Midhurst Common
Children will enjoy the silver sand ‘beach’ on this walk and the ponds filled with fish.
The largest of the ponds
The Basics
Time: 35 mins
Distance: 2.2 km
Terrain: Mostly sandy paths, an optional short ascent, some rough paths due to tree roots
Pushchair: No
Dogs: Yes, especially if they will love a swim!
Refreshments: A few minutes walk from the car park, The Stables Coffee Bar in Bepton serves hot drinks, sausage rolls, pizza slices, ice-cream etc
Toilets: None
Public Transport: There is no public transport for this walk
Parking: Small, free car park off Severals Lane. Be aware the surface is quite rutted. The car park is on the left just after the speed limit sign and pair of white fences as you enter Bepton from the Petersfield direction (Postcode: GU29 0LR - W3W: cope/wiping/ironic)
A large sandy area surrounds the ponds
Lying just on the edge of the historic South Downs town of Midhurst, the common is a walkers delight. Sandy paths take you through woodland and heathland. There are plenty of paths, but our suggested route passes three ponds, one of which is surrounded by beautiful silver sands and purple heather.
The Route
Take the path behind the gate at the back of the car park (it has a sign on about car thieves operating in the area, so do not leave any valuables behind). Follow the track inlaid with bricks and stones through a pleasant piece of woodland until you reach a cross paths. Take the smallest path straight ahead, passing through some metal posts sticking up from the ground.
Shortly, you will see the first pond come into view to your left. You can divert down a little path to your left to explore it, but should return to the same path.
Back on the path, continue until the stone laid path gives way to a more sandy surface, just before a clearing with a few trees in the centre. This clearing is important as it will help you find the pond in our photos, so make sure to be looking out for the first major clearing where the path is no longer enclosed on both sides! There is a vague circular path going around the clearing with a few paths leading off into the bushes. If you imagined you were approaching this like a car at a roundabout, then you should take the last exit to your right. You will almost be doubling back on yourself and after a few metres through the undergrowth, the path will reveal the ‘beach’ and then the pond. The pond is a popular place for dogs to come for a swim, but I would not recommend this for children to swim or paddle in as the water is still and not flowing. There is a large amount of small fish in the pond, including some little goldfish that must have been released there from a domestic pond. I can imagine children having fun with their wellies, a bucket and a net. We spotted a heron feasting on the plentiful fish! (update - on our most recent visit in September 2024, there were not so many fish visible).
To continue the walk, go back to the ‘roundabout’ clearing and take the small path on the opposite side to where you originally arrived at the clearing, heading into the trees. Go under a fallen tree that has been cut to head clearance height and then pass by an oak tree entwined with a pine. The path is rough here, but soon dips down to meet a main path.
Turn left here to follow this path beneath the power lines and through some tall conifers. At the edge of the trees, where the vegetation turns to bracken and heather, you will hit a cross paths. Turn right here and take the rough path up the hill with the treeline to your right. This is a short scramble to the top over tree roots, but it is worth it. At the top, you will be rewarded with views and a couple of benches from which to enjoy them.
With the bench to your right, continue on the little path as it soon passes another bench looking in the opposite direction. Descend down the other side of the hill and at a cross path with a single lone wooden post, turn left. Stay on this path as it soon begins to widen and then travels in line with the large power lines. Continue, and when you reach some boggy ground, use the little boardwalk. After this, look out for a pylon with with 8 yellow anchors where the path forks.
Take the right hand fork and head back under trees. This path will lead directly back to the parking area. To find the Stables Coffee Bar, turn left out of the car park and walk a couple of minutes along the lane to Bepton villgae.
Did you know?
The ponds were formed as part of a former brickworks on the site. Sand was extracted to create ‘Midhurst Whites’, the trading name for the bricks produced here. The brickworks closed in 1985. The land is owned by The Cowdray Estate and grants have helped to establish the common now as a wildlife corridor.
