Date: TBC
Start: Midhurst area
Start Time: 08.30
Distance: approx 16 miles over 2 days
Terrain: Undulating, not challenging.

Sign up through Eventbrite HERE

This August I’ll be leading a two‑day silent walk through some of the quietest and least populated parts of the Western Weald. Over the course of two full days we’ll cover around sixteen miles, moving slowly and taking plenty of breaks. Our evening base will be a private woodland where we’ll have use of an outdoor kitchen, toilet, shower and natural pool.

Silence is often misunderstood. It isn’t emptiness. It’s space – space for our senses to wake up and our attention to shift.

Most of us spend our days moving quickly and filling space with noise, conversation and plans. A silent walk offers something different: time, space and presence. For once, there will be time to stop and stare. Time also for our minds to clear, for problems to feel less fixed, and for creativity to possibly (re)appear. There will be no rush on this walk. During breaks you might choose to sit or lie down in silence, or you might take photographs, draw, write, sing, or pick things up in the way you might have done when you were younger and more curious.

This walk is not an endurance test or a test of fitness, and it isn’t prescriptive. There is no correct experience and no shared conclusion. Everyone will be on their own walk, in their own way. My hope is that it will feel both a treat and a retreat: not a way to escape the world, but a way to return to it with more clarity.

The entire two days won’t be spent in silence. We’ll walk in silence and share a few silent activities along the way— such as watching the sun rise over the woodland on Day 2 — but mealtimes and the evening at camp will be opportunities to come together, talk, and enjoy each other’s company.

The Plan

Tuesday

• Meet at 08.30am – pass camping equipment/food/overnight bags to our host so we are just walking with day packs.
• Travel to walk start.
• Start walking by 09.30.
• Arrive at the woodland towards the end of the afternoon.
• Tea & cake before setting up camp and enjoying leisure time (including the possibility of a swim).
• Cook communal meal in woodland kitchen.
• Relax around the fire or go for a night time wander in the wood.

Wednesday

• Option to greet the sunrise from a platform high above the wood
• Breakfast, make lunch and pack up
• Start walking by 09.00 (possibly earlier)
• Arrive at our destination by late afternoon
• Return to the woodland to collect our bags etc.

GENERAL NOTES

• You will be sent a packing list. Everything to be packed in a light day pack and a larger overnight bag with change of clothes, toiletries, towel, some food and bedding..
• There are toilets, showers and power to charge phones.
• The majority of the food will be provided.
• The evening meal will cater for both meat eaters and vegetarians.
• No dogs please.

ACCOMMODATION

• There are x2 wood cabins that each sleep x2 people (with double mattress), otherwise accommodation is camping.
• I have some camping equipment that I can lend out for a small fee. Alternatively you can bring your own tent, hammock or bivvy bag etc.

COST

The base cost is £40 per person.

Accommodation is then an extra £20 per person if you camp with your own equipment. I have camping equipment that I can lend you (combinations of tent, mattress and sleeping bag are available) for an additional small sum. Alternatively, if u prefer to sleep in a wood cabin the extra cost is £60. This is the same price whether you have it to yourself or share. 

Examples:

• Individual with own tent/sleeping bag etc is £40 + £20 = £60
• Individual sleeping alone in cabin is £40 + £60 = £100
• Couple sharing cabin is £40×2 + £60 = £140 total (£70 each)
• Individual borrowing some camping equipment = between £70/80 (depending on amount borrowed)

It is free to sign up to this walk, however, your place is only confirmed upon receipt of payment. Payment details will be sent to everyone who books.

RURAL STRIDES

Rural Strides is passionate about the rich history and cultural landscape of the Western Weald. Through our engaging guided walks, we bring the land to life. We interpret its stories, uncover its heritage, and reveal the character that makes this corner of the South Downs so special. Along the way, we introduce you to inspiring local businesses, each rooted in the community and landscape we share.

Our aim is simple: to create authentic, memorable experiences that connect you with the place and its people. By the end of a Rural Strides walk, you won’t just have explored the Western Weald, you’ll feel like a local.

Read more about the Western Weald here

View our other walks here