Kingley Vale is a National Nature Reserve just north west of Chichester. There are lots of reasons you might want to walk there which include amazing views, an incredible ancient yew forest, and the Devil’s Humps! It’s also a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Area of Conservation, and a Grade I Nature Conservation Review site. It was one of the country’s first National Nature Reserves and there are several different Kingley Vale walks you can do.
There are car parks at West Stoke (What3Words: century.irritated.convert) and at Stoughton (What3Words: highlight.guitars. accordion). From the car parks, it’s a walk of 1.2 km (West Stoke) and 1.5 km (Stoughton) to the nature reserve.
West Stoke car park was empty when we arrived at 7.45 am but was full when we left at 11 am. However, by the time we left, there was also a coffee van parked up.
The Kingley Vale walks
Here are three Kingley Vale walks of varying distances. Alternatively, you can just meader.
The Nature Trail. You’ll find this signed when you arrive (from West Stoke). it’s just under 3.5 km.
The Hidden Trail. You can find details of this on the South Downs National Park website where you can also download a pamphlet with a map. It’s 7 km (not including the distance from and to the car park). But beware, although there is reasonable signage in the park, some of it is badly damaged and unreadable and we couldn’t find any signs indicating the Hidden Trail (presumably the clue is in the name) within the park. We relied on Ordnance Survey OL8.
The Exterior Trail. As you arrive at the park from West Stoke, there is a path that takes you right around the edge of the park up to Bow Hill, and then via the Devil’s Humps and back via a main path rather than cutting down through the forest. If you do this route, you will miss the ancient yew forest. It’s 4.5 km.
The SE version of the Hidden Trail
The entrance to the park is very clear, and you’ll see the field museum and the path straight ahead. The ancient yew forest is signed so just follow these.
The path takes you into the forest and then winds its way around the peculiar twists and twirls of these ancient trees. This is supposed to be one of the finest and oldest yew forests in Western Europe. Read more about it here: The Yew Trees of Kingley Vale
Top recommendation: get there early. The yew forest is truly magical when no one else is there and the only sound is your footsteps and the local birds waking up.
Once you are out of the forest, the horseshoe shape of the vale is revealed as you stand at the bottom of the steep sides. It feels very remote and unchartered but look out for the first of a number of wooden benches in the park that are engraved with a verse and a corresponding image.
Bear slightly right and up to the line of trees. At this point, the signage has been damaged but you head into a further copse of yew. It’s been a steep climb to this point and I wasn’t entirely sure this was the right direction. Emerging from this copse, I turned right to the edge of the park (marked by a fence with views across fields to the Trundle). Then it’s a left turn and then just follow the fence until you come to a main path. Here you turn left and it’s another steep climb to Bow Hill. I’ve compared our route to the SDNP Hidden Trail and it’s roughly although not exactly, the same.
Bow Hill
Bow Hill is marked with a bench and a fingerpost. Bow Hill has a Bronze Age enclosure and is also an area of Cross Dykes that date to the Bronze or Iron Age. None of these are immediately obvious but the views of The Trundle are.
From the path up which you have travelled, you take the first right and follow a long straightish route. You’ll come to another inscribed bench and a pond. There is another great view from here, and I believe this is the Holloway (or sunken path – another legacy from the Bronze Age).
Goosehill Camp
You carry along the straight path until you come to Monarch’s Way where you turn right and follow it for a short distance. Then you’ll see notice boards on your left for Goosehill Camp. At first, it doesn’t look like much but if you take a moment, you can make out the clear dykes and mounds of what was an Iron Age enclosure. It’s overgrown but worth exploring a little before you retrace your steps.
The Devil’s Humps
When you get back to the path that you turned off to join the Monarch’s Way, this time, rather than go back the same way, stick on the Monarch’s Way for a while and head through the most magnificent beech forest. This is well worth a visit in spring or autumn. At a crossroads, where Monarch’s Way leaves the woods and forges a path ahead across the fields, you turn left. After a short distance, you have a choice, bear left down a narrow path into the woods, or stick on the main path. Both will eventually take you to the Devil’s Humps. I went left which took me back to Bow Hill and then round to another bench with stunning views down across the vale towards the yew forest.
Then the Devil’s Humps come into view. These are impressive Bronze Age burial mounds that sit on a ridge with views in all directions. There are four in total, two of which are bell barrows and two of which are bowl barrows. You can read more about the Devil’s Humps and surrounding legends here: The Devil’s Humps.
Heading back to base
There are two routes back to the start, along the main path which is slightly longer and takes you around the edge of the park and past the WII observation post. Or you can cut through the park. This latter path is part of the Nature Trail and in places it runs parallel to the other path. However, it is narrow and very slippery in winter- that wonderful combination of mud and wet chalk. But just follow the path and it will take you back to the field museum.
This is an absolute gem of a nature reserve and once you’ve walked it once, you’ll quickly get your bearings and be able to navigate it without the need for a map. There is also an absolute abundance of wildlife and helpful information boards to help you spot various birds.
Walk summary
- From West Stoke car park, follow the footpath signed to Kingley Valley.
- Enter Kingley Vale via the gate and follow the signs to the Nature Trail and ancient yew trees, bearing right at the first fork.
- On leaving the ancient forest, bear right and follow the path up to the tree line and into another yew forest.
- On leaving this forest turn right and walk to the fence at the edge of the nature reserve.
- Turn left at the fence and follow the path along the fence until you come to a junction with another footpath.
- Turn left and follow the steep clay path up to the bench, fingerpost, and junction at Bow Hill.
- For a short walk, turn left and follow the footpath to the Devil’s Humps. For a longer walk take the first right.
- On the longer walk, follow this path past the bench and pond until the path meets Monarch’s Way, where you turn right.
- Follow Monarch’s Way for a short distance and you reach Goosehill Camp.
- Retrace your steps and stay on Monarch’s Way until it leaves the forest and goes across fields, where you turn left.
- Follow the path until it comes to the Devil’s Humps.
- Once you’ve passed the Humps keep going. There are two paths and both will take you back to the entrance of the nature reserve where you started.
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