- Date: 21 January 2023
- Walk Leader: Lynne Burge
- Distance: 8 – 9 Miles
- Start: 10:00 am The Trundle, Goodwood. GR. SU879113
The Trundle and Beyond
Thirteen brave souls, plus one dog, drove through ice and fog to the start of this walk. As we emerged out of cars into the car park to don our boots the sun began to break through offering splendid views of the countryside.
This walk starts with an immediate hill up to the trig point at the apex of the Trundle, and what panoramic views were offered to us. 360 degrees of rolling English countryside with glimpses of the sea in the distance. Having gained all that height there was only one way to go- down. Gingerly picking our way down the steep path, avoiding the iciest parts, we were back at Goodwood level to begin our circular walk.
The first section is not the most interesting, walking alongside the busy roads as we skirted around Goodwood before gaining the sanctuary of trees at Counter’s Gate. Glad to be off the side of the road we followed the path by the side of the trees, being careful in the muddy patches that by this time had thawed out. The path took us down through the trees until we had our first glimpse of the village of East Dean. Nestling in the valley between the trees it was evident that its low lying position was a magnet for the abundant water that is around at the moment. Our path should have taken us across the fields of the recreation ground but we could see that a large stream was blocking our way. Rather than wading through we diverted across some higher fields and made our way into the village.
After a welcome coffee stop in the sunshine at the village hall we began to climb out of the village past the church. The church is St Simon and St Jude dating from Saxon times or very early Norman. The churchyard itself is managed to ensure a diversity of plants, 127 of them at last count. Walking up the hill we left the village behind and continued upward across a field and into a wooded area. Stopping to regain our breath we were rewarded with fantastic views back across the valley over which we had just walked.
The next part of the walk was a bit of a zig-zag, walking up and down along the paths to work our way westwards. In the more sheltered parts, the hoar frost was magnificent having built up over a period of days. After the last part of the zig-zag we met with the New Lipchis Way, a walk that in 2008 was finally way marked so that intrepid ramblers can find their way from Liphook to West Wittering. We only walked along a short part of it as we stopped for lunch on the hill overlooking Singleton.
As we enjoyed our lunch we could see the odd sight of the road passing the school acting as a river. Vehicles coming along this section had to negotiate the flow of water coming off the fields and making its way into the River Lavant. When we reached this point we could witness the speed of the water as it gushed through the village. Fortunately our route took us on a drier part but care had to be taken as much of the water that had flooded the village had frozen by the wayside.
Passing the church in the village which was mentioned in the Domesday book we walked across a farm yard and then began the hill which would lead us back to the cars. As we gained height so the views appeared again- in fact this walk is all about the spectacular vistas that can be seen along the way.
Eventually we were back at the cars, the sun still shining amongst the frost, 8.5 miles and over 1200 feet of ascent later, and everyone had that lovely feeling of having achieved a hilly walk with the positive well being that it generates.
Author: Lynne Burge
Photographers: Lynne, Linda & Paul