),  and go forward onto a gravel farm track at the top.

After 150 metres, where the track swings left, go straight ahead on a grassy way with a hedge on your right. Keep on to cross between open fields and reach a wood at the far side.

After a few paces, bear right, off the field edge, on a path going down into trees. Continue steadily downhill. Cross a gravel farm track and go on again down through trees, then steadily uphill.

At a little clearing, keep forward on a forest track, up through pine trees.

At the top of the rise, cross a wide farm track and go forward on a tractor track, briefly through trees, to meet fields with the end of a hedge straight ahead.

Go forward along keeping the hedge on your left. Near the end of the field, with a wood clad house in sight, keep close to the hedge on a feint path with bears slightly left into bushes.

Pass buildings on your left, crossing two gravel drives, to reach a T-junction. Turn right down a bridleway.

Soon pass a metal fieldgate on your left. Just after reach a junction of tracks. Turn left on a bridleway down into woods.

Drop steeply down, eventually crossing the entrance drive to West Marden Hall. Keep on down with a hedge on your left. The path twists as it descends (currently a large tree across it but it can be got round) and eventually emerges onto a road.

Turn left downhill to return to the Victoria Inn and the start of the section.