Petaru one

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

I walked this route solo on an overcast day at the beginning of September. It had rained the night before but there was only a bit of drizzle on the day. I walked from Arundel to Petworth in about five and half hours with a 20 minute lunch stop.

All in all this is a very attractive route along quiet paths well away from roads and traffic noise. The route is well plotted and easy to follow on the ground, plenty of sign posts. There are lots of kissing gates, some stiles and narrow footbridges so it is unsuitable for wheels. Some of the footpaths were a little overgrown and underused at the end of the summer but you should be OK with long trousers. I wore shorts and a t-shirt so did get stung and scratched a bit. Several fields contained livestock, sheep and cattle, but no issues for me today. The chalky paths over Arundel Park and down to the River Arun were a little slippery.

I only noticed one refreshment point along the whole route. This was The White Horse at Sutton about half way, a gastro pub which was not open on Monday.

I deducted a star, not because it is an unpleasant walk, but because it seemed to meander unnecessarily at the Petworth end. There were two points where the route took off from a very quiet lane to take footpaths only to rejoin the same lane a little further up the road. From Sutton Church to Sutton End and from Shopham Bridge out past Bigenor Farm and High Hoes. These diversions add time and distance for no real benefit.

The route passes several nice churches and villages as well as the Bignor Roman Villa which is well worth a visit. Plus if you like thatched cottages, this is the route for you.

A really nice long walk (took me 28km and 6 hours including a lunch pause). Mostly across countryside and farms, with some short sections on quiet roads, though be careful crossing the A29 at Bury and Haslingbourne Lane. Some nice things to look out for:
- The first couple of km after Petworth have lovely woods and streams. I heard a nightingale.
- Some nice sections of the Monarch's Way, Serpent Trail and a small part of South Downs Way.
- Several ancient barns and some other classic old Sussex buildings.
- Amusing 'Beware of the Ram" sign ("His butt is worse than his bite") with some heritage sheep
- Lovely touch from the house near Bigenor providing a tap signed "Water for Walkers". (Makes a nice change from the spurious "Bull in Field" signs elsewhere on the route.)
- Lord's Piece: Beautiful heathland south of Coates
- Former phone box near Sutton providing leaflets with local information and a large scale local map
- The White Horse Inn in Sutton which looks like it would be a nice place for some lunch and refreshment (though I didn't try it)
-Bignor Roman Villa (worth a visit if open and you've made an early start!)
- If the season and weather are right, huge hillside of wild garlic north of Bury
- Amazing panoramic view of North Downs and the sea simultaneously as you approach Arundel
- Fauna Brewing taproom for a very welcome congratulatory pint as you come into Arundel

The only oddity is that I was navigating simultaneously using Strava, with GPX freshly downloaded from slowways.org and the beta Slowways app on Android. In at least 3 places the route was quite different. Surely this shouldn't be possible with current versions of the same Slow Way?.

A really enjoyable walk, over a good mixture of footpaths, fields and downland tracks. The route takes you through several small villages and past many chocolate box thatched cottages, finishing with a climb up onto the rolling parkland of Arundel Castle.

The paths are generally well kept, although not suitable for wheelchairs due to the many stiles, kissing gates and plank bridges. There was only one very short section that required some nettle pruning with a hiking stick!

There aren't many options for refreshments along the route. There are a couple of pubs and a cafe if you decide to visit the excellent Bignor Roman Villa, but most of the villages and hamlets are small and sleepy.

Keep an eye out for the house that has a tap outside labelled 'for the use of walkers' if you need to fill your bottle.

A great way to spend a day, walking through quintessential and timeless Weald and Downland scenery, ending up in the stunning castle town of Arundel with its many eateries and antique shops.

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