Walks Day walks # 33

South Downs Way 4 : Amberley to Cocking Walk

South Downs Way along the ridge of the South Downs NP. Views in the morning, a forested trail in the afternoon. Travel by bus.

Length	18.6 km (11.6 mi) with 450m/350m ascent/descent.
Toughness	6 out of 10
Maps	OS Explorer OL8 (Chichester) and OL10 (Arundel). You'll need an OS Map, or a guidebook to the SDW with maps
Features	This is a ridge walk along the South Downs Way (SDW) along a good, easy to follow path. There are fine views in the morning. The afternoon is forested, so even though you're on top of the ridge, it's like walking along a forested trail. There are better views in winter (weather permitting). There are no facilities along the route apart from a cyclist's cafe at Upwaltham. There are pubs ~ 1km off the South Downs Way, in Duncton, Graffham and Heyshott. The walk finished where the SDW meets the A286 by a bus stop about 1km south of Cocking. In Cocking itself is the Blue Bell pub (re-opened 2022), a tearoom at Moonlight Cottage B&B, and the same (regular) bus service south to Chichester or north to Midhurst (change again for Pulborough). Or stay overnight, and continue along the SDW towards Petersfield.
Walk Options	Divert north to Midhurst Cocking has good bus connections, but the train journey from Chichester is longer and more expensive. As an alternative, Midhurst, a pretty village with plenty of amenities, is just 5 km north of Cocking and has a direct bus connection to Pulborough, which is on the same train line as Amberley, but one stop closer to London. The 2 bus fares are not cheap however. In reverse: Cocking to Amberley If you walk in the other direction, there is a nice pub in Amberley to finish in.
Eat	Cadence Cafe, Upwaltham, Littleton Farm, GU28 0LX. Kiosk selling drinks, cake and rolls. Popular with cyclists. (Only) outside seating. 8km from the start. The farm is marked on the 1:25K OS map. If you do the walk in reverse, there is a riverside tearoom and pub by Amberley Station

South Downs Way	This walk is one of 9 stages of the South Downs Way - a 109 mile national long distance path - that traverses the South Downs National Park in South East England. Entire Route 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 south 8 north
Cocking	Bus Travel from Cocking There is a bus stop where the SDW meets the main road, or you can walk 1km north to Cocking village where there is the Bluebell restaurant-pub to wait for the bus. For people on the Petersfield-Cocking walk on Mon-Sat only : take the #60 north to Midhurst (half-hourly), then change to the #70 to Haslemere (hourly). This costs £4.90 ("transfer ticket") [Dec-17] and works quite well: Cocking: xx:40 until 18.40 to Midhurst, 10 min connection to #70 (at xx:00 to 19.05) to Haslemere. You'll save the price on the cheaper Petersfield train ticket. Check connection times online beforehand. On Sunday, or on the Amberley walk, take Stagecoach bus # 60 south to Chichester (about £4, takes 25 mins, Mon-Sat: every 30 mins till late, Sun: hourly till 6:45pm). Buy a return to Chichester, make sure it is valid by either route. The entrance to the Chichester bus station is opposite and to the left of Chichester train station. Buses leave from behind it. The 'change buses in Midhurst' trick does not work on the Amberley-Cocking walk. On Mon-Sat only, you could take the #60 north to Midhurst, then change to the #1 to Pulborough (see below). However, it costs an exorbitant £8 ("Dayrider Gold") Theses bus details were correct in Dec-17, but are very likely to change - check before you travel using: Traveline Southeast Stagecoach South : Stagecoach buses have family tickets, but no group tickets. A day ticket is £8 Taxi: "Paddy Cars. £20 to Haslemere for up to 7 people. t: 01730 263263 \| 01730 262279. Folks can relax in the Bluebell Inn while waiting - journey time about 25 mins". You need to book in advance on sunny summer weekends. Places to Stay 2-Day Walk : Petersfield to Cocking to Amberley via the SDW This makes a great 2 day walk. Buy a period return to Chichester (where the 2 rail routes converge, or 2 singles). Cocking is a hamlet with a pub-restaurant. Midhurst, to the north is a small town. Moonlight Cottage B&B Downsfold B&B Bluebell Hotel (restaurant-pub)
Midhurst	Travel from Midhurst Updated Nov-21 Catch a bus to/from a station, preferably on the same rail line you arrived from. If not possible, buy a more expensive ticket to Chichester, which is valid on both rail lines. Bus times change frequently. Check before you travel. Especially the time of the last bus! Traveline - online timetable Stagecoach South - NB: Stagecoach buses have family tickets, but no group tickets. A day ticket is £8.40 (mobile)/£9.10 (paper). This might make sense if you are travelling from (say) Brighton. There are 4 bus routes to choose from. Portsmouth Direct Line from Waterloo to Haslemere or Petersfield Bus North to Haslemere (7 days) Take Stagecoach bus #70 (destination Guildford or Haslemere) north to Haslemere. Fare: £5.40 (11/21) Mon-Sat: about hourly to 17.05, then 18.10 and 19.15. Takes from 26 mins. Sun: every two hours on xx:35 to 18.35. Takes 25 mins. Bus West to Petersfield (Mon-Sat only) Take bus #91 or #92 (destination Petersfield) west to Petersfield. Mon-Sat: up to six buses per day between them, last at 17.50. Takes 25 mins (#92) or 41 mins (#91). Arun Valley line from Victoria to Pulborough or Chichester Bus East to Pulborough (7 days). Take Stagecoach bus #1 (destination Worthing) east to Pulborough. Fare: £4.90 (11/21) Mon-Sat: about hourly until 19.00. Takes 27 mins. Sun: every two hours, last at 18.30. Takes 27 mins. Both lines (a more expensive ticket to Chichester is needed, valid for all the above stations) South to Chichester (daily, until late Mon-Sat) Take Stagecoach #60 south to Chichester. Fare: £4.90 (11/21) Mon-Sat: every 30 mins until 19.12, then 20.07, 21.37 and 23.07, Takes 36 mins. Sun: hourly until 18.32. Takes 41 mins. You will need a train ticket to Chichester. Chichester's trains aren't evenly spaced, if you miss one you may have a long wait. The bus station is opposite the train station. Buses leave from behind it. Taxi from Midhurst BJ's Private Hire (01730 716 327 or 07732 590 806). Uber is about £20 for Midhurst to Haslemere.
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By Train	Out (not a train station) Back (not a train station)
By Car	Start Map Directions Finish Map Directions
Map Walk	This walk requires an OS map and a compass or GPS for navigation. You can print out OS maps using the link above.
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Help	🚧 🌤 🌧 UK SE Start walking Using GPS data Large print National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Traveline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234
Version	May-22 Andrew
Copyright	© Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml

Walk Directions

The directions for this walk are also in a PDF (link above) which you can download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone.

Starting in Amberley, follow the SDW to Cocking (clearly waymarked on the ground, and marked on the OS map).

In Cocking, there is a bus stop actually on the SDW, or divert north to the village to the pub

Alternative Endings/Starts to/from Midhurst, either from/to Cocking or via Heyshott are shown on the route map.

© Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml