Best autumn walks in Sussex: 7 picks including Stanmer Park, Brighton

In Sussex, with the South Downs national park, forests and the coast, there are so many places walkers can make the most of the changing seasons.

Here are just seven of the best places for autumn walks in Sussex this season.

1. Stanmer Park

For city dwellers in Brighton, Stanmer Park is just a short bus ride from the centre but feels a world away.

The peaceful area is home to parkland and woodland and has a wealth of history to discover.

The church, the village and the manor house stand on sites of much earlier versions of themselves, with some of the building materials being reused in the current buildings.

The site is also home to One Garden Brighton – a walled garden which is free to visit.

A six-mile circular walk takes you from the bus stop through all the sites.

2. Friston Forest

As the largest area of recently established forest in South East England, Friston, combines the beauty of South Downs with the peace of autumn under the canopy of trees.

Walkers can take the White Horse view trail which is a picturesque walk along the edge of the forest.

It overlooks the white horse carved in the downland on the hillside.

You might also see grazing cattle nearby.

Ashdown Forest

3. Ashdown Forest

Famously the inspiration for Winnie The Pooh’s One Hundred Acre Wood, the Ashdown Forest is home to ancient heathland and forests so offers varied scenes.

Walkers can even play Pooh Sticks at the very bridge in Hartfield which inspired author A. A. Milne back in the 1900s.

The forest as a whole has a variety of different paths and loops of different lengths, depending on how far you want to go.

• READ MORE: Habitat work continues in Ashdown Forest

Amberley (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

4. Amberley

This village has many old buildings, thatched cottages, a castle, a church and two pubs, as well as a mainline railway station just yards from the South Downs Way.

A walk up Amberley Mount presents fantastic views of the Arun Valley, where you can clearly see how the flowing River Arun carved out its channel through the chalk.

There’s a ten-mile walk taking in the hidden village of Burpham, but if ten miles is a bit much, there’s a shorter two-and-a-half mile loop around Amberley village, providing views over Amberley Brooks before bringing you back to the railway station.

Petworth Park (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

5. Petworth Park

Managed by the National Trust, Petworth Park is a favourite for dog walkers, with 700 acres of lakes, lawn hills and belts of trees.

Home to the largest herd of fallow deer in England, the park offers an escape into an autumn wonderland as the leaves turn golden.

Glynde Rec (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

6. Glynde

Home to the Glyndebourne Opera House, Glynde is a downland village.

Walking along the Glynde route, you can see Mount Caburn hill fort and National Nature Reserve, the Elizabethan mansion Glynde Place plus panoramic views of the Ouse Valley and Lewes.

Further down the A27 is the village of Firle, situated at the foot of Firle Beacon, one of the highest points in the South Downs National Park.

Chanctonbury Ring (Image: SDNP/Bob Epsom)

7. Steyning and Bramber

The historic village of Bramber with its medieval castle is the start and end point of a “miles without stiles” route, which follows the Downs Link path along the River Arun to reach Steyning.

From Steyning, you can access the South Downs Way, where you can follow a seven-mile walk. Along the trail, you will come across Chanctonbury Ring, one of the highest points in the National Park.