This ‘new’ walk led by John and Maureen on September 25th 2022, starts from the village of East Dean, near Goodwood, Chichester.
The walk starts and ends in East Dean, a pretty Sussex Village. The Star and Garter pub serves food either in the restaurant or in the beer garden and is an excellent choice for lunch. The walk itself is a particularly pleasant amble, over mostly flat or gently undulating terrain with moderate climbs. It encompasses pretty woodland walking, as well as open views across stunning Downland countryside and meadows.
Many of the hedged in trails on this walk are of ancient lineage and we also pay a brief visit to the pretty little 12th Century All Saints Church (where the footpath passes through the churchyard soon after we set off) with its peaceful graveyard for the East Dean Parish. The famous poet and playwright Christopher Fry, who lived in the village for many years until his death in 1998, is buried in a corner of the graveyard and a noted blacksmith, William Peachey, remembered for his work in forging swords for Oliver Cromwell, was buried there some centuries earlier. With his actual grave missing, his headstone is now set in the outer church wall, rather crudely engraved.
