Description
This route has amazing views towards Brighton, Chichester, the Surrey Hills and Ashdown Forest and along the scarp of the South Downs to Devils Dyke. The land use is varied: heathland, pinewoods, yew hangers and woods and farmland. There are no built up areas and very little road walking, which is all quiet (outside of one large roundabout in Arundel). Mid-route there is a one public transport link and several refreshment options.
I created it because MidAru 1 and 2 both seem excessively long and hadn't any reviews yet but it has flaws and could certainly be improved. The GPX file follows my walk in June 2025, even where the remedy is obvious. I couldn't test alternatives to the deep mud, soft sand or tricky climb (see notes 1, 4, 6) but hopefully notes below will help someone else. Mini map (photo 1) shows their positions plus public transport, mid-route refreshments and campsites (which I researched but didn't eventually use).
If you find a better way but want help to get it onto the site either write a review to notify me (you can always delete it later), or join the Slow Ways Discord channel, link at the bottom of this page.
1 Public Footpath up the hill E of Costers Brook, position per OS map = sunken ramp cut into hill with a potentially treacherous deep boggy bit halfway up, also obstructed by fallen trees. Alt. path just to N looks steep, a bit sketchy - not tested. Or try New Lipchis Way?
2 Large fallen tree fully blocks path but people use the parallel field edge
3 Other 3 sides of square of paths were fine
4 From 4 to 6 follows pylons, simple to navigate but sandy ground is very soft in places, hard going. Worth checking alternatives?
5 Not a mistake, straighter path was visible but filled by head high bracken. May be ok in winter.
6 Long slope of soft sand, particularly hard going. Alternative through gorse looked spiny.
7 Went the wrong way!
8 A easier way up the very steep hill according to information board - seen too late (see photo 2)
9 Planned to use this path downhill (saves 1km) but several minor obstacles in first few minutes were unpromising, turned back
10 Path through woods briefly crowded by high undergrowth, but not serious. Rare Deadly Nightshade plant found here.
11 Path between hedges had a few brambles at top but was fine beyond.
12 Dull tarmacked access road. Is path on ridge to south?
13 The most pleasant way to the town square? Other Arundel Slow Way routes are impossible to follow or use the busy road.
Purple - train station, 900m from Arundel.
Blue - bus stops. Route 99 (Petworth - Chichester) passes mid route, stop named “Upwaltham, Littleton Farm”. Not Stagecoach so their day-rover tickets are not valid.
A, B, F, G, H, I, J, K Campsites, B is C&C Club members only.
C Shop with cafe, deli-counter, sold delicious cherries. Pub not open 7/7.
D, E Benches in playground and churchyard (also orchids).
G Close to campsite is sole mid-route bus stop also outdoor cafe with picnic benches, portaloo and water tap.
H A bothy as well as camping
This route has amazing views towards Brighton, Chichester, the Surrey Hills and Ashdown Forest and along the scarp of the South Downs to Devils Dyke. The land use is varied: heathland, pinewoods, yew hangers and woods and farmland. There are no built up areas and very little road walking, which is all quiet (outside of one large roundabout in Arundel). Mid-route there is a one public transport link and several refreshment options.
I created it because MidAru 1 and 2 both seem excessively long and hadn't any reviews yet but it has flaws and could certainly be improved. The GPX file follows my walk in June 2025, even where the remedy is obvious. I couldn't test alternatives to the deep mud, soft sand or tricky climb (see notes 1, 4, 6) but hopefully notes below will help someone else. Mini map (photo 1) shows their positions plus public transport, mid-route refreshments and campsites (which I researched but didn't eventually use).
If you find a better way but want help to get it onto the site either write a review to notify me (you can always delete it later), or join the Slow Ways Discord channel, link at the bottom of this page.
1 Public Footpath up the hill E of Costers Brook, position per OS map = sunken ramp cut into hill with a potentially treacherous deep boggy bit halfway up, also obstructed by fallen trees. Alt. path just to N looks steep, a bit sketchy - not tested. Or try New Lipchis Way?
2 Large fallen tree fully blocks path but people use the parallel field edge
3 Other 3 sides of square of paths were fine
4 From 4 to 6 follows pylons, simple to navigate but sandy ground is very soft in places, hard going. Worth checking alternatives?
