South Downs WayThe South Downs Way and other long paths near West Marden

Where to join the South Downs Way

The South Downs Way follows the ridge of the Downs for 100 miles. From the farm there are three places to get onto it with somewhere to leave the car.

• Harting Down: about 5 miles, 10 to 15 minutes. The car park on the B2141 is on the trail. This is one of the largest areas of ancient chalk downland in National Trust care. It is open all year. Dogs must be on leads because livestock graze. There are no toilets, and the nearest are in South Harting. Non-members pay to park through the JustPark app.
• Queen Elizabeth Country Park: about 8 miles, 15 minutes. The trail runs through the park, which has a café, toilets and paid parking. The visitor centre and café open from about 10am to 4.30pm in winter and to 5.30pm in summer. Dogs are welcome. Butser Hill, in the park, is the highest point on the South Downs at 271 m.
• Cocking Hill car park, on the A286: about 14 miles, 25 to 30 minutes. It opens straight onto the trail.

A day on the ridge

From Harting Down the trail runs west towards Queen Elizabeth Country Park and east towards Cocking Hill. The simplest day is to walk out along the ridge for as long as you like and turn round. With two cars you can walk one way. Buriton to Cocking Hill is about 10 miles of trail.

The ridge is open to the weather and the chalk is slippery after rain, so take a coat and boots from November to March. On 12 and 13 June 2027 the South Downs Way 100 race comes over Harting Down, and the path will be busy.

After dark, Harting Down is the nearest Dark Sky Discovery Site to the farm. See dark skies, and Uppark and Harting Down for Uppark, close by.

The Monarch’s Way and the Sussex Border Path

The Monarch’s Way is a 615-mile path that traces the flight of Charles II in 1651 from Worcester to Shoreham. It comes into West Sussex from Rowlands Castle through Stansted Park, then runs by Walderton and Stoughton, over Bow Hill beside Kingley Vale and on to West Dean and the Trundle. The nearest point to the farm is Walderton, 2.5 miles down the valley.

The Sussex Border Path runs for about 150 miles from Emsworth to Rye. From Emsworth it heads north through Stansted Park, passes Compton and West Marden and carries on to South Harting. We have not walked the exact line through the village against the waymarks, so check Ordnance Survey Explorer map OL8 before you set out.

Cycling the Centurion Way

The Centurion Way is a walking and cycling path on the old railway from Chichester to Midhurst, with no traffic. It now runs for 11 km, or 6.8 miles, from Chichester to just beyond Singleton. The newest sections opened in August 2025. The last link to Cocking and the South Downs Way is not finished.

Join it at Lavant, about 9 miles and 15 minutes from the farm, or at West Dean, about 11 miles and 20 minutes. It suits children and anyone who would rather not ride on the lanes. For electric bikes, Southern eBike Rentals has a hire centre at Queen Elizabeth Country Park and can deliver. West Dean Gardens and the Weald and Downland Museum are at the northern end: see Singleton and West Dean.

From the farm

The South Downs Way is a short drive. The Octagon walks are not: the 15-mile Octagon Way passes a quarter of a mile from the farm and the West Marden loop starts in the village. A good week has both, with a day on the ridge and the rest from the door.

Barley Cottage takes one dog for £50 a stay. Keepers and The Old Stables have wood burners for drying out. Outside school holidays we take shorter stays. See walking holidays.