Burpham circular

By Eddie Start

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Up a quiet country road, that seems to finish with a dead-end, is the tiny village of Burpham. On a promontory above the River Arun, the village was identified by Alfred the Great as being of strategic significance.

At the southern end of the village’s 21st-century recreation ground was a lookout and defensive position designed to repel Viking incursions in the ninth century. Nowadays the tranquil setting, church and pub determine the importance of the village for residents and visitors seeking a perfect rural setting.

On this walk we get out onto open Downland and descend steeply towards North Stoke for a riverside return.

1.From the main village street, beside the George and Dragon pub, turn into the footpath that leads towards the parish church.

In a few yards, as the flint wall on the right runs out and with the church porch ahead, turn half-right across the churchyard towards the steps leading over the boundary wall.

Walk along the footpath, at the right edge of the field, for 350 yards, turning half-right to descend to a minor road. Turn right and down the road for 200 yards to a road junction and take the signed bridleway on the left.

The open Downland track heads north-east for one-anda- half miles, passing Burpham High Barn at the mid-way point; Perry Hill and Wepham Down are away to the right. In the final quarter of a mile of the track, it briefly bends to the left and then resumes direction to walk beside an animal-excavated bank on the left.

2.With open hillside all around the bridleway you arrive at a three-way junction and a left turn is taken up a rising track. The path climbs and then descends, before climbing again and passing a dried-up dew pond on the right of the track after half-a-mile. Continue towards the obvious scrub cover and path junction in a further 200 yards.

Turn left down the bridleway for 100 yards and then turn right, heading west for 150 yards towards a copse. Do not enter the tree-cover but turn left, with the trees on the right, and follow the bridleway for nearly 300 yards to join a track coming from the right.

Walk on, in a southerly direction, for half-a-mile and, as the main track begins to bend to the left, note the hedge line on the right and the enclosed footpath (yellow arrow).

Turn right down the enclosed path and in 100 yards begin a steep descent down irregularly spaced, rustic steps.

3.In 150 yards, at the base of the steep hillside, cross a stile, turn right for a few yards, climb towards a bridleway sign and turn left.

Follow the path for over halfa- mile, with a steep wooded slope on the right and drainage ditches and reeds across the flood plain meadows on the left.

The path comes to a wooden gate and then continues ahead to a narrow, tree-bordered field and two more gates, before climbing across a field to the far, top right corner.

Pass through a gate onto a metalled road and turn left towards the settlement of North Stoke. On coming to the first cottages on the left note the footpath that is up the bank on the right, this the path option.

If time permits North Stoke has a hidden gem well worth a detour. Continue down the metalled road, between the farm buildings and dwellings, towards the farmhouse at the far end. Soon the church of St. Mary the Virgin comes into view and this is the object of the diversion.

The entrance to the building is to the left, from the gated entrance to the churchyard. The size of the structure confirms North Stoke as having once been a more substantial community.

Its simple interior is typical of many remote, rural Sussex churches. The setting offers a really tranquil and quiet spot.

4.On returning to the previously mentioned turning beside the flint cottages, climb the bank and walk beside the cottage garden wall to cross a couple of stiles.

Walk towards the bottom of the sloping meadow.

Go over a stile at the bottom of the field and immediately cross an impressive footpath suspension bridge above a drainage area. The onward path now twists its way in scrub and tree cover for several hundred yards to arrive at the bank of the River Arun.

Turn left down the bank-top path, heading towards a white bridge at South Stoke. Cross a stile at the bridge, walk over the track to the next stile and continue along the east bank of the river.

The path follows the curves of the river, with extensive views back to the earlier hill top route, for about half-a-mile before turning left and heading for the railway crossing in 350 yards.

5.Cross the railway with care and regain the path along the bank, on the right. In 200 yards the path begins a turn to the right with Peppering Farm a short distance away, up the hill to the left. The tower of Burpham village church is now clearly in view.

Keep to the path, which now departs from the riverbank. Follow the left hedge-line along the narrow meadow, with the embankment to the left that marks the outskirts of Burpham.

In 400 yards, locate a stubby green ventilation or utilities pipe surrounded by a wooden fence to the left of the path. Just after this distinctive feature note a track climbing up the bank to the left and climb this to a path junction.

Do not take the signed, right turning but climb up the track ahead beside a wooden fence that is on the left.

In a short distance pass beside a now-silent farrier’s workshop, on the right of the path, and continue towards the main village street in Burpham. The village pub and car park are a few paces down the road.