Four legs, Two wheels
In this part of Sussex we’re so lucky to be surrounded by a network of public bridleways, for horse riders and mountain bikers to make the most of and, of course, walkers too.
Here’s our guide to the best rides around Arundel and the local area. The route will take an hour or two – depending on how fast you go!
‘Lift up your hearts’ on the Eartham Woods ride
Just north of Aldingbourne, off the A27, is where you’ll find Eartham Woods. The car park is about a mile and a half north of the village and has a designated area for the exclusive use of horse boxes and trailers just by the entrance.
This route is approximately 6 miles and will take you along Stane Street, once part of the Roman road to London, and through Gumber.
Through the woodland for about a mile the track then leads onto open downland. From here, there are fantastic views towards the coast and you can even see the spire of Chichester Cathedral.
Follow the path straight for about half a mile, and you will pass Gumber Farm on your right – look out for the foundations of the World War II ‘dummy’ aerodrome.
Once past Gumber Farm, stay on Stane Street and take the second bridleway on the right through a small wood.
After just a few hundred yards, take the next bridleway on the right. This is known as Gumber Corner. The bridleway heads due south, and after passing through a gate, the track opens out into a beautiful piece of downland known as Great Down.
Another gate takes you onto Little Down and at the bottom take a sharp right onto a bridleway that heads north for a few yards. Then take the next bridleway on your left, which goes across an open field for about half a mile, then alongside woodland onto a lane.
Stay on this lane for a few hundred yards and take the first bridleway on the left. Carry on along this track, and when it forks, make sure you stay on the left track. Follow this bridleway, take the next path on your left and keep on that track until you get back to the lane, which is only a few yards from where you started.
Findon Village
About 5 miles north of Worthing, is the starting point for this 8-mile ride. Park at Nepcote Green, famous for its centuries-old annual sheep fair, on the slightly sloping surface just on the roadside at the northeast end of the Green. If you are towing a trailer, it’s best to arrive early as the parking area gets busy and could make manoeuvring hard.
Access the bridleway from the car park and take a route along part of the South Downs Way to the Chanctonbury Ring. Turn left past the memorial, and you join the South Downs Way.
Stay on this track for about two and a half miles, and after going through a gate next to a cattle grid, you will arrive at Chanctonbury Ring.
Once the Roman temple site, in 1588, a beacon was lit here to warn of the Spanish Armada. The trees just below Chanctonbury, were severely damaged in the October 1987 ‘Great Storm’. Thanks to replanting after this devastation, the Ring is now returning to its former glory.
Chanctonbury Ring is an ideal place for a canter with the large expanse of springy downland turf from one end to the other, and perfect if you want to go up a gear or two!
Continue on the bridleway and take the south track. Can you spot the Isle of Wight to the west?
After about a mile, take the bridleway on the left, Shortly after, you will see an old cottage, called the Pest House, on your left. Pest houses were used to quarantine people who were suffering from diseases such as TB or smallpox. Findon’s pest house is one of only seven remaining in the UK.
Then turn immediately right uphill onto a concrete track, then go through the gate and head across the field, coming out through another gate opposite.
Straight ahead is through Gallops Farm, then take the first right, and you will be back to where you started at Nepcote Green.
Follow in royal footsteps on the Whiteways Café ride
Whiteways café, Whiteways café, on the A29/Bury Hill, northwest of Arundel, Takes its name from the castellated lodge on the other side of the roundabout – Whiteways Lodge – which sits at a northern entrance to Arundel Park.
This 8-mile route goes through Houghton Forest, up Bignor Hill and along part of the South Downs Way. At the top, take the left track staying on Monarch’s Way, which becomes part of Stane Street (the old Roman road).
After about two miles, follow the bridleway on the right into North Wood and take either the first or second bridleway on the right, both of which will bring you back up to the Monarch’s Way.
Head back up the bridleway to return to Monarch’s Way. Continue eastwards, and you will find yourself at the car park on the top of Bignor Hill. The views from here are amazing.
This well-known local landmark can be seen from miles around. Keep riding in the same direction and, after about half a mile, look northwards to the hamlet of Bignor, where a magnificent Roman villa once stood.
Then take a right onto the South Downs Way, and after about a mile and a half, turn right again along a bridleway, which runs almost parallel to the A29, Bury Hill. This will take you back to Whiteways, where you can get a well-deserved cup of tea at the café.
The South Downs National Park (SDNP) website has more routes and information as well as a helpful overview of equestrian vehicle parking areas:
https://www.southdowns.gov.uk/
Written by Barb Hogan, Visit Arundel
Photos by Charlie Waring