Midhurst at Midwinter: A Jolly Traverse of the Holly Hursts

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Lowland and Hill Walks
Dec 19
2020

10 people attending

10 places left

Your price
£12.50
Event difficulty background shape EventDifficulty
Easy Moderate Very Hard
Distance is 16 km (10 miles); terrain is hilly with one big, gradual descent and one big, gradual ascent; total climb is 397 m; surfaces are sand, gravel, dirt, grass and tarmac.

This walk is taking place in an area in Tier 2 and so only people living in the same tier or lower are eligible to attend.

'Hurst' in a place name means 'wooded hill', and these wooded hills will be stocked with seasonal shrubs such as holly, ivy, spruce and so forth. Starting by car or bus amid such woods we'll ascend Woolbeding Common, pause to appreciate the panorama, and then descend to the valley of the River Rother and the spick-and-span timelessness of the town of Midhurst. Here we'll split up and have an hour and a bit to find places to look at and lunch at. At a set time we'll meet up to complete the walk, finding further quiet corners, fir tree forests and historic homes (chief among those the imposing ruins of Cowdray House) and generally delighting in the Christmassy company of our fellow OutdoorLads.

The sights:

Henley: A straggle of picturesque cottages and farms on the edge of Verdley Hill. There are superb views back to Blackdown Hill. The Duke of Cumberland Arms pub is C16.

Woolbeding Common: Oak, sweet chestnut, birch and rowan growing on the greensand give way to bilberry, gorse and heather. These areas don't feel like Sussex but more like the edge of Dartmoor. Birdlife includes green and greater spotted woodpeckers and perhaps resident linnets and stonechats. The heath has always provided local people with heather to burn and now the National Trust is cutting back birch trees to prevent forest taking over the biodiverse heathland. There are superb views from the highest point across the Weald to the South Downs. 

Woolbeding: The first village on the River Rother west out of Midhurst. All Hallows Church is tall, unaisled, Saxon, but restoration has removed most character and the chancel is from 1870. Woolbeding Hall is a delightful house of 1700, with French-looking additions of 1875. Home from 1972 until his death in 2006 to businessman, philanthropist and art collector Simon Sainsbury, and later his civil partner Stewart Grimshaw. The National Trust opens the gardens. Woolbeding Bridge is C14. 

Midhurst: To quote my go-to topographer Ian Nairn in The Buildings of England: Sussex: 'To the main road traveller, Midhurst, like Petworth, is a bewildering series of acute ninety-degree bends combined with an inexplicable cottagey cosiness in the buildings, so different from the open market-places of Hampshire. Few towns are more deceptive, few towns withhold themselves so firmly until the traveller gets out of his car and on to his feet: few towns in particular have a more exciting relationship with the surrounding countryside'. The parish church (St Mary Magdalene and St Denys) is disappointing: some parts are C13, but most seems to be from the restoration of 1882. It overlooks a pleasant if rather empty square. The Spread Eagle Hotel is 1700, the Old Market House is C16, Market Hall (Now Eagle House) is 1552 with an C18 front. The former library is a ramble of tiled and timbered cottages of the C17. The biggest building is Cowdray House, just NE of the town, the epitome of sober but splendid Tudor architecture, dating from 1492 to 1542. It was left a ruin by a fire in 1793 and so spared from being Victorianized. 

Easebourne: A Cowdray Estate village (identified by yellow paintwork), mostly sandstone with some timber framing. Many good C19 estate cottages. Sycamore Cottage is C16 and the best of a mile of cottages that stretches up the village's High Street. St Mary is a priory church from the C13, but almost everything is now of 1876. Easebourne Priory was founded in 1238 and what is left are the buildings around the cloister which now form an amalgam of medieval, C17 and C18 design. 

The route (please click on the link in red to be taken to the Ordnance Survey website):

The westwards Serpent Trail will take us along Verdley Edge to the highest point of Woolbeding Common. Paths heading south will bring us to Eastshaw Lane which will bring us to Woolbeding village. Heading further south over the bridge, we'll almost get to the A272 and the western edge of Midhurst. After an hour exploring the town and finding food and a place to eat it, we'll meet up again, ascend St Anne's Hill, then proceed along the River Rother past Cowdray. A gravel track in the grounds of the house will take us to Easebourne where we'll walk along the High Street, then Easebourne Street north to Whitters Copse. At Verdley Farm we'll pick up a footpath heading west back to Henley. 

