New Lipchis Way
Encyclopedia
The New Lipchis Way is a 60.8 kilometres (37.8 mi) long distance footpath which runs from Liphook
in Hampshire
to West Wittering
in West Sussex
. Running north–south across the Western Weald
and South Downs
to the Sussex
coastal plain and Chichester Harbour
the path crosses several geological rock strata and their associated soils and habitats. Landmarks on the route include Cowdray ruins
, Goodwood Racecourse
, the Trundle
, Chichester Cathedral
and the city walls, and East Head at West Wittering.
in an easterly direction at Highfield Lane and following it to Stanley Common before turning south past Iron Hill to Elmers Marsh and Upper North Park Farm, then to Woolbeding Common, where there are fine views westward. From this sandstone
ridge the trail descends to cross the River Rother
for the first time at Iping
Bridge, then follows a bridleway east to another ancient stone bridge at Stedham
where it re-crosses to the north bank of the river. Following a northerly loop of the river past Stedham Hall and Stedham Mill the trail crosses the Rother for the third time at Woolbeding Bridge. From here the trail soon reaches the A272 road
on the western outskirts of Midhurst
, turning onto June Lane, then a footpath to reach the secondary school site and the bus station at North Street car park.
From the car park the trail takes the causeway across the Rother floodplain towards the Tudor
ruins of Cowdray House
, but turns right on reaching the river to skirt round St. Anne's Hill, once the site of a Norman castle, and crosses a bridge at the former Midhurst canal wharf, once the western terminus of the Rother Navigation. Passing the former wharfinger
's cottage the trail follows the south bank of the river before turning south across country to the small village of Heyshott
, birthplace of reformer and peace campaigner Richard Cobden
who is buried in nearby West Lavington
churchyard. Passing the ancient parish church of St. James before leaving the public highway the trail then climbs the steep South Downs escarpment to the trail's highest point on Heyshott Down at 225 metres (738.2 ft) where it crosses the South Downs Way
. The trail now descends the gentler slopes through Singleton Forest and then crosses open ground at Levin Down to Singleton
on the River Lavant
. In this largely flint
built village the Saxon parish church with its massive squat tower was an hundredal church. A doorway from the tower into the nave shows that there was once an upper floor to the nave.
From Singleton a footpath heads south across the fields towards Goodwood Racecourse
and Goodwood Country Park
, to join the lane coming up from Charlton
towards a triangular road junction, from which the trail climbs St. Roche's Hill to the Trundle
Iron Age hill fort, used as a base by clubmen
during the English Civil War
. Here there are panoramic views of the coastal plain from Chichester to the Solent
and the Isle of Wight
. The trail now briefly joins the Monarch's Way
footpath westward before continuing across open ground at Haye's Down to join the Centurion Way path, a footpath and cycle route which follows the track bed of the former Chichester to Midhurst railway and takes its name from the Chichester to Silchester Roman road, which it crosses at East Broyle Copse. After passing through Mid Lavant the trail crosses an Iron Age linear embankment, the Devils Ditch, and another at West Broyle Copse. Centurion Way leads to the west side of Chichester where the New Lipchis Way joins the South Coast Cycle Route to the city's west gate.
The trail leaves Chichester southward from the canal basin, south of the railway station
, following the Chichester Canal
. This former ship canal runs south to Hunston
, then turns sharply west where it joins the former Portsmouth and Arundel Canal
, then continues past Donnington
to Chichester Harbour
. Crossing the canal at Salterns Lock the trail follows footpaths to West Itchenor
and continues along the harbour coast to East Head, doubling back to end at West Wittering.
Liphook
Liphook is a large village in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 4.1 miles west of Haslemere, on the A3 road, and lies on the Hampshire/West Sussex border.Liphook has its own railway station, on the Portsmouth Direct Line....
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
to West Wittering
West Wittering
West Wittering is a small village and civil parish, on the Manhood Peninsula, in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies near the mouth of Chichester Harbour on the B2179 road 6.5 miles southwest of Chichester and has a sandy beach with what has been described as excellent...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. Running north–south across the Western Weald
Western Weald
The western Weald is an area of undulating countryside in Hampshire and West Sussex containing a mixture of woodland and heathland areas.It lies to the south of the towns of Bordon, Haslemere and Rake and to the west of the town of Pulborough. It includes the towns of Liss and Petersfield on its...
and South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
to the Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
coastal plain and Chichester Harbour
Chichester Harbour
Chichester Harbour is a large natural harbour to the south west of the city of Chichester on the Solent. It straddles the boundary of West Sussex and Hampshire. Geographically it is a ria. It is one of four natural harbours in that area of the coastline, the others being Portsmouth Harbour,...
the path crosses several geological rock strata and their associated soils and habitats. Landmarks on the route include Cowdray ruins
Cowdray House
Cowdray House consists of the ruins of one of England's great Tudor houses, architecturally comparable to many of the great palaces and country houses of that time. It is situated just east of Midhurst, West Sussex standing on the north bank of the River Rother...
