Burpham to Barpham
6 ¼
miles
Elevation: 990 feet / Undulating
Stiles: One, but the gate beside it could be used
Dog-friendly: There are sections on roads, as well as sheep and ground-nesting birds in places
Refreshment: The George, Burpham
Park at the free car park beside The George pub at Burpham (BN18 9RR). Walk back past the pub and turn right onto the road, following it round to the left past the beautiful village houses and out of the village.
About 30-40 metres after the road bends to the right, turn left into Coombe Lane, right next to the village sign for Burpham, marked as a public bridleway. (From here to the top of the hill is the old Leper’s Way.)
Pass a water supply station where the path narrows, go through the gate and at a three-way signpost, take the right turn, half-crossing Perry Hill.
Follow the path, through a gate and across fields. At the top, there is T-junction. Turn left on a chalky track, and when it curves round to the right, you’ll see a gate for the Angmering Park Farms. Go through the gate. Take the immediate left path and just ahead you’ll see another footpath sign which will direct you to the right up Barpham Hill.
At the top is a gate. Follow the obvious track to the half-right, heading for the trig point.
Shortly after that, there is another gate. Go through it, and take the left onto the footpath, then an immediate right onto another path between trees (the footpath sign for this was broken when we visited and not obvious).
Stay on this pretty footpath on the ridge above Lower Barpham. Pass through a gate and continue, eventually joining a gravel track. Follow it to the end where there is a three-way footpath sign. Turn right onto a wide public bridleway through the woods.
Stay on this bridleway all the way through the woodlands, passing a house on your left, and ignoring Estate tracks and footpaths to either side.
When you reach the edge of the woods, there is a five-bar metal gate. Immediately before it, take the narrow track to the right that doubles back, and shortly afterwards, take the sunken track that drops down through trees to your left.
At the bottom, go left at the T-junction onto a bridleway, and a short way on, you’ll turn right, still on a bridleway. This sunken path gently rises past New Down on your right.
At the top, there is a tarmac farm track. Turn left on the bridleway and follow the track as it drops down to the road at Wepham. At the end, turn right onto the road and an immediate left, signposted to Splash Farm. Follow the quiet public lane down past the farm and as it rises back up. At the end of the lane, take the left turn back to the pub and the carpark.
On this walk, look out for ...
The panoramic views from Barpham Hill - to the sea and over to Harrow Hill, where you can see signs of the ancient flint mines.
The prominent cross dyke on Barpham Hill.
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