Around Horsham Walk

9 miles (14.5 km)

This fine circular walk around Horsham makes use of three of the walking trails running through the town. You'll follow sections of the Horsham Riverside Walk, the High Weald Landscape Trail and the West Sussex Literary Trail to visit some of the highlights of the area. On the way there's waterside paths along the River Arun, a visit to Warnham Nature Reserve and fine views of the surrounding High Weald countryside.
The walk starts in Horsham Park, just to the west of the train station. Head south through the town and you will soon come to the river. Follow the path round to the west and it will take you up to Warnham Mill Pond and Nature Reserve. It's a lovely spot with a 17 acre millpond, marshes, grassland, reed beds, hedges and woodlands. Look out for a variety of wildlife including heron, wildfowl, three species of Woodpecker and kingfisher.
After exploring the reserve the walk then picks up a section of the West Sussex Literary Trail to take you through the town and back to the park. You then pick up the High Weald Landscape Trail to take you east towards the river. Following the river round will take you past Hornbrook Farm and Chesworth Farm before returning to the finish point at Horsham Park.
To extend your walking in the area you could head east along the High Weald Landscape Trail to St Leonard's Forest. Here you'll find miles of cycling and walking trails with pine woodland, a series of pretty streams and the Whitevane Pond at the north western end of the forest. If you continue along the trail you can visit the villages of Slaugham and Warninglid.
Head south of the town and you can visit Southwater Country Park. There's nice trails to follow around the lakes with lots more wildlife to look out for.
The Downs Link footpath can also be picked up just to the west of the town. You could follow it all the way to the Southwater Country Park.

Horsham Ordnance Survey Map - view and print off detailed OS map

Horsham Open Street Map - view and print off detailed map

Horsham OS Map - Mobile GPS OS Map with Location tracking

Horsham Open Street Map - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Walks near Horsham

Horsham Riverside Walk - This popular circular walk around Horsham includes some lovely waterside trails and fine scenery
High Weald Landscape Trail - Explore the High Weald AONB on this fabulous 90 mile walk that links the ridge-top villages and historic gardens for which the area is famous
West Sussex Literary Trail - This walk runs from Horsham to Chichester with many literary connections along the way
St Leonard's Forest - This large area of woodland is located just to the east of Horsham
Southwater Country Park - Enjoy peaceful lakeside walking at this pretty country park in Horsham
Downs Link - This is a terrific walking or cycling path running from St Martha's Hill in Guildford to Shoreham by Sea
Sussex Ouse Valley Way - This splendid waterside walk follows the River Ouse from its source near Lower Beeding to the coast at Seaford Bay.
The walk starts near Horsham at the village of Lower Beeding and passes through Slaugham, Handcross and Staplefield
Warnham - Enjoy a plesant walk around Warnham Nature Reserve and Warnham Park on this easy route near Horsham. Highlights on the walk include the variety of wildlife in the reserve and the wonderful herd of red deer in Warnham Park. The route runs for a distance of just over 4 miles on a series of fairly flat footpaths. The village is accessible by train from London Victoria on the�Sutton & Mole Valley Lines.
Leechpool Woods - A woodland walk through Leechpool Woods and Owlbeech Woods in Horsham
Knepp Castle - The Knepp Castle Estate is a fine place for walking with miles of trails to follow
Rudgwick - This walk explores the countryside around the West Sussex village of Rudgwick.

Pubs/Cafes

The Hornbrook Inn is located just to the south of the town centre on the riverside walk. This rustic pub has a good menu, beamed ceilings, wood panelling, stone floors and a beer garden to relax in. It's located next to Huxley Birds of Prey Centre which is a good option for a day out. This attraction features falcon & owl flying demonstrations & hands-on visitor encounters.