The Serpent Trail is a 106 km footpath from Haslemere (Surrey) to Petersfield (Hampshire), although most of the route is within Sussex. The trail is also within the South Downs National Park and passes through heathlands, forests, and a landscape that is very specific to this western corner of Sussex. The trail gets its name from the fact that it snakes its way along, twisting and turning as it goes.
It is a fabulous long-distance walk, and SE teamed up with Friends of the South Downs, Rural Strides and Langham Brewery to walk it in five doable sections, each between roughly 20 and 25 km. This Lodsworth to Fittleworth section is 20 km and took us five hours, but we did get lost several times and took a detour to Bedham church. For this part of the trail, unfortunately, you need three maps, namely Ordnance Survey Explorer maps 33, 34 and 10, as it crosses all three.
This section felt very different from the last (Rake to Lodsworth) and from the next section (Fittleworth to Cocking), and there was much less heathland and more open fields and woodland. Our starting point was at the little triangle at Leggatt Hill and from here you’re quickly into the woodlands. This first stretch is mainly either woods or open fields, with one steep climb up through Upperton Common onto the road to Upperton and Tillington. You come out in front of the Upperton Monument ,which is on the edge of Petworth Park and which was once painted by Turner.
It’s actually a folly rather than a monument but it has been lived in. It’s listed and described by Historic England as “Probably a verderer’s lookout originally” – a verderer was apparently a “judicial officer in charge of the king’s forest”. From here you turn right (we turned left so had to retrace our steps), and follow what is the only significant stretch of the trail that involves road walking.
It’s a country lane at first that leads you to the Horse Guards Inn and the All Hallows church at Tillington. The church dates back to the 12th and 13th century and it has a very beautiful Scots Crown added in 1807 thanks to Lord Egremont (of Petworth House). Our small group of walkers was joined here by Gerald Gresham-Cooke, who is an absolute font of all knowledge when it comes to this part of the world and is a Petworth walk leader.
He provided information and wisdom on points of interest as the trail goes through a small meadow and onto the side of the A272. Luckily, you can cut through Petworth Park and walk most of the way to Petworth via its grassy slopes.
Petworth is the only town through which you travel on the Serpent Trail (apart from Haslemere at the start and Petersfield at the finish) and if you want to stop here for lunch or a break, there are plenty of places to eat. But we headed on, around the back of the large and impressive Catholic church, down Shimmings and up to Brinksole Heath, the other side. It’s a steady climb, but look back for views of Petworth, Petworth House and the Downs.
From Brinksole Heath, you walk through the woods and then cross the road into Flexham Park. We went the wrong way. Again. The Serpent Trail is well waymarked, but you do have to keep your wits about you – never my strength. It doesn’t help that at this point you’re on the cusp of the three different Ordnance Survey maps.
Flexham Park is a lovely wooded area and leads to Bedham. Because we’d gone the wrong way, we had to detour to see the ruined church at Bedham. The church was built in 1880 and doubled up as a school. However, it finally closed in 1959 and is now a popular local ruin.
We followed the Serpent Trail way markers from here, although our route doesn’t exactly measure up to the one shown on the Ordnance Survey. Nonetheless, we passed Bognor Common and quarry and walked for a while through enchanting woods and across poppy fields. It felt idyllic. But the end was insight and we emerged at Fittleworth, our endpoint for the day. There is a great little store in Fittleworth where they also sell coffee and cake, and there is a bus stop on the main road.
For more information about the Serpent Trail:
