Walberton circular

By Eddie Start

Click here to view map

The isolated church of St Mary at Binstead is worth visiting for its wall paintings and engaging rural simplicity

This shorter, five-mile walk, begins in the delightful village of Walberton, just half-a-mile south of the busy A27 main road.

The immediate impression the visitor gets is of an established and cohesive community.

There is the centuries-old church of St Mary, a delightful main street, a recreation ground and a splendid village hall.

If you are one of those who can remember the healthy diet which was imposed upon the nation during the Second World War, you will have perhaps experienced the delights of Woolton Pie.

Lord Woolton, who was Food Minister in the wartime government, was a resident of the village and his name was associated with the vegetable pie (topped with pastry crust and served with gravy) which kept the nation on a dietary even-keel during those years.

There do not appear to be any blue plaques in the village to commemorate this significant culinary contribution.

1. From the car park, beside the recreation ground and village hall, take the footpath which is to right of the car park entrance and next to a parade of shops. The path continues between houses and in 350 yards comes to the B2132 secondary road.

Turn left up the road, passing a hotel entrance and coming to a road junction at Hedgers Hills. Take the right fork on the descending minor road, passing a footpath on the left.

Cross a road bridge, and in a few yards take the left signed footpath, climbing beside a garden fence and wall to a stile and road.

2. Cross the road, take a few paces left and enter the bridleway shown on the map as Old Scotland Lane. This path passes across the top of the hill and descends to woodland for the next mile.

The sections of woodland are shown on the map as Scotland, Singer's Piece, Paine's Wood and Binsted Wood.

The bridleway threads its way through the tree cover and gets muddy in places, due in part to streams which cross in a north-south direction.

After three-quarters-of-a-mile, at the first four-way junction, stay on the bridleway and continue eastward for 450 yards.

At the next four-way junction, take the signed half-right footpath into Pinewoods.

In 150 yards, cross a footbridge, climb from this and turn right beside power cables, shortly arriving at Binsted Lane, beside the house called Pinewoods.

3. Take a few paces left and pick up the footpath on the opposite side of the road.

Continue across Tortington Common, still in woodland, keeping to the main path for nearly half a mile, following a south-easterly direction and crossing streams on the way.

At a road, cross and take the path opposite for 100 yards then turn right down the next minor road.

In 400 yards at the dwelling called Hanger Down House, turn right towards Priory Manor.

Go to the right of the last building in the complex and stay on the footpath which keeps to the right of the wall and fence edge.

On arriving at a double bridge, go to the right over the first bridge and left over the second.

Pick up the path which goes half-right across the wide, open field in a south-westerly direction for nearly half a mile.

The prominent, large building which is obvious at the far side of the field at Tortington is passed at its western end.

Having dropped to a gully, pass through a gap in a flint wall and walk to the right of the building onto a minor road beside a pillar box.

4. Turn left along the road for 100 yards and take the stile on the right. Walk between the scrub, cross a stile, with a pond to the right, and take the onward path across another open field.

On coming to a plank bridge, cross this and then a stile and follow the signed path to the right corner of the next field.

Climb on an enclosed path and drop to a path between banks. Turn left for 100 yards and then turn right across the top of a meadow, dropping to a three-way junction at Marsh Farm.

Walk to the right, climbing to the buildings ahead and then go right across the front of the farm buildings, passing beside a pond and paddock on the left.

Take the left turn at the top end of the paddock, pass beside a small building and, keeping to the right hedge line, cross the next meadow towards Oakley Cottages.

At the cottages turn briefly right to the minor road and then go left on the road for 400 yards.

Where the road veers to the left take the right signed footpath which proceeds along the right side of a newly-planted hedgeline, beside a nursery.

5. In 400 yards, at a path junction, turn left along the unsigned lane to arrive at the road opposite the tiny church of St Mary's at Binsted.

The church is worth a closer inspection. With its stubby, shingle-clad bell-tower, the 12th-Century building was erected by the monks from nearby Tortington Priory and in the past must have served a larger community.

Adjacent to the north window is a wall painting commemorating St Margaret of Scotland. Around the walls are remnants of other religious decoration.

From the church, walk to its north boundary wall and take the footpath on the left which keeps to the north side of the wall and descends to cross a drainage gully at the bottom of a slope.

From the bridge walk to the left and climb to the edge of the golf course, pass through a gate and continue westward across the top of the field, dropping to the secondary road at Black smith's Corner, at the edge of Walberton. Cross the road and walk on along The Street, back towards the village centre and the start.