Rowlands Castle and St Hubert’s Church circular

A circular walk from Rowlands Castle station

May be combined with the St Hubert’s and Idsworth Valley circular to make a longer walk. Some inclines, maybe muddy underfoot.

Getting here

By bus: There are regular services to Rowlands Castle, visit traveline.info/se
By rail: Rowlands Castle station is on the direct line to London Waterloo. Check nationalrail.co.uk for details.

St Hubert’s Church

Set in stunning Bronze Age landscape in the South Downs National Park, the earliest recorded reference to ‘the little church in the field’ is from 1053 but its foundations show evidence of an earlier history, with the north and west walls likely to date from the 900s and re-use of Roman material in the arches. Inside you will discover nationally acclaimed 14th century Wall Paintings and a Millennium Wall Painting by Fleur Kelly. The church is open throughout the year, visit idsworthchurchfriends.org for more information about this special place and details of The Idsworth Church Friends Trust.

Directions

1. Turn left out of the station, then left again at the T-junction. Turn left under the railway bridge, passing The Castle Inn and continue along Finchdean Road for approximately ¼ mile.
2. After house number 73 turn left down the track between the houses. Follow the path as it bears right past garages and continue onto the footbridge over the railway line. Continue to follow the path through an open field to Great Wellsworth.
3. Exit the field following the signpost for the Sussex Border Path. Where the track forks, bear right following the deer symbol for the Staunton Way. Go through a metal gate onto Wellsworth Lane which is a track across the field.
4. At the end of Wellsworth Lane the path turns into a wooded track. Pass through a metal gate beside an iron gate following the track to the road. Turn right and follow the road down to Finchdean – there is no pavement so be careful.
5. At the junction cross the road to the pavement and turn left. Then turn left onto the road opposite The George Inn, following the signpost to Staunton Way and Queen Elizabeth
   Country Park, passing the village pound on your right.
6. Continue along the road. Where a small road comes in from the right, look for a gap in the hedge on your right with a fingerpost. Go through the gap and follow the path along the
   field edge. At the corner turn right to follow the path uphill. From the top of the hill you can see the church in the valley.
7. 7 Continue along the informal track through Oxleys Copse, then take the first right turn and follow the grassy path downhill along the field edge. At the path T-junction turn left, walking parallel with the railway. Take the next right through the tunnel under the railway to emerge opposite St Hubert’s church.
8. Turn left, then cross the road to pass through the gate onto the path up to St Hubert’s church. After visiting the church, continue to the left of the church, following the path to a metal kissing gate. Go through the gate and turn immediately right on to the Staunton Way. Head downhill, then at the field corner pass through a metal kissing gate, bearing left to go through another kissing gate. Turn left to follow the path up to the woods passing a well on your right. Go through the wooden kissing gate and follow the path through the woods.
9. Continue through the woods ignoring two paths coming in from the left and emerge at a wooden stile. Cross this and the field to another stile, then to a wooden kissing gate. Continue along the broad grassy track past a house to the road.
10. At the road turn left, then just after the farm house turn right onto a hedged track. Follow this to a path crossroads by a thatched house. Continue straight ahead uphill into woods known as Woods Copse. Go through a gate and then cross the field at a 45 degree angle to a wooden kissing gate. Go through the gate and along the path past houses to Finchdean
    Road.
11. Turn right along the road for 200 metres to a finger post indicating a path on the left through a gap in the hedge. Follow this down the hill and go through a metal kissing gate. Bear right and pass through a second metal kissing gate then follow the wooded path to another metal kissing gate. Go through this and continue through another kissing gate on the right side of the field to follow the grassy path.
12. Still on the Staunton Way head back to Rowlands Castle with Stansted Forest on your left. Pass through a kissing gate and go straight across the junction of paths continuing along the Staunton Way, then through another kissing gate. Continue through the field along the fence line.
13. At the end of the large field go through a wooden kissing gate and turn right to follow the path through the trees, keeping right. Go over the wooden footbridge and turn right to return to Finchdean Road. Turn left to retrace your steps to the railway station.