The Octagon Way in West Sussex is roughly a 29 km circular walk. It takes you past eight churches namely in the villages of Racton, Stoughton, East Marden, North Marden, Up Marden, Compton, Forestside and to the chapel at Stansted Park. The walk is within the South Downs National Park and you can expect great views, some good pubs, a healthy dose of history and interesting churches. We’ve provided summaries of each church, but suffice it to say, each church on this walk has its own unique details and stories to reveal.
Tip. We walked it in the dead of winter. There were muddy stretches but nothing too bad. Prepare for the worst and with luck you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Background
The Octagon Parish (eight villages with churches and two villages without churches) established this walk in 2012 to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. In addition to the main walk, there are a further eight short circular Octagon walks. Visit the South Downs National Park website for more details of those.
Transport, parking and logistics
For the die hard walker, it is possible to walk this in one day, but for the rest of us mortals, walking it over two days is much more doable.
There is limited parking but your options are at Rowlands Castle, at Stansted Park or at North Marden (by the church). You can also catch a train to Rowlands Castle and the area is well served by the number 54 bus. For our purposes, we did this walk over two days. On both occasions we started at North Marden walking to Rowlands Castle anti-clockwise on day one via Up Marden, Compton and Forestside and walking clockwise via East Marden, Stoughton, Racton and Stanstead on day two. We had cars stationed at each end.
Places to eat
On day one we stopped at The Victoria Inn in West Marden where we received a warm welcome. Dogs are welcome here, local beer is available and there was a roaring fire … with outdoor seating for the summer. On day two, we passed the Hare and Hounds at Stoughton. We didn’t stop on this occasion but they too serve food and are dog friendly. There is also a café near Lordington.
We finished our walk at Stansted Pavilion Tearoom which is in a restored Victorian glass house. We had a mixture of cake and cheese scones but noticed others were enjoying afternoon tea with sparkling wine!
Day 1 highlights
Day one of the Octagon Way walk was 15 km with very little road work. It finished on the edge of Stansted Forest – this was once part of the ancient Forest of Arundel and now covers 1187 acres. The walk takes you through fields and forests, past dew ponds and along chalky tracks. It’s a pretty flat walk.
Starting at North Marden, the first church (at North Marden) is all about simplicity. It’s a late 12th century church and one of only six small churches in England that has a semi-circular chancel end. The south doorway is made of Caen stone.
Up Marden church is next and probably dates from the 12th or early 13th century. It’s also home to a number of frescoes (probably 13th and 15th century) which were discovered in 1994.
A few steps from the church is a Cart Shed (originally built between 1775 and 1830). It was on the Heritage at Risk Register but was rescued and restored as part of a project by the National Park Authority, Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Natural England and the landowner.
Compton church dates back to the Domesday Book but was restored in the 1850s. It was perhaps my least favourite but it has interesting stained glass windows and memorials.
Forestside church was built in 1852 by Charles Dixon, a wealthy Victorian philanthropist and the owner of nearby Stansted House. This church felt quite different and unusual. The chancel has a striking ceiling clad with wood and vividly coloured 19th century glass with blue paintwork which is reminiscent of the chapel at Stansted.
Day 2 highlights
Day 2 of the Octagon Way walk was 14.5 km and again pretty flat. You pass close to Lordington, famous for its lavender fields of summer. You also pass right past Racton Ruin with its tales of ghosts and you cross a chalk stream.
Our first church of the day was East Marden church which dates back to the 12th and 13th century with a 17th century porch. Not far from the church is a 18th /19th century thatched well and pump with a wheel, rope and bucket intact and in position. East Marden is where we also came across the first working phone box of the day … something that is perhaps rarer than the well. We made a call.
Stoughton church has a gorgeous approach and is “a little-changed 11th century” (Octagon Parish) church. Behind the altar is a three panel reredos made of marble, dating from 1879 and in striking blue. This was the second church where we’d found striking blue but it wasn’t the last.
There is also a remarkable tapestry in the church which has 14 scenes illustrating 2,000 years of local life and was created to celebrate the millennium.
Racton church was perhaps the most unusual of the churches. It’s 12th century and inside there is an impressive tomb and two extraordinary effigies. Look up, and you’ll see a knight’s helmet. There’s also an impressive coat of arms but it just all felt slightly out of place in what is a otherwise simple and ancient rural church. King Charles II was rumoured to have stayed in the house next door when he made his great escape to France.
At the end of the walk, Stansted chapel is the highlight. It’s within the grounds of Stansted Park (pass through the Walled Garden and then through a smaller walled garden). The chapel building was originally a Tudor hunting lodge and wasn’t consecrated until 1819 (Keats was at the consecration).
The chapel was the work of The Rev Lewis Way (1772-1840) who acquired the estate after inheriting £300,000 from John Way (who was no relation) on the basis of their shared name and John Way held the belief that Lewes Way was godly and good.
There is a unique east window which is Georgian painted glass with Christian/Jewish iconography and Hebrew Tablets of the Ten commandments.
The church was restored by H S Goodhart-Rendel for Lord Bessborough in 1926 and again after bomb damage in 1947. It was in the 1920s, that the striking red, blue and gold were added to the walls and ceiling, the owner having been inspired by a church in Paris.
The chapel is open from Easter Sunday to the end of September – Sunday, Monday and Tuesday 1 pm – 4 pm, subject to staff availability. Thanks go as always to Rural Strides for their expert guiding on this walk.
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