There are two great English pleasures: a good walk and a great Sussex pub. And if one leads to the other, it’s a winning combination. So here are five great West Sussex pubs and the stunning walks you can do in their area to justify your time spent there. All our independent West Sussex pubs need your support at the moment and as the saying goes, we must use them or lose them.
The Green Man, Partridge Green
This independent pub has a restaurant and garden as well as a bar and they are dog friendly. You will find local produce on the menu and they are known for their curries, fish and chips, lobster and steaks. There is free parking.
Your walk
The Green Man is a skip and a jump from the Downs Link. If you are using public transport, join the Downs Link at Southwater (to where you can catch a bus) and it’s a 11 km walk to Henfield (from where you can get the bus home) with The Green Man a little over half way. There is also a bus service to Partridge Green.
Alternatively, there are a number of different circular walks you can do from the pub to Middlebarn Wood or even to Dial Post.
The Crown Inn, Dial Post
Talking of Dial Post, the Crown Inn is an an award-winning family run free house opposite the the village green in Dial Post and there is nothing to stop you starting your day at The Green Man and walking to The Crown Inn (it’s about 5 km).
Stop for a drink and then walk back. The Crown Inn is dog friendly, has a bar area, a garden room and restaurant and a patio overlooking the green. They support local Sussex breweries, farmers, suppliers and producers and also use locally foraged ingredients. There is free parking.
Your walk
If you don’t fancy walking from Partridge Green, why not walk at the Knepp Estate which is just across the village green and where you have a choice of 10 km, 5 km, and 2 km walks – all well signed.
The Sportsman, Amberley
The Sportsman is currently a community run pub and they serve range of handpicked local and real ales and locally sourced, home cooked food. They have a bar and restaurant with a conservatory and terrace that overlooks the stunning Amberley Wildbrooks Nature Reserve dubbed the ‘Sussex Serengeti’. They are dog friendly and have free parking.
Your walk
If you are travelling by public transport, catch the train to Amberley. It’s roughly a 2 km walk to the pub from the station.
For longer walks, you are right on the South Downs Way here, so you could walk a section of the Way up Amberley Mount to Rackham Hill and then loop around in a curricular walk back to base. It’s about 9 km and this is a stunning walk. You are also close to the West Sussex Literary Trail, the Wey South Path and Monarch’s Way as well as the stunning Amberley Wild Brooks to explore. In short, you could walk for a week here.
Victoria Inn, West Marden
This family run pub has a pretty garden, bar and restaurant and is dog friendly. They have local beers (and at least one local wine) and serve breakfast for the early bird (from 8 am on Saturdays). They also have free parking. There are buses from Chichester to West Marden and a train station at Rowlands Castle (about 5 km away).
Your walk
For local walks, you could do a section of the Octagon Way and you are not too far from Monarch’s Way. For a great circular walk, head into Watergate Hanger and from there walk to Stansted House. You can then loop back to the pub via Stansted Forest making it a nice 8 km walk.
The Duke of Cumberland Arms, Henley (Midhurst)
Tucked away in a 16th century building, this award winning pub packs quite a punch. With a restaurant, delightful garden and old duke’s bar area, this foodie pub is famed for its Duke of Cumberland Roast (which does need to be pre-ordered). It has at least two Sussex wines on its drinks menu and they use lots of local ingredients including their own grown produce. They are dog friendly and there is free parking.
Your walk
The local bus from Haslemere to Midhurst stops at Henley Common which is less than a 1 km walk away cross country. At Henley you are right on the Serpent Trail which is a fabulous twisting walk from Haslemere to Petersfield.
You could walk from Petworth via the Serpent Trail to the pub at Henley (it’s about 11 km) or you could walk in the other direction along the Serpent Trail and all the way to Liss where there is a train station (15 km). Or for shorter walks, just head into stunning Verdley Woods or down to Great Common and North Heath where a world of circular walks await.
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