, Goodwood Racecourse
Goodwood Racecourse
Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House...
, the Trundle
Trundle (hill fort)
Trundle is an Iron Age hill fort on Saint Roche's Hill about north of Chichester, Sussex, England. Trundle is one of just four hill forts built in Sussex. The fort was built around a Neolithic causewayed enclosure, of which very little can be seen on the ground.- History :St...
, Chichester Cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
and the city walls, and East Head at West Wittering.
The route
From the northern end, the trail leaves Liphook by Midhurst Road, joining the Sussex Border PathSussex Border Path
The Sussex Border Path is a 256 kilometres long-distance footpath in southern England that connects Thorney Island to Rye.The footpath uses existing rights of way to follow the Sussex county border and is waymarked....
in an easterly direction at Highfield Lane and following it to Stanley Common before turning south past Iron Hill to Elmers Marsh and Upper North Park Farm, then to Woolbeding Common, where there are fine views westward. From this sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
ridge the trail descends to cross the River Rother
River Rother (Western)
The River Rother is a river which flows for thirty miles from Empshott in Hampshire to Stopham in West Sussex, where it joins the River Arun. It should not be confused with the River Rother, in East Sussex....
for the first time at Iping
Iping
Iping is a village in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies within the civil parish of Stedham with Iping, just off the A272 road 2 miles west of Midhurst. The village lies on the River Rother...
Bridge, then follows a bridleway east to another ancient stone bridge at Stedham
Stedham
Stedham is a village in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies within the civil parish of Stedham with Iping, on the A272 road 1.5 miles west of Midhurst....
where it re-crosses to the north bank of the river. Following a northerly loop of the river past Stedham Hall and Stedham Mill the trail crosses the Rother for the third time at Woolbeding Bridge. From here the trail soon reaches the A272 road
A272 road
The A272 is a road in South-East England. It follows an approximate East-West route from near Heathfield, East Sussex to the city of Winchester, Hampshire. It has achieved somewhat unlikely fame in recent years by being the subject of a book by the Dutch author, Pieter Boogaart...
on the western outskirts of Midhurst
Midhurst
Midhurst is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England, with a population of 4,889 in 2001. The town is situated on the River Rother and is home to the ruin of the Tudor Cowdray House and the stately Victorian Cowdray Park...
, turning onto June Lane, then a footpath to reach the secondary school site and the bus station at North Street car park.
From the car park the trail takes the causeway across the Rother floodplain towards the Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
ruins of Cowdray House
Cowdray House
Cowdray House consists of the ruins of one of England's great Tudor houses, architecturally comparable to many of the great palaces and country houses of that time. It is situated just east of Midhurst, West Sussex standing on the north bank of the River Rother...
, but turns right on reaching the river to skirt round St. Anne's Hill, once the site of a Norman castle, and crosses a bridge at the former Midhurst canal wharf, once the western terminus of the Rother Navigation. Passing the former wharfinger
Wharfinger
Wharfinger is an archaic term for a person who is the keeper or owner of a wharf. The wharfinger took custody of and was responsible for goods delivered to the wharf, typically had an office on the wharf or dock, and was responsible for day-to-day activities including slipways, keeping tide tables...
's cottage the trail follows the south bank of the river before turning south across country to the small village of Heyshott
Heyshott
Heyshott is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It is approximately three miles south of Midhurst. Like many villages it has lost its shop but still has one pub, the Unicorn...
, birthplace of reformer and peace campaigner Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden was a British manufacturer and Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with John Bright in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League as well as with the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty...
who is buried in nearby West Lavington
West Lavington, West Sussex
West Lavington is a village and civil parish on the edge of Midhurst in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It contains a small private nursery school and the church of St Mary Magdalene...
churchyard. Passing the ancient parish church of St. James before leaving the public highway the trail then climbs the steep South Downs escarpment to the trail's highest point on Heyshott Down at 225 metres (738.2 ft) where it crosses the South Downs Way
South Downs Way
The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England, and is one of 15 National Trails in England and Wales...
