Mary's Crescent Long Distance Walk Walk

Mary's Crescent Long Distance Walk

Start: Portchester Castle
Grid Ref: SU 62363 04590
End: Chichester Cathedral
Grid Ref: SU 85952 04781
Distance: 75 km
Walking Time: 4 days
Counties Traversed: Hampshire
OS Explorer™ Maps: 119, 120

This long distance walk will appeal to anyone interested in the architecture and history of English medieval churches and our Saxon and Norman past and in pilgrim trails. The first part of the book describes all of the churches visited along the route, including colour photographs of features of particular interest. The second part of the book describes the walk, including detailed walking instructions and coloured overview maps throughout. There is also additional information here describing features to look out for when visiting the churches.

The route is devised as 4 day walks between churches with a view to visiting them. However, each day ends near a country pub providing excellent food and accommodation in nearby villages, and there are plenty of refreshment stops on-route. The itinerary is as follows:

Day 1 St Mary Portchester to St Mary Droxford – 12.8 miles
The walk takes you beside Portsmouth harbour and through the urban housing of Portchester before climbing Portsdown Hill and through the countryside of southern Hampshire to Wickham and the Meon Valley Trail to Droxford.

Day 2 St Mary Droxford to St Mary Buriton – 12.9 miles
The route takes you back onto the Meon Valley Trail and then onto the South Downs Way, across Old Winchester Hill to Leydene Park and Butser Hill before descending to Queen Elizabeth Country Park and Buriton.

Day 3 St Mary Buriton to Chilgrove – 10.3 miles
The route returns to the South Downs Way, descending to South Harting to visit the church of St Mary and St Gabriel before continuing to Harting Down to visit the church of St Mary at North Marden and finally arriving at Chilgrove.

Day 4 Chilgrove to Chichester – 10.9 miles
The route begins with a walk along quiet country lanes. You then enter West Dean estate and follow a gentle farm track to Singleton and thr ancient church of St Mary. You then climb St Roche’s Hill with fine views over Chichester Harbour and the Solent before descending to the Lady Chapel at Winchester Cathedral.

The churches, each dedicated to St Mary, are a fascinating window into our Saxon and Norman past. From the priory church of Portchester to the magnificent Lady Chapel at Chichester Cathedral, with the simple single-celled church of North Marden and the five Norman gems of Droxford, Buriton, South-Harting, Singleton.and East Lavant in-between, this route connects us to these historical landmarks in need of continued attention to preserve them for future generations.

Click the book image or click here to purchase a copy of the guidebook