Cowdray
On this walk, children will enjoy viewing the ruins as well as visiting the café and the small play area. There is an option to add a walk to the amazing play area at Easebourne too.
A beautiful tree in the polo grounds
The Basics
Time: 45 mins
Distance: 2.4 km
Terrain: Flat, mostly gravelled paths
Pushchair: Yes
Dogs: Yes, under good control
Refreshments: Cowdray Farm Shop and Café
Toilets: If visiting the café
Public Transport: Buses stop in North Street car park, from where the ruins will clearly be visible.
Parking: Large, free parking area beside the farm shop and café (Postcode: GU29 0AJ - W3W: apply/transmits/hello)
The medieval ruins (not open to the public inside)
Nestled at the centre of The South Downs, Midhurst is home to the country estate of Cowdray. Our easy, pushchair friendly walk begins at their excellent farm shop and café and passes by the polo grounds and impressive heritage ruins.
The Route
Leave the parking area along the wide path with the road behind you and the farm shop to your right and head towards the polo fields.
After passing a footpath on your left (do not take this) and some large wooden picnic tables, turn left to walk along the surfaced path that will pass the polo grounds. Continue along this long, straight path with the polo pitch to your right until you arrive at the other side of the field.
At the path junction on the other side, you can turn right and continue following the surfaced track. There is a second option, which was closed due to an event on our visit, where you can take the permissive path to your left and then turn right once you are under the trees.
If you take the path parallel to the polo pitch, continue until the path bends to the right. Leave the path and nip through the gap in the bank here to take you face to face with the ruins (if you have a pushchair, you will need to take a longer route to get around the wall). Turn left on the path, passing a derelict toilet block, and then meet another path and turn right. If you took the earlier permissive path through the trees, this is where the two routes recombine.
Pass the ruins on your right and some cottages on your left. You will see a beautiful old barn on stone footings and can take a peek through the iron gate to see the walled garden to your left.
Follow the path as it rounds the ruins and come out beside The River Rother. Pass in front of the entrance to the ruins with the bridge over the river to your left. Unfortunately, the ruins are not open to the public, but a viewing over the fence is still impressive. If you now stay on this same path, it will lead you in an almost straight line all the way back to the car park.
We suggest viewing the interactive map as a ‘Trails Map’ to ensure all the paths are visible:
Did you know?
The Cowdray Heritage Ruins were once part of a spectacular Tudor home that was visited by both Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. In 1793, whilst undergoing repairs as part of the preparations for the marriage of the 8th Viscount, a devastating fire took hold leaving only the kitchen tower in tact.
Extension to Easebourne Play Area
A couple of minutes walk away from the Cowdray car park is one of the best designed children’s play areas we have come across. Set in a large grassy circle, you will find clean and well maintained equipment ranging from swings, slides, sea-saws, trampolines and a zip line. Some of the more unique play features are the scooter track laid out like a road system, a mini castle and beautiful climbing structures made of tree trunks. Look out too for the wooden carvings hidden behind the wildflowers. The play area also has all the extra facilities you may need such as picnic benches, eco toilets, a covered pavilion, a free car park (drive through the school) and The Goatbox, selling drinks Thursday to Saturday in school holidays and Saturdays the rest of the year.
The play area has its own car park through the school gates (GU29 9AG) but you can also easily walk there from Cowdray turning this into a brilliant free day out.
To get there from the Cowdray car park, head back up to the A272. Turn left along the road (there is a pavement) and look out for a turn on your right into a road called Wheelbarrow Castle. Going up this road you will almost straight away see a tiny footpath on your right running along a wall. This will take you straight into the park. The footpath is narrow for pushchairs, so for those, you will need to keep going up to the school and enter through the driveway.
