Iping and Stedham Commons
On this walk, children will enjoy hunting for wildlife at the pond or resting on the dragonfly bench.
The Basics
Time: 40 mins for each walk
Distance: Each walk is about 2km
Terrain: Easy, sandy paths, mostly flat
Pushchair: The sand would make it too hard going
Dogs: Yes, under close control due to wildlife
Refreshments: None
Toilets: None
Parking: Free car park on Elsted Road off the A272 (Postcode: GU29 0PB - W3W - drizzly/work/volcano)
These special heathland habitats are rich with wildlife including dragonflies and swathes of purple heather in late summer. You can combine both the commons into one walk or visit each one separately if you prefer something shorter.
The Route
For Iping Common:
Leave the car park through the main gate on the left when facing away from the road. Look out for the beetle way marker, taking you left down a smaller path.
At the bottom of this path, there is a small pond that makes a quick diversion off the path. Spot more beetle way markers to take you in a route that joins back up to the main path.
Follow the path in a direction away from the car park and you will pass a ‘selfie frame’ where children might enjoy taking an uploading photos to the Sussex Wildlife Trust social feeds.
Staying on the wide, flat sandy path you will eventually see a sandy path sweeping up to your right and going through a gate. Go up the small hill to gain a lovely view back across the heath. At the top there is a fork, where you should go right and then right again at the next fork. This path sweeps back down across the heath and re-joins the lower path at the photo stop.
From here, you can head back to the car park by keeping left on this path.
For Stedham Common:
You can enjoy Stedham Common, on the opposite side of the road, as an add on to the above walk or on its own. For Stedham, exit the car park by crossing the road and joining the path directly opposite, heading across the common. The path is initially bordered by some tall pines.
As you walk along this path, you will be able to find the dragonfly bench, one of a series of specially sculpted benches scattered across the South Downs National Park.
Stay on the main path after the bench and ignore any others to the left or right. You will make your way down to a crossing with Minsted Road.
You need to turn right here and can either pick your way across the common parallel to the lane, or follow the lane until you see the second of two signposted paths on your right in quick succession. I prefer the second path as it is bordered by rhododendrons, which flower in early summer.
Follow this path to a gate and go through it, making your way back towards Elsted Road. Just before the road, you should be able to make out a path going across the common with the road parallel to your left. At the end, you will meet the gateway which takes you across the road and back to the car park.
We recommend viewing as a Trails Map:
Did you know?
Over 80% of lowland heath has been lost from the UK in the last couple of centuries. The UK has 20% of the world’s lowland heath making the total area rarer than tropical rainforests.