Williamson Country walk: West Dean Estate

This 7 mile (11 kms) takes you across much of West Dean Estate. Grass verge parking in Hylter’s Lane at the crossways above the Chilgrove Valley is one of the places to start at SU840140. The thick hedges either side of this area are breeding grounds for yellowhammers and linnets, blackbirds and dunnocks. There is often a buzzard here as well.

Walk south-east down the stony track passing the site of a Roman station which is on our right as we cross the Roman road which ran from Chichester to Silchester. Keep right to stay on Monarch’s Way footpath as it passes to the south of Lodge Hill Farm.

We enter Whitedown plantation while descending to the road as we pass through a coppice and standard woodland which has forty species of breeding birds. This used to be one of the last strongholds for the woodwarbler but due to global warming the species has moved north out of Sussex.

Meet up with the minor road down to West Dean Village where a pub and a village shop awaits you near the River Lavant. Our walk is now on the footpath going north along the A286. Just past and on the opposite side of the college gate you will find a minor road running north among the cottages taking you up onto Colworth Down. This is a lovely quiet lane among ivy-covered trees with a rich ground flora of bluebells and wood anemones in the spring, and yellow archangels, stitchwort and gypsies lace. Reaching the top of the hill and walking past the farm you enter a wide plain with lovely views in all directions. The track now descends across the fields to Colworth Barn with field maple trees in the hedge. You will reach the bridle way at the edge of the beech forest where turn right in Venus Wood. Again, a lovely place for wild flowers and honey suckle under some oaks and fir trees. Keep left and left again north-west as you cross into the Cowdray fir woods. Here keep left and left yet again as you pass near the Severals Wood. This name refers to ‘several’ beech trees found there in years gone by. Soon you re-enter West Dean Estate by a large chalk ball. This is part of the chalk ball trail laid down by sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. Keep left on the blue arrow and this bridleway takes you south past West Dean Nature Reserve which Sussex Wildlife Trust leases from West Dean Estate. This area is the well-known wild daffodil woods that bloom at their best on 15 March. It also hosts 360 species of wild flower.

The path comes very close to the minor road (Chilgrove to West Dean) where turn left along it for half a mile down to Hylters Lane where turn right and uphill back to your car.