Dogs:

I love having dogs on my walks and this walk is suitable for them, except that there will be a number of stiles to cross (you may have to lift your muddy beast over them), lanes to walk along, a few fields with livestock and the town of Midhurst where they won't be welcome in cafes. Any dog off the lead must be obedient.

COVID-19: IMPORTANT: Please read the following before you sign up to this event:

  • Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, even if they are extremely mild, or who lives or is in a support bubble with someone showing symptoms, is asked not to attend. This is in line with the government’s coronavirus advice.
  • You must also immediately self-isolate and not attend the event if you or someone in your household or support bubble shows coronavirus symptoms or tests positive. You can find the NHS self-isolation guidance here.
  • The main symptoms of COVID-19 are a high temperature, a new continuous cough, and a loss or change to your sense of taste and/or smell.
  • You may be subject to local lockdown restrictions, which you must fully comply with. Details of the location of these restrictions can be found here for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.   
  • We do not encourage car sharing to events during the pandemic. Please comply with the safety travel guidance for England, Wales, and Scotland. Face coverings should be worn on public transport.
  • OutdoorLads will support the tracing systems in place across the UK  and attendance at an OutdoorLads event is considered permission to use contact details for this purpose if requested by the appropriate authority.  
  • All are required to practice social distancing – staying 2m (not 1m) apart at all times, including the lunch stop. Remember: Face, Hands, Space.
  • Unfortunately, there won’t be any planned pub / café stops en route or at the end, and please don’t share sweets or snacks with others – we’re sorry!
  • Please bring your own hand sanitising gel for your own use throughout the day. Use of face coverings is at your own choice, but please bring one with you just in case it's needed. Please bring any other PPE items required. Bring a disposable bag for any used PPE.
  • Members are advised to bring their own small first aid kit for personal use..
  • Be aware that opportunities for toilet stops may be minimal if facilities are closed.
  • Please, please cancel at your earliest opportunity if you are unable to attend or are unwell, so that we can allow others to take up these valuable event spaces.
  • Much as it's difficult - no handshakes or hugs!

COVID-19: Events Participation Statement

OutdoorLads draws your attention to the fact that travelling and being away from home increases the risk of receiving and transmitting Coronavirus, whilst it is present in the UK. You are likely to choose not to participate in OutdoorLads events whilst there is a risk of Coronavirus transmission. However, should you choose to participate in OutdoorLads events whilst the risk is present, you must be aware of and follow the law and government guidelines, both when travelling to and from events as well as when participating in events.

Please note that every person participating should be aware of (and accept) that those members perceived as ‘in charge’ or leading the event are not experts,  do not need to be experts, and are not regarded by OutdoorLads, or themselves as experts, but are amateurs with some experience in the event type and who are happy to impart their knowledge.  Any advice given should be considered with this in mind by the recipient.

By signing up to and attending an OutdoorLads event, you are confirming that you have read, understood and accept the content of this statement.

Please see our website for more information including an FAQ about our events.

(Picture credits: woolbeeding common panorama by wimbledonian (licensed for use under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 2.0; Swallows Bottom from Older Hill by Roger Lovett; Henley by Ben Gamble; Great Common by Ben Gamble; View across Woolbeding Common by Martyn Pattison; Pound Common by Colin Smith; Old Buddington seen from near to Locks Cottage by Shazz; Through the gates of Woolbeding House by Shazz; Woolbeding Bridge over the Rother by Shazz; Town Hall, Midhurst by Roger Cornfoot; Capron House by Oliver Dixon; Eagle House, Market Square, Midhurst by Stefan Czapski; Harveys Bottle and Jug, Elizabeth House, Church Hill, Midhurst by Jo Turner; Cowdray Castle by Roger Cornfoot; Ruins of Cowdray Castle Midhurst by Chris Gunns; Easebourne Priory by Ben Gamble; Sowter's Farm House at Easebourne by Shazz; Faggot Stacks by Robin Webster; The track to Verdley Farm by Shazz. All photos are copyrighted but are above credited to their copyright holders and are licensed for further reuse under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0).)

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