5 Not a mistake, straighter path was visible but filled by head high bracken. May be ok in winter.
6 Long slope of soft sand, particularly hard going. Alternative through gorse looked spiny.
7 Went the wrong way!
8 A easier way up the very steep hill according to information board - seen too late (see photo 2)
9 Planned to use this path downhill (saves 1km) but several minor obstacles in first few minutes were unpromising, turned back
10 Path through woods briefly crowded by high undergrowth, but not serious. Rare Deadly Nightshade plant found here.
11 Path between hedges had a few brambles at top but was fine beyond.
12 Dull tarmacked access road. Is path on ridge to south?
13 The most pleasant way to the town square? Other Arundel Slow Way routes are impossible to follow or use the busy road.
Purple - train station, 900m from Arundel.
Blue - bus stops. Route 99 (Petworth - Chichester) passes mid route, stop named “Upwaltham, Littleton Farm”. Not Stagecoach so their day-rover tickets are not valid.
A, B, F, G, H, I, J, K Campsites, B is C&C Club members only.
C Shop with cafe, deli-counter, sold delicious cherries. Pub not open 7/7.
D, E Benches in playground and churchyard (also orchids).
G Close to campsite is sole mid-route bus stop also outdoor cafe with picnic benches, portaloo and water tap.
H A bothy as well as camping
Status
This route has been reviewed by 2 people.
There are no issues flagged.
Photos for Midaru three
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Information
Route status - Live
Reviews - 2
Average rating -
Is this route good enough? - Yes (2)
There are currently no problems reported with this route.
Downloads - 0
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Geography information system (GIS) data
Total length
Maximum elevation
Minimum elevation
Start and end points
Midhurst
Grid Ref
SU8870621460
Lat / Lon
50.98571° / -0.73759°
Easting / Northing
488,706E / 121,460N
What3Words
exploring.crowns.food
Arundel
Grid Ref
TQ0194707038
Lat / Lon
50.85387° / -0.55304°
Easting / Northing
501,947E / 107,038N
What3Words
slicing.argued.outnumber
| Midhurst | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | SU8870621460 |
| Lat / Lon | 50.98571° / -0.73759° |
| Easting / Northing | 488,706E / 121,460N |
| What3Words | exploring.crowns.food |
| Arundel | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | TQ0194707038 |
| Lat / Lon | 50.85387° / -0.55304° |
| Easting / Northing | 501,947E / 107,038N |
| What3Words | slicing.argued.outnumber |
Sorry Land Cover data is not currently available for this route. Please check back later.
reviews
Martin Ellis
24 Aug 2025Midhurst to Arundel 3 (Midaru 3) review.
A great Slow Way for showcasing the beauty of the South Downs, exploring heathland, woods, and downland. There are a few places where I’d favour an alternative path, which I’ll discuss; but really that comes down to personal preference or conditions on the day. I’d advise a hiking pole for the steep sections.
Note: I walked Arundel to Midhurst. The route has plenty of inclines, so felt much longer than its 16 miles. I walked it over two days, camping overnight.
I was off to a shaky start, let down by the bus link from Chichester to Arundel. I took the train. The station is a little way outside of town, but at least reliable. There’s plenty to enjoy in Arundel; including the castle, cathedral, and attractive cafés (Photo 1).
The route out of Arundel starts along a tarmacked access road. As an alternative, I took the wooded path to the left (Photo 2), which rejoins the route after the road.
I was caught out in Sherwood Rough woods (Photo 3). I had no clear idea where the Slow Way leaves the signposted footpath for a trail down to the A29. I stayed with the footpath to the A29, crossed there [SU991096], and followed a byway parallel to the road to rejoin the route. This may be the simpler option for those walking Arundel to Midhurst.
The walk through Houghton Forest was straightforward (Photo 4). The route joins the Monarch’s Way.
The Slow Way passes below Bignor Hill before switching from the Monarch’s Way to the South Downs Way. This was my break point for the day. I returned before dawn for a detour to enjoy excellent stargazing from the top of Bignor Hill [SU983131], and a sunrise over misty downs (Photo 5).
