If you have read Snaking Along The Serpent Trail and are now inspired to plan your own adventure along this marvellous trail, you will be needing some route guidance. Depending on how far you enjoy walking and whether you have your own transport, there are two main ways to splice and dice the Serpent Trail. One involves 5 sections of between 10-14 miles and the other is 11 sections, which range from 3.5 to 8 miles each. Both are detailed below to help you decide which option best suits your walking pleasure. In addition to these, you can always divide the route up into your own bite size chunks.
Serpent Trail – 5 Long Sections
One of our group, Lucy, is the founder and energy behind Sussex Exclusive, an online newsletter and magazine that helps people discover all that is interesting, unusual and exclusive across the county of Sussex. After each of our walk legs, she wrote up the highlights and logistics. You can read her accounts using the links below, which correspond to the map above:
- DAY 1: Haslemere to Chapel Common (14 miles)
- DAY 2: Chapel Common to Leggatt Hill, Lodsworth (13 miles)
- DAY 3: Leggatt Hill to Fittleworth (10 miles)
- DAY 4: Fittleworth to Cocking Causeway (14 miles)
- DAY 5: Cocking Causeway to Petersfield (13 miles)
Serpent Trail – 11 Shorter Sections
If you would prefer a more leisurely approach to the Serpent Trail, then perhaps the South Downs National Park’s 11 stage plan (below) is for you. This is documented in a free, handy-sized guide that you can pick up from the SDNP Visitor Centre in Midhurst. Alternatively, each of the stages below links to a digital copy. The advantage of this option is that each section more or less connects to public transport.
- DAY 1: Blackdown to Marley Common….. (Haslemere – 7.6 miles)
- DAY 2: Marley Common to Iron Hill….. (The Greensand Ridge – 4.4 miles)
- DAY 3: Iron Hill to Rake….. (Heathland Stepping Stones – 6 miles)
- DAY 4: Rake to Borden Lane…..(The Combe – 3.3 miles)
- DAY 5: Borden Lane to Henley…..(Woolbeding – 4.8 miles)
- DAY 6: Henley to Petworth…..(Historic Estates – 7 miles)
- DAY 7 Petworth to Fittleworth…..(Coppice Corner – 5.3 miles)
- DAY 8: Fittleworth to Heath End….. (Crossing The Rother – 6 miles)
- DAY 9: Heath End to Cocking Causeway….. (Heathland Highway – 7.8 miles)
- DAY 10: Cocking Causeway to Nyewood…..(Star-Studded and Silver-Studded 8.2 miles)
- DAY 11: Nyewood to Petersfield…..(Petersfield Heath 4.7 miles)
Refreshments/Toilet Stops
The Serpent Trail isn’t well served with refreshment/toilet stops, but the ones it has are worth the wait. In between, you will need to make sure you have enough snacks, sandwiches and drinks of your own. The places to plan around are:
- The Duke of Cumberland pub, Henley
- The Horse Guards Inn, Tillington
- Fittleworth Stores – a great place to stock up for the day ahead
- The Swan Inn, Fittleworth (not open when we walked past in spring 2024, but due to re-open later this year)
- Hedge End Stores – ask for the key to use the toilet
- The Greyhound pub, Cocking
- The Country Inn Deli, Bepton (slightly off the path but a welcome morning coffee stop)
- Sky Park Farm, West Harting (also a slight detour required for this winner of the 2024 Small Farm Shop award); &
- The Plump Duck cafe on the Heath in Petersfield.
With the exception of a quick stop off in Petworth, any other pit stops will require a lengthy detour. Don’t forget to check opening hours before you set off. Last January we almost arrived too late to enjoy a delicious and much-needed hot chocolate at the Duke of Cumberland.
When To Walk The Serpent Trail?
Is there a best time of year to walk this path? With so much lowland heathland there is something to be said for walking the Serpent Trail in August, when the heather becomes a blazing carpet of purple buzzing with nectar-loving bees and insects. Equally, with so much of the path on sand, the Serpent Trail is not too bad in winter. However, that is not to say that you will not encounter mud. Iping Marsh….Stedham Marsh….the name is perhaps a clue as to the conditions you might encounter….as well as several others close to water!
Public Transport
The South Downs National Park 11 stage itinerary provides information on each section’s link to public transport. For the 5 day option you can take a train to both Haslemere and Petersfield (the London to Portsmouth line), while buses connect Fittleworth (the No. 1 Midhurst to Worthing bus) and Cocking (the No. 60 between Chichester and Midhurst). It is just Chapel Common and Leggatt Hill that don’t have an immediate connection to public transport. However, if you are prepared to walk a little further, even these can connect to Liss station (from Chapel Common) and the the Midhurst to Worthing bus (the stop for Lodsworth on the A272). Alternatively, you might like to give West Sussex County Council’s Book-A-Bus a go.
General Information
- Heathland Sculpture Trail – this comprises 7 sculptures, 5 of which are along the Serpent Trail. These include the Tennyson Quote (Blackdown), Resting Reptiles (Woolbeding), Lavington Lizard, the Sheep Pig (Graffham) and Dragonflies Rest (Stedham). Look out for the QR codes on these statues. They link to short videos/podcasts about each statue creature.
- Heathlands Reunited – the SDNP project that looks after our rare lowland heaths. Click on the link to find out more about the area’s ecology and if any local events are planned.
- Grazing – Please be aware that heathlands are often grazed by cows for conservation purposes, so you may encounter a Belted Galloway or Sussex Red cow on your path. For this reason, as well as ground nesting birds and rare reptiles, please keep your dog on the lead.
Need Help?
Should you read the above and still not quite know how to go about planning your Serpent Trail adventure, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I will happily share my knowledge of the path/area and advise on logistics. I am best contacted by email at walk@ruralstrides.co.uk.
