Amberley and Arun Valley Circular

Richard Clayton

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If you don't know the picturesque Arun Valley where it cuts through the South Downs, this will be a very pleasant introduction! The walk is an easy one, along the riverbank and other clearly marked tracks, from Amberley Railway Station to the hamlets of North Stoke and South Stoke and back. The walk was updated in April 2010, one of my reasons for doing so being to encourage Walkingworld subscribers to leave the car at home and use the excellent rail service to Amberley from London Victoria and other towns en route.

The River Arun is tidal as far north as Pallingham, over eighteen miles from its mouth at Littlehampton. It is also one of the fastest-flowing rivers in the country and is prone to flash flooding after sustained heavy rainfall. It is a walk for all seasons - one of the great sights of this part of the world in the winter is the Arun Valley filled with mist, seen from the surrounding downs.

The surrounding area of the Arun Valley and the nearby South Downs is well-covered by our Walks 74, 75, 229 and others, so hopefully you will come back and explore further.

On 31st March 2010 the South Downs became Britain's newest National Park and the tenth to be designated in England. It is over 1,600 km sq and stretches 100 miles from the edge of Winchester to Beachy Head. The Park is home to over 108,000 people and includes the towns of Petersfield, Midhurst and Lewes.

As part of a flood-plain, the walking can be wet underfoot at times, but generally it is a great walk for families, children and dogs included.

England - South England - West Sussex - South Downs

Features

Birds, Cafe, Church, Flowers, Good for Kids, Great Views, Mostly Flat, Museum, Pub, Public Transport, Restaurant, River, Wildlife, Woodland

2/1/2012 - Walkingworld Admin

Our thanks to Christine Jervis for her update for this walk. January 2012.

1/31/2012 - Christine Jervis

Lovely walk - lots of variety - muddy.

1/14/2007 - Martin O'Keeffe

I walked this route this morning. The new bridge over the river Arun is now open (although I not sure it's worth the £1.6M it is said to have cost!). A great variety of scenery (river, chalk cliffs, open farmland, woodland) to be admired. Good wildlife ( I saw a kingfisher in woodland next to the river). The route passes near both South Stoke & North Stoke churches - both delightful; they were built in the early 1200's. Some parts of the route were a bit of a quagmire - this is not a complaint only a warning about how waterlogged the land gets at times(especially near the river).