Durleighmarsh to Durford Wood
On this walk, children will enjoy stopping at the farm to pick fruit and vegetables, including pumpkins in October and going to the tea-room with a garden play area.
The pick-your-own pumpkin fields have free entry in October
The Basics
Time: 1 hour 40 mins (or scroll down for a quicker option)
Distance: 5 km (or scroll down for a shorter option)
Terrain: Bridle paths and woodland paths, very gentle slope, not always even, muddy in places
Pushchair: No
Dogs: Yes for the walk, but they are not allowed in the fruit picking fields
Refreshments: Durleighmarsh Tea Barn
Toilets: If visiting the Tea Barn
Public Transport: There is a bus stop on the A272 at the base of the driveway to Durleighmarsh Farm, it is served by Stagecoach 54 Petersfield to Chichester or Stagecoach 91/92/93 Petersfield to Midhurst
Parking: Durleighmarsh Pick Your Own and Farm Shop, assuming you will use their business ( Postcode: GU31 5AX - W3W: fishery/hillsides/impressed)
The woodland of Rogate Common as seen from the Sussex Border Path
At the start of this walk near Petersfield is the pick-your-own farm where strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are ripe for the picking in summer and pumpkins in autumn. There is also an excellent tea-room with play things in the garden. Our walk takes you along the West Sussex and Hampshire boundary to the exceptionally beautiful Durford Wood.
The Route - Durleighmarsh to Durford Wood
Head up the track to the right of the farm shop, which is a continuation of the track that you would have driven up. The track will go under a metal footbridge. Go left at the fork onto the public byway where a sign advises that it is a dead end for motor vehicles.
Continue straight with fields behind hedgerows either side of you. Fork left where the right hand track is private property. When the right hand hedge gives way to an open space with a house at the top, continue straight. Keep going until you reach a point where you cannot keep going ahead due to reaching the edge of woodland. Turn right here along a public bridleway that has woodland to the left and fields to the right.
Follow the path as it gradually takes you into woodland. The gnarly ancient woodland of Durford Wood will be to your left and the coniferous plantation of Rogate Common will be to your right. It is an exceptionally lovely tract of woodland. Continue the whole of this leg by sticking with the path marked as ‘Sussex Border Trail’ through the woodland. At any forks, look for the border trail markers and stick with this path.
As you reach the northern edge of Durford Wood, you will see a round National Trust sign labelled Durford Heath facing away from you. Turn left here, with the De la Salle Brother’s Clayton Court to your right and follow this path as it starts to go back in the direction you came.
You will come to a fork that says ‘National Trust, no riding’. Fork right here, slightly up the hill. At a slight clearing, the path will seem to almost disappear into a thin scrubby path. We avoided this and instead, veered right up the bank. After a short climb, we found a much wider established path and turned left.
This path will lead you through Durford Wood and back down to The Sussex Border Path. There are two paths running parallel at the bottom, and you should cross to the second, more sandy looking one and turn right. You will now be on ground that you covered previously and you can retrace your steps all the way back to Durleighmarsh.
When you reach Durleighmarsh Farm, you can visit the farm shop, use the pick-your-own fields or go to the tea room with indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a children’s play area. The pick your own fields are a popular place to get strawberries in summer or pumpkins in the winter.
The Route - A short circuit around Durleighmarsh
Head up the track to the right of the farm shop, which is a continuation of the track that you would have driven up. The track will go under a little metal footbridge. Go left at the fork onto the public byway where a sign advises that it is a dead end for motor vehicles.
At a crosspaths, take the right hand path across a wide open meadow. The path heads slightly up hill before passing a house and garden on your left at the top of the hill. Follow the path past the house towards the hedge and tree line.
Go right at the end onto a more enclosed path. Follow this path until a fork, where you should go right. This path will lead you back to the one you started on.
When you return to Durleighmarsh Farm, you can visit the farm shop, use the pick-your-own fields or go to the tea room with indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a children’s play area. The pick your own fields are a popular place to get strawberries in summer or pumpkins in the winter.
Did you know?
Sessile oaks were planted in Durford Wood to support the iron industry. The trees were coppiced (cut regularly) to provide a steady source of wood to make charcoal.
