Local cycle route


This cycle route starts and finishes at New Barn Farm. In total, it is about 28 kms (17.4 miles) if you make the full round tour. Approx. 2 hours cycling or as long as you wish with refreshment breaks!
You can also use this guide as a pleasant, minimal traffic route into Chichester and back (22 kms return trip) or on quiet roads route down to the beautiful, seaside village of Bosham and back (12 kms return trip).
The map below shows an overview of the route. The red drop pins are every 2 miles (3.21 kms).
You may find an OS map helpful but these instructions should enable you to follow the route quite easily.

New Barn Farm to Chichester 11kms (7 miles) 45 mins

Exit New Barn site and turn right on the main road.
Follow the road to the first left hand turning signposted “Woodend”. After turning left the road then turns right and runs parallel with the main road for a while.
Pass a chapel type building on your right and then follow the road hard left. This is a lovely country lane which takes you gently uphill until you reach a T junction.
Turn right. Follow the road which will bring you out on the corner of a larger road.
Turn left.This road will take you through the small village of West Stoke.
Continue through the village and shortly after leaving the village you take a right fork signposted for “Wellies” café.
Continue, past Wellies to a cross roads and turn left.
The road soon straightens out and you pass some solar panel fields on your left.
Eventually, the road bends right and shortly after the bend, but before the narrow railway bridge, you will see railings and a narrow entrance, to a park-like area, on your right. Pass through the entrance and turn left on to a tarmac path.
In 50m you reach a T junction. Turn right on the cycle route signposted Chichester. You are now on The Centurion Way which is a former railway track that ran between Chichester and Midhurst. (lookout for some rather amusing Roman soldiers with faces made out of railway sleeper chairs)
Follow this pretty cycle route for approx. 3 miles into Chichester. It is popular with cyclists and walkers.
Towards the end of the route you will pass (on your right) a green painted footbridge which crosses the railway. Ignore this and keep going. A short distance further on the path ends at a bus turning point.
Ignore the cycle route to Bosham going right and turn left towards the ‘City Centre’. This is a quiet urban road. Go straight ahead at a mini roundabout.
The tarmac surface changes to brick paving and a little further on look carefully for a blue cycle path sign post taking you right towards ‘Hunston’.
This cycle path crosses the grounds of Chichester College and swings gently left around the sports field, which is on your left hand side.
Go through the underpass ahead of you. The path swings left again and brings you to Chichester station.
Turn left in front of the station and out to the main road.
Turn right across the level crossing and after about 100m turn left signposted ‘Police Station’,‘Chchester Canal’ and ‘South Coast Cycle Route’.
After turning left, in about 30m turn right, signposted ‘Hunston’. The canal basin will be on your left and The Richmond pub on your right. A good place to pause a while for refreshment.

 

You are now between 40 minutes to 1 hour from Reliance CMS at this point, at an easy cycling pace.

Chichester is a lovely city which dates from Roman times. There is plenty to see, good quality shops, scores of cafés and pubs and, of course, the Cathedral. So, you may wish to stop in Chichester, explore the city and then retrace your journey back to Reliance CMS.

Chichester to Itchenor Ferry and Bosham 11kms (7 miles) 45 minutes

Important Note: Check the times of the Itchenor ferry below. There is no way of crossing with your bicycle, even at weekends after the end of October or before April.

From Chichester Canal Basin follow the canal path with the canal on your left. Watch your head as you pass under the A27, it is a low bridge! When you reach Hunston the canal path crosses a footbridge and brings you to a busy road. Do not cross the road but stay on the pavement and turn right.
In about 50m, fork right, off the road, to re-join the canal (now the canal is on your right). Follow the canal path and cross two busy roads. At the second road, the path crosses to the other side of the canal.
You soon join the approach road to Chichester Marina. Stay on this road and keep left continuing to the very end where a low picket fence blocks your way.
Dismount and cross the lock gates on to a footpath. This is marked as Saltern Way. You pass through two gates and will arrive at a crossroads where the Saltern Way is indicated left. Ignore this and go straight ahead. You drop down through a marina (Birdham Pool). As you rise up again bear left to follow the road and then bear right at a grass triangle to follow the footpath sign ahead which starts as a road but after a while turning left on to a footpath.
The path follows the edge of a field and then drops down between high fences. As the water appears on your right the footpath rises up to a footpath finger post.
Do not continue on the footpath (it has an awkward chicane which is difficult to get a bike through!). Turn left at the finger post on to a private road and follow this out to a T junction on a larger road.
Turn right on to this road and follow it to the end of the road and then continue on a farm track towards Westlands Farm. You will reach a sign which says Private Property where you bear left.
Here you have some choices of footpaths and you will see the Salters Way signposted again through a large kissing gate which you can get a cycle through!
Follow the path which runs straight for a while, then turn right through the hedgerow to follow another less distinct footpath due west. Your target is Itchenor. The pathway narrows and wriggles through a small copse before coming out on a road.
Turn right on the road and follow it to Itchenor and the waters edge. Keep an eye on the lovely properties as you cycle. You may wish to stop at The Ship Inn for some refreshment!
At the waterside take the long jetty slightly to your left. This will take you to the ferry point which is at the end of the left-hand arm of the jetty. The ferry will carry you across the water. At the time of writing the fare was £2.50 per adult and 0.50p for a bicycle.

On leaving the ferry, cycle straight ahead up a stony pathway which will join a road. Keep straight ahead. The road will take you along the waters edge (maybe underwater at high tides but follow alternatives). Again, there are some amazing properties to see here. Take a sharp left turn, on to Shore Road, to stay with the water on your left. Follow around the harbour until you reach Bosham Lane. Here you will usually find an Ice Cream van and also the Breeze café on the corner which is a good stop and fine views, coffee, lunch etc. Bosham church is worth a visit. It dates back to Saxon times. There is also a quaint, habourside pub, The Anchor Blue.

Bosham to New Barn Farm 6km (4 miles) 25 minss

You may wish to take this journey out from New Barn Farm to Bosham and back, especially if the ferry is out of season!
Follow Bosham Lane passing Marwicks Hotel on your left-hand side. At the Berkley Arms take the left-hand turn which is signposted Chichester and Fishbourne. This is Delling Lane and you follow to a roundabout. Go straight across the roundabout, taking the third exit, which is signposted West Ashling and Funtington, A2146.
Cross over the railway by Bosham station and after a bridge which takes you over the A27 take a left turn into Ratham Lane. After passing Concierge Camping, Ratham Lane becomes the B2146 again. Continue to West Ashling village. Here you have a choice of routes back to New Barn Farm. The two routes are very similar distances.
If you are tired or pressed for time then the shortest route is to continue on the B2146 which bends right and comes to a T junction where you turn left and after a few hundred metres, you will find New Barn Farm on your left hand side.
Alternatively, turn left in West Ashling village into Down Street which is signposted to Funtington. After a while, West Ashling Pond will be on your left-hand side. Very Picturesque with the resident ducks and moorhens!

Where the pond first meets your road, take the right hand turn towards Funtington (you may have passed the turning when looking at the pond).
Follow this lane, which runs beside a stream, for about 1 mile, to the T junction in Funtington Village. Hallidays restaurant will be on your right hand side. Turn right on to the main road. In a few hundred meters, you will find New Barn Farm on your right hand side.