I am familiar with West Sussex, having lived here my entire life. I know the best trails, can show you the best views, wooded strolls, coastline ambles – but there’s one little niche I have become fond of and it centres around Stane Street.
Whiteways Lodge is a cafe bustling with Hondas, Ducatis and Triumphs at the weekend. Sitting on top of Bury Hill, it is just outside Arundel and right next to Houghton Forest. Beginning my walk I skirt the eastern edge of the woods as the traffic noise from the A29 fades. The South Downs Way, familiar territory, merges from my right and I join its flow whilst climbing. Sweeping views join the ensemble to my left, and on a clear day the English Channel glistens to the south. Westburton Hill rises but I dip to a small farm, the bottom always muddy except in the middle of summer. I decide which side to skirt the sludge and then hang left to climb steeply up to 225m.
Point Lobos Hiking Trails Map Photo Gallery
As I level out, Bignor Hill appears below; a few cars dot the car park but I see no-one. The familiar signpost on the summit points out places such as Slindon, Sutton, Bignor, Noviomagus and the big city itself, Londinium.
A mere five minutes later I bisect Stane Street. The Romans preference for building roads straight must have cost them dearly when the South Downs rose before them. But straight over they went and, still to this day, a raised ramp fifteen feet high cuts a datum swathe for a mile and a half to Eartham Woods, also forming part of the Monarch’s Way.
History is rich on this trail and it was the route used by King Charles II to escape after defeat in the Battle of Worcester. The Monarch’s Way is an impressive and tempting 615 miles long, which I note for future hiking ideas.
