Rowlands Castle Circular Walk

25.6 km (15.9 miles) with 473 ascent/descent. For a shorter walk or an extension see below Walk Options.

7 out of 10, with 6 hours walking time. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at least 10 hours.

This West Sussex walk in the undulating western part of the South Downs is characterised initially by a mixture of park- and woodland, then steep lonely valleys and some far views to the main South Downs Ridge.
It starts off towards Stansted House along a 1-mile-long beech avenue – one of the best in England according to Pevsner, and then heads north along the easterly edge of Stansted Forest and across fields via the hamlets of West, Up and East Marden to a very remote pub in Hooksway, with particularly nice views on the route between the hamlets, including up to the northern escarpment of the South Downs.
From lunch you climb back out of the secluded valley on a westerly route to Compton, from where another couple of hills need to be crossed to finish along the westerly edge of Stansted Forest back into Rowlands Castle, with its teashop and a choice of pubs.
The walk (especially the extended version) features several sustained, steep climbs and descents.

A Shortcut around lunch cuts 9.4 km and most of the ascent/descent (rated 2/10).
An Extension after lunch adds 3.4 km and 162m ascent/descent. It follows a lonely, narrow, wood-fringed valley to the main northerly escarpment of the South Downs and then follows one of the most undulating sections of the South Downs Way with unrivalled far views from Pen Hill and Beacon Hill, making this a real challenge. The extended walk is rated 8/10.
All three routes share the start, up to West Marden, and the end, from Compton.
An Extension-within-the-Extension adds 1.0 km and 34m ascent/descent.

Bus Service 54 (Petersfield – Chichester) runs through the walk area, serving West Marden (the early lunch stop) and Compton (the late lunch/early tea stop), 5 buses a day Mon-Sat, to late afternoon.

OS Explorer: OL8 (Chichester) [formerly 120]
OS Landranger: 197 (Chichester & the South Downs)

Rowlands Castle station, map reference SU 734 108, is 14 km west north west of Chichester, 14 km north east of Portsmouth, 38m above sea level and in South East Hampshire. The walk itself is in West Sussex. The station is on the Portsmouth Direct Line from London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour with an hourly service. Journey time is between 88 and 99 minutes, but on the outbound journey you can cut 15 minutes by changing at Petersfield (Mon-Sat only).

Saturday Walkers' Club: Take the train closest to 9.00 hours for the full and the extended walk, and the train closest to 10.00 for the short walk.

The Victoria Inn Locksash Lane, West Marden PO18 9EN (023 9263 1330). Located 6.3 km (3.9 mi) into the walk.
The Royal Oak Hooksway, PO18 9JZ (01243 535 257). Located 12.6 km (7.9 mi) into the full and the extended walk.
The Coach and Horses Compton, PO18 9HA (023 9263 1228). Located 8.7 km (5.4 mi) into the short walk and 7.4 km (4.6 mi) from the end of all walk options. This pub is currently closed!

The Village Shop and Tea Room The Square, Compton. PO18 9HA (023 9263 1144). Located 8.7 km (5.4 mi) into the short walk and 7.4 km (4.6 mi) from the end of all walk options. The shop and tearoom are currently closed!
The Castle Inn 1 Finchdean Road, Rowlands Castle PO9 6DA (023 9241 2494). Located 2 minutes from the station.
The Bumblebee Café 2 The Green, Rowlands Castle, PO9 6BN (023 9241 3523). Located 2 minutes from the station.
The Robin Hood 26 The Green, Rowlands Castle, PO9 6AB (023 9241 2268). Located 3 minutes from the station.
Taste of India on the Green 34 The Green, Rowlands Castle, PO9 6AB (023 9307 2783). Located 4 minutes from the station.
The Fountain Inn 34 The Green, Rowlands Castle PO9 6AB (023 9241 3721). Located 4 minutes from the station.

After the walk, please leave a comment, it really helps. Thanks!

You can also upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are:

National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234

Aug-24 Thomas G