. The trail now descends the gentler slopes through Singleton Forest and then crosses open ground at Levin Down to Singleton
Singleton, West Sussex
Singleton is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies in the Lavant valley, north of Chichester on the A286 road to Midhurst.The village name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon 'sengel', which means "burnt clearing"....
on the River Lavant
River Lavant, West Sussex
The River Lavant is a winterbourne that rises at East Dean and flows west to Singleton, then south past West Dean and Lavant to Chichester. From east of Chichester its natural course was south to the sea at Pagham, but the Romans diverted it to flow around the southern walls of Chichester and then...
. In this largely flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
built village the Saxon parish church with its massive squat tower was an hundredal church. A doorway from the tower into the nave shows that there was once an upper floor to the nave.
From Singleton a footpath heads south across the fields towards Goodwood Racecourse
Goodwood Racecourse
Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House...
and Goodwood Country Park
Goodwood Country Park
Goodwood Country Park is a Country Park in West Sussex in southern England.It is within the estate of Goodwood House near Chichester, and next to Goodwood Racecourse and the Trundle Iron Age hill fort....
, to join the lane coming up from Charlton
Charlton, West Sussex
Charlton is a hamlet in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies on the Singleton to East Dean road 5.3 miles north of Chichester....
towards a triangular road junction, from which the trail climbs St. Roche's Hill to the Trundle
Trundle (hill fort)
Trundle is an Iron Age hill fort on Saint Roche's Hill about north of Chichester, Sussex, England. Trundle is one of just four hill forts built in Sussex. The fort was built around a Neolithic causewayed enclosure, of which very little can be seen on the ground.- History :St...
Iron Age hill fort, used as a base by clubmen
Clubmen
Clubmen were bands of vigilantes during the English Civil War who tried to protect their localities against the worst excesses of the respective armies of both sides in the war...
during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. Here there are panoramic views of the coastal plain from Chichester to the Solent
Solent
The Solent is a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England.The Solent is a major shipping route for passengers, freight and military vessels. It is an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually...
and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. The trail now briefly joins the Monarch's Way
Monarch's Way
The Monarch's Way is a long-distance footpath in England that approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester.Most of the footpath is waymarked...
footpath westward before continuing across open ground at Haye's Down to join the Centurion Way path, a footpath and cycle route which follows the track bed of the former Chichester to Midhurst railway and takes its name from the Chichester to Silchester Roman road, which it crosses at East Broyle Copse. After passing through Mid Lavant the trail crosses an Iron Age linear embankment, the Devils Ditch, and another at West Broyle Copse. Centurion Way leads to the west side of Chichester where the New Lipchis Way joins the South Coast Cycle Route to the city's west gate.
The trail leaves Chichester southward from the canal basin, south of the railway station
Chichester railway station
Chichester railway station is a railway station in the city of Chichester in West Sussex, England. The station is a short walk from the city centre, and about a 10 minute walk from the university....
, following the Chichester Canal
Chichester Canal
The Chichester Canal is a navigable canal in England. It runs from the sea at Birdham Chichester Harbour to Chichester through two locks. The canal was opened in 1822 having taken three years to build. When completed the canal could take ships of up to 100 tons...
. This former ship canal runs south to Hunston
Hunston, West Sussex
Hunston is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies on the B2145 Road two miles south of Chichester.-External links:*...
, then turns sharply west where it joins the former Portsmouth and Arundel Canal
Portsmouth and Arundel Canal
The Portsmouth and Arundel Canal was a canal in the south of England that ran between Portsmouth and Arundel, it was built in 1823 but was never a financial success and was abandoned in 1855, the company was wound up in 1888...
, then continues past Donnington
Donnington, West Sussex
Donnington is a small village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. The village lies on the B2201 road, two miles south of Chichester. The northern part of the parish comprises the Stockbridge area of the City of Chichester.The village lies on the Chichester Canal....
to Chichester Harbour
Chichester Harbour
Chichester Harbour is a large natural harbour to the south west of the city of Chichester on the Solent. It straddles the boundary of West Sussex and Hampshire. Geographically it is a ria. It is one of four natural harbours in that area of the coastline, the others being Portsmouth Harbour,...
. Crossing the canal at Salterns Lock the trail follows footpaths to West Itchenor
West Itchenor
West Itchenor is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It lies north of the B2179 Chichester to West Wittering road 4.5 miles southwest of Chichester. The village lies on the shores of Chichester Harbour.The parish covers an area of 413 hectares...
and continues along the harbour coast to East Head, doubling back to end at West Wittering.