Houghton Bridge and The River Arun
Children will enjoy looking for wildlife on the river, crossing the little suspension bridge and getting refreshments from the riverside cafe at the end of this walk.
The Basics
Time: 2 hours
Distance: 6.8 km
Terrain: Fields, woodland paths, country lanes, kissing gates, stiles, some parts overgrown in summer or muddy in winter.
Pushchair: No
Dogs: Yes, although you will need to walk through a working farmyard and fields likely to have sheep in.
Refreshments: The Bridge Inn and Riverside cafe, serving cream teas, are beside the river at the start/end point of this walk.
Toilets: Amberley Station
Parking: Amberley Train Station, free (Postcode: BN18 9LR - W3W: cone/advances/hexes)
This is one of the longer walks on our website, but do not let that put you off. The going is mainly flat, the river provides plenty of distraction (we saw our first ever kingfisher), there are riverside refreshments waiting at the end and the countryside in this part of Sussex is consistently beautiful with the ridge of the South Downs, chalk escarpments, rolling farmland and the gently meandering River Arun to treat your eyes.
The Route
Leave the station car park by heading back to the road. Cross to the pavement and then turn left, walking down the hill towards Houghton Bridge. Pass the little old toll house on your right and walk over the large stone road bridge. This section may be slightly unsettling with young children as there is no pavement over the bridge. But make use of the series of little inlets along the bridge to be able to let any traffic pass safely.
Once over the water, you will see a footpath sign on the left. You should follow this. Almost immediately, you will come to a locked gate. The footpath goes around the edge of the gate and down to a little footbridge over the river. Look for the stile and go over it to join a grassy path with the river to your right.
Continue along the river bank until you come to a gate. Go through the gate and then immediately go left through another gate. This path will now direct you away from river bank towards North Stoke. During the summer there can be some branches, brambles, nettles etc that you may have to push through along the narrow path.
Continue along this same path until you meet a quiet country lane at North Stoke. Go right and walk along the gentle hill towards the hamlet. When you meet a T-junction with a red phonebox and letterbox, go left and then take the footpath to your right straight away.
Shortly, you will come to a little wooden gate, which you should go through to enter a field. Go directly straight across the field with farm buildings and views of the south downs away to your right (This field had lambs in when we walked). Meet a wooden kissing gate on the other side.
Go through the gate and head towards the Gurkha Suspension Bridge. After crossing the bridge, the path will work its way under trees with glimpses of fields to your left. There are no other path options, so it is easy to follow the route until you arrive at another kissing gate. The gate will take you out into a field. Walk along the field with the hedge to your right and soon you will see the river meandering its way back to you and a metal bridge.
Go through the gate onto the stony track and turn right to go over the bridge. On the other side, you will find yourself passing an old rectory and entering the hamlet of South Stoke. Go under (or open) the barrier and continue up to the hamlet. At South Stoke Farm, follow the footpath sign right through the farmyard and look out for the finger post on your left, just after the wedding barn. This chalky path will take you away from the farm house, passing a long barn on your right first. Go through a large metal gate and cross the hard standing to continue on the chalky path. At a pile of silage bales and farm machinery, carry on through another large metal gate.
Continue on the same path until a rickety wooden gate takes you into a field. Follow the path around the right hand edge of the field and climb one of the few hilly sections of this walk. Look out for the wooden gate to your right, down a dip, and exit along the wooded path.
You will now stay on the same path for some time. You will start to see the walls of Arundel Park often in view to your left and increasingly more glimpses of the river to your right. You will not need to change your direction until you almost reach the village of Houghton. Just before the first houses start to come into view, you will need to look for a yellow arrow footpath marker directing you to the right. It will be the first right hand path you will have seen along this entire section. The path is easy to miss as it is a little overgrown in the summer months. If you reach a house and a gate, then you have gone too far.
The little path will become muddy as it nears the river, but you will soon find a somewhat rickety and overgrown boardwalk which will take you over the marshy ground. Follow the boardwalk and cross a little footbridge which is not much more than a plank and then continue until a wooden footbridge with a barrier takes you into a pony paddock.
Cross the pony paddock straight ahead and then climb the stile on the other side. Walk with the river in your right as Houghton Bridge comes into view. When you see the stone arches of the bridge, go through the metal kissing gate and walk along the road back to Houghton Station and the pub/café.
Adjacent to Amberley Station is the entrance for Amberley Museum with café, play area and a narrow gauge railway that children can ride throughout the summer.
Boats can be hired from Riverside.
Did you know?
The suspension bridge on the path was rebuilt by British Army Gurkhas in 2009 after the original one was damaged by a falling tree.