Heather and heath on Iping and Stedham Commons

West of Midhurst the ground is thin, sandy soil under heather and gorse. Sussex Wildlife Trust calls Iping and Stedham Commons among the richest examples of lowland heath in Sussex, and the South Downs National Park Authority has written two routes across them: a short circuit from the Iping Common car park, and a full stage of the Serpent Trail.

Heath like this is scarce. The Authority’s Serpent Trail page notes that 80% of lowland heath has been lost since the early 1800s. The national park itself is young: it officially came into being on 31 March 2010.

The short circuit from Iping Common

The Authority’s “Iping and Stedham Commons” sheet is one of its Miles Without Stiles routes, suitable for people with restricted mobility, including all-terrain mobility scooters and families with pushchairs. It is 1.25 miles (2km), with an optional add-on of 0.6 miles (1km) out and back. The sheet allows about 30 minutes for the circuit and another 15 for the add-on. The surface is sandy and uneven in places, but for the most part fairly level, with some slight gradients.

It starts in the car park at Iping Common (GU29 0PB, grid reference SU852219). From there:

• Head west through a bridle gate, take the left fork downhill and cross a wooden bridge.
• Just after a large conifer, take the right fork uphill.
• At the T-junction turn right onto the Serpent Trail. Here the heath opens out, with far-reaching views of the Downs. Just to the right of the path are two Bronze Age burial mounds, covered in heather.
• Past a bench you reach a crossroads. Turn right and follow the Serpent Trail east, back to the car park.

For the add-on, cross the road from the car park with care onto Stedham Common and follow the Serpent Trail east to Dragonflies Rest, one of the seven sculptures on the Heathland Sculpture Trail. It marks the fact that Stedham and Iping commons hold all five heathland dragonfly species found in the south of the UK. Return the same way.

Sussex Wildlife Trust describes the two sides differently. Iping is more open heath, with sandier paths. Stedham, across the Fitzhall road, is more wooded, with firmer ground; it was pine plantation and is being brought back to wooded heath. The Trust adds that the name Stedham comes from Old Norse for the water meadow where stallions graze.

A longer day: Midhurst, Stedham and Iping commons

For a full day, stage 10 of the Serpent Trail is titled “Midhurst, Stedham and Iping Commons”. The Authority’s guide gives it as 13.2km (8.2 miles). It starts at Cocking Causeway on the A286 by the Greyhound pub, crosses Midhurst Common, which is owned by the Cowdray Estate, and passes through The Severals before Stedham Common and Iping Common. It ends at Habin Hill, Nyewood.

The guide picks out a few things on the way. On the south-eastern edge of Midhurst Common, sand quarrying and brick-making ran from 1919 to 1985 and left large pools and sheer sandy cliffs. At the southern end are the remains of the Petersfield to Midhurst railway, which opened in 1864 and ran until 1955. In the south-east corner of Iping Common are the remains of a barrow complex and a Roman road. Iping Common is also a Dark Sky Discovery Site, chosen for its open skies away from light pollution.

The whole Serpent Trail is 65 miles (106km), winding between Haslemere and Petersfield. The Authority says it is waymarked with purple discs for the “tail route” from Haslemere to Petersfield and green discs for the “head route” the other way. Its guide lists bus connections at each end of every stage: Stagecoach bus 60 to Cocking Causeway, and bus 54 from Nyewood to Petersfield or Chichester. Services change, so check before you set out.

What to look for

The Authority’s sheet says to look for the silver-studded blue butterfly in June and July, a heathland specialist whose caterpillars feed on bell heather. The Serpent Trail guide suggests the long sandy track on Iping Common as a good place to watch them, and mentions glow worms in the evenings.

Sussex Wildlife Trust lists stonechats, woodlarks and Dartford warblers by day. After dusk from May to August you may hear nightjars churring, while tawny owls call along the wooded edges. The Trust’s ranger suggests a sunny morning for adders basking on the sandy tracks.

Cattle often graze Stedham Common; the Trust counts the return of grazing as key to keeping the mix of heathland habitats.

After the walk, the Cowdray Ruins are on the Cowdray Estate at Midhurst. Cowdray’s own history page describes them as one of England’s most important early Tudor houses, visited by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. A fire in September 1793, during repairs for the marriage of the 8th Viscount Montague, destroyed most of the house. The Kitchen Tower is the only part that remains intact. The Cowdray Heritage Trust now manages the site, and the estate runs ticketed tours on set dates. Check its website for what is on.

Practical notes

• Parking: two car parks on Iping Common; the Iping Common car park has a height barrier. The main car park is surfaced and has an information board and map.
• Buses: Stagecoach 91 and 92; the nearest stops are opposite Iping Lane on the A272.
• Access: the reserve is open at all times and free to visit. Gates are bridle gates with an 1800mm opening.
• Dogs: Sussex Wildlife Trust asks for dogs on short leads at all times of year, especially near grazing animals. The Serpent Trail guide asks walkers to keep to the paths during the ground-nesting bird season, 1 March to 15 September, and to keep dogs on a lead around cattle.
• Toilets: none on the commons; the nearest are in Midhurst and Petersfield.

Stedham itself has a pub and a village green.

Where to stay

See the current South Downs collection for published stays.

More in the South Downs.