RST Route 12 Village Hall To Storrington

2.8 miles with sections that are only suited to pedestrians. One climb of 20 metres at Jacket’s Hill.

On leaving the Village Hall head south along Abingworth Crescent to the right of Pavilion Close. On the left is a newly created pond and adjacent to it a seating area with an historic stone in the centre. Thakeham’s most notable former resident was William Penn (see notes in Route 10) and this stone, marked with a small plaque placed on it some time ago by the Quakers of the Blue Idol Meeting House in the north of the parish, records that he used it as a plinth when addressing the congregation. Until the recent development of Abingworth the stone lay unnoticed in rough ground. Continue to the B2139. Turn left and cross the road. Beyond the bus stop and shelter there is a section of about 100 yards without a pavement so pay attention to on-coming traffic; plans are being developed to provide a safer route along this short section of the path.

Abingworth Hall, set back on the east of the road and owned and run by H.F. Holidays, is a hotel catering for groups of walkers. It was a substantial farm of up to 400 acres until the early twentieth century when sold with 150 acres. Then in 1910 the house was gutted by a fire and rebuilt on the same site by the owner who was an architect. Just three years later it was purchased by Sir Oswald Mosley, 4th Baronet, who had vacated the family seat of Rolleston Hall in Staffordshire for his son. The founder of the British Union of Fascists and 6th Baronet may never have visited his grandfather here before the latter’s death in 1915. The property then changed hands several times with frequent modifications. It has been an hotel since 1945.

Past the drive to Champions Farm take the footpath to the right with a few steps leading up and away from the road. The path climbs steeply and at the top of Jacket’s Hill and high above the road turns sharply to the west. The adjacent house of modern design provides stabling and the path which is narrow along the field edge runs beside their paddocks. After 250 yards the path is open and across the ridge line Champions Farm and Threal’s Farm can be seen down on the right and distant views to the South Downs are available on the left.

At the end of the field a bridleway (Route 16) crosses the path and this is the boundary between Thakeham Parish and Storrington and Sullington. Cross the bridleway and continue WSW with a field stretching down to Greenhurst Lane on the left. The path crosses Greenhurst Lane and then almost immediately Fryern Road. After 50 yards a footpath is accessed over a stile on the right and this leads WSW to, after about 500 yards across the middle of a field, a footpath junction. Turn left to the south and descend into a shallow valley that carries the stream connecting Hareswith Pond with the River Stor. Keep on the footpath heading due south past Fryern Home Farm and in the wooded area beyond come to the River Stor which flows down to the River Arun. Tudor historians were addicted to creating river names from towns on their banks and so the Tarente (or Tarrant - see Tarrant Street in Arundel) was given it’s new name from Arundel. Choose from a number of paths beside it and walk against the flow and into Storrington. This alternative way to Storrington is nearly a mile longer than the direct route via Northlands Lane and Downsview Avenue.

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