The Serpent Trail is 106 km footpath from Haslemere (Surrey) to Petersfield (Hampshire). Most of the trail however is actually in Sussex. It’s also within the South Downs National Park. Whether you walk it across a number of consecutive days, or walk sections as and when you have time, you do need a rough itinerary. And that is how it was that on a blisteringly cold day, I set out with Laura from Friends of the South Downs and Malinka from Rural Strides to walk the Serpent Trail route of the first section.
Haslemere to Rake – practical details
This section is just shy of 28 km (but that included a minor deviation for lunch and a little bit of getting lost).
© Natural Earth Data © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap
Elevation for the day was 554 metres and it took us just over six and half hours (moving time). It’s Ordnance Survey 33 but my older version didn’t have the Serpent Trail marked on it so check before you leave.
A word of warning. The Serpent Trail is well waymarked but changing wildlife (a fallen tree, an overgrown bramble or being engrossed in conversation) can make the waymarkers a little easy to miss. Keep your wits about you, take a map or an App with you and be prepared to retrace your steps if you have to. Also, bear in mind, that there are no toilets or cafés on this section.
Parking needs coordinating as this is a one-way walk. I parked at Chapel Common near Rake (What3Words: imperious.cloak.search) where I met my walking companions. If you want a shorter walk, you could park at Blackdown, Marley Common or Linchmere. We then drove in another vehicle to the Haslemere station which was our start point. The Serpent Trail is not brilliantly signed at the station and you have to walk and wiggle your way to Haslemere High Street. Then you see the start point signed down a little side alley at Swan Barn Farm.
Haslemere to Blackdown
You quickly leave the town behind you and head into what feels like deep countryside. After your first ascent of the day (it’s not an overly hilly walk) you cross Petworth Road and start your gradual approach to Blackdown and the Temple of the Winds. We estimated it would take us two hours to get to the viewing point but I think it took a little less.
Blackdown is the highest point in West Sussex and the South Downs National Park and is a mixture of heathland with heather, pine trees, gorse, meadows, dew ponds and meandering paths. At times sandy, then muddy, it was much loved by Tennyson for its views to the sea and it has a long history with settlements dating back to the Mesolithic period. It covers a large area and the Serpent Trail takes you on a loop around it. It’s a gorgeous spot even on a bleak winter’s day.
Having been walking for some time and generally admiring the views, you realise as you leave Blackdown and start to drop down to the River Wey, as the crow flies, you’re not that far from where you started as the Serpent Trail lives up to its name and loops back and forth on itself.
River Wey to Lynchmere
From Blackdown, you cross Marley and Linchmere Commons. A mixture of open heathland and woodland, the landscape feels like it’s constantly changing. Managed by the National Trust, there’s plenty of wildlife to see and you might meet the local Belted Galloway cattle.
The Lynchmere Society purchased 125 hectares (307 acres) of Stanley, Linchmere and Marley Commons in 1997 and maintain it as a local nature reserve (but no one seems to be able to agree on how you spell Lynchmere / Linchmere).
We deviated here from our route to have our picnic lunch in the church. It was still bitterly cold and so it was a welcome break to sup on our respective hip flasks. The church dates back to the 12th and 13th centuries and has fabulous views (although not on the day of our visit which was cloudy and snowing).
Stanley Common & Iron Hill to Chapel Common
Rebooting our legs after a rest was a challenge as we set off after lunch. We were well over halfway but still had a long walk ahead. Stanley Common is more wooded heathland and you pick up a section of the Sussex Border Path here too which you follow pretty much back to Chapel Common. The further we walked the more wild and wonderful it felt, with large sections of open heathland, followed by quirky woodland paths.
You’re not far from Liphook and in fact, at one point you cross the golf course and realise that you are coming back into civilization. There is a Roman road through Chapel Common which is a Scheduled Monument.
As it was late November when we did this walk, by the time we reached the car at about 4 pm, it was almost dark. So, we stopped to look back at the sun setting across the common before the last push through the woods to the car.
Our walk had felt like a really epic journey through a wonderful changing landscape. Hard to believe that it’s not that remote because you feel a million miles from anywhere and we barely passed a soul. But seeing the car in the descending gloom was a welcome sight. We’d only stopped twice, once for lunch and once for a coffee break and we’d chatted so much, that I didn’t take nearly enough notice of the route but nature had worked its magic and I felt restored.
If you like this post about the first section of the Serpent Trail route, you may also like:
Walking the Serpent Trail: Rake to Lodsworth. Part 2.
Serpent Trail Route: Fittleworth to Cocking Causeway. Part 4.
The Serpent Trail
