Festival of Chichester: exploring the great walks of Sussex

David Bathurst will be exploring the pleasures of Sussex walking in a special event for the Festival of Chichester.
DavidDavid
David

“Sussex is blessed with a large number of named long-distance walking routes, from the challenging and often spectacular South Downs Way, Sussex section of the England Coast Path and High Weald Landscape Trail to the peace and serenity of the Wey South Path and Ouse Valley Way,” David said.

“There are routes such as the Downs Link, Cuckoo Trail and Worth Way which follow the course of disused railway lines; there’s the S-shaped Serpent Trail through the beautiful common land in the north of West Sussex; there are paths which provide a link with important aspects of our history or heritage, such as the Monarch’s Way, 1066 Country Walk, West Sussex Literary Trail, Saxon Shore Way and Royal Military Canal Path; one route, the Greenwich Meridian Trail, follows the course of the Prime Meridian through Sussex and beyond; and three routes, the New Lipchis Way, Vanguard Way and Wealdway, make their way through some of the loveliest scenery in the heart of Sussex to end at or close to the sea. Then there’s the new kid on the block, the 204-mile Sussex Hospices Trail, opened officially in 2017 and now the longest named and waymarked path wholly within Sussex. With its ending at Chichester – in fact two other routes pass through or end at Chichester – it represents an ideal basis for a pilgrimage in the footsteps of those visiting the shrine of St Richard in Chichester Cathedral. Meanwhile the Sussex Border Path provides a truly end-to-end walk across the whole of Sussex, from west to east and then from south to north.”

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David, who lives in Yapton and has written many books about walking both in Sussex and in Great Britain, has walked all 19 named long-distance walking routes in Sussex that exceed 12 miles. He has also managed, through detours and alternative routes, to capture the many features of architectural, scenic and historic interest in Sussex that lie just off these routes.

On Tuesday, July 10 in Boxgrove Priory at 7.30pm, as part of the Festival of Chichester, David will talk about these routes and the many interesting features that lie on or close to them, and share some of the amusing and unusual experiences he had when walking them. Admission to David’s talk is free, but there will be a retiring collection for Boxgrove Priory funds. Refreshments will be available.

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