The South Downs Way stretch offers great views over the downs (Photos 6 & 7). The Slow Way eventually leaves it for a steep descent into Graffham.
I tried an alternative route down which leaves the South Downs Way by Tegleaze Farm [SU934161], heading northwest into the wooded descent. The path had fallen branches across it at several points, but the angle to the slope made it, I suspect, one of the easier ways down (Photo 8). Even so, I was pleased I’d remembered to pack a hiking pole. There were steps lower down (Photo 9). The northwest path led directly to a church, and after that, footpaths into Graffham.
The route through Graffham passes break points at The Foresters Arms and Gaffham Village Shop café.
Wooded footpaths from the village reach a road with the national speed limit (Photo 10). I found it quiet and wide enough, that I was okay using it rather than the longer bypass. Ironically a vehicle left this road for the narrow road on the Slow Way, meeting an oncoming car too fast, causing sudden breaking and horns tooting. It’s good, however, to have the Slow Way option when traffic is a concern.
The route joins the Serpent Trail in a pine plantation (Photo 11) on the way into Ambersham and Heyshott Commons. These are sandy heathland. The Slow Way leaves the Trail to climb sandy inclines. I was again pleased to have a hiking pole (Photo 12). The route follows a line of pylons which helps navigation. An alternative might be to stick with the Serpent Trail across the commons, although I didn’t investigate this option.
The route through gorse confused me at one point [SU909198]. I found a wooden bridge over Easebourne Brook and was back on course.
There is an issue on the approach to Midhurst where the route takes a footpath which was muddy and partially blocked by branches [SU896206] (Photo 13). An alternative would be the New Lipchis Way, which I suspect most people take in preference to this path.
The are plenty of amenities in Midhurst, and a bus depot I’m becoming familiar with on my visits to the South Downs.
Daisy C
09 Aug 2025 (edited 26 Aug 2025)Walked as part of the Slow Ways National Park Trail Challenge in June 2025, using a GPX app to navigate. This was a lovely walk and I really enjoyed the views and the variety of different habitats along the way - especially the lowland heath with heather just coming into bloom. Sadly I had a foot problem and didn't manage my planned multi-day walk from Midhurst to Steyning (inc 2 other National Park Trail Slow Ways) but did manage this, without camping gear and over two days. Both days started midway at the route 99 bus stop on the A285 where there's a small outdoor café, would be no shelter in wet weather though it was actually glorious!
I am recommending it but with caveats, see my route overview for details, the main two are a) you'll need stamina for the a greater distance as the soft sand around Heyshott Common is hard and slow going (e.g. photo 7) plus the hills of course and b) be particularly careful on the hill E of Costers Brook (overview note no.1). Beware of mud around a hidden spring halfway, some parts are *much* deeper than it looks (photo 9), also many large fallen trees.
Photo order is roughly midway->Midhurst (1-9) then midway->Arundel (10-15), as walked, but within this got mixed during upload. The apparent GPX position for some is missing or wildly out too.
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Martin Ellis
24 Aug 2025Thanks for the detailed overview. I printed it out for my walk! Here are some thoughts on a few of the points.
12: the path is wooded but I wouldn’t say significantly better than the access road.
9: I took this way down. I was confused by the obstacles, but the path becomes clear a bit further on. I suspect the descent is similar to the one marked ‘easier’ on the information board.
7: I also went the wrong way, but deliberately as it seemed safe enough. I checked the correct way too. It’s good to have the option if the traffic is bad.
4-6: Following the Serpent Trail more closely might be an easier option. I enjoyed the sandy parts, but then I had a hiking pole and was looking for snakes (no luck!).
1: That footpath is quite unpleasant. I find it hard to believe anyone uses it much.
Overall, the Slow Ways is walkable so I was happy to verify it. If there is a Midaru 4, there’s probably a few changes that can be made based on our findings. The main one would be a nicer way in/out of Midhurst.
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Daisy C
24 Aug 2025Hi. Thanks for paying such close attention! I normally read the reviews but then let them slip my mind as I walk which is not ideal.
I was also mighty glad of my walking poles, many times! -
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