Wild Horsham: A week of active adventures in Sussex’s great outdoors
Spend a week or more exploring the wilder side of Sussex. The pretty market town of Horsham, just one hour from London, is the perfect base for hiking, pedalling and paddling through the Sussex countryside.
This itinerary is your invitation to get active in nature – walk, pedal, paddle and stargaze through the chalky hills and wooded trails of the South Downs. Afterwards wind down with vineyard visits, bread baking and beekeeping.
To make the most of this itinerary, mix and match the activities to create your ideal week in the Sussex countryside. Just remember to pack your sense of adventure!
Day 1: Take a hike
Some of the best adventures happen on foot, with guided walks and trails through rolling downland and rewilded landscapes.
Begin with a classic: the South Downs Way, a long-distance national trail stretching from Winchester to Eastbourne. You don’t have to walk all 100 miles of it – although you can if you want! Just pick a section to suit your pace. Or join a guided day or half-day walk with local experts Pied A Terre Adventures, whose carefully crafted hikes take you to some of Sussex’s gems.
Prefer something wilder? Head to Knepp Estate, one of Europe’s leading rewilding projects. Here, you can roam free on Knepp’s 16 miles of public footpaths – perhaps sharing the path with the wild-living herds of Exmoor ponies, longhorn cattle, Tamworth pigs and fallow deer – or book a Walk on the Wild Side safari for a deeper dive into the ecology of the land.
Day 2: On the water
See Sussex from a new angle as you row, paddle or cruise along its waterways.
Glide along the River Arun on a kayaking trip with The Kayak Coach. You’ll harness the power of the tide as you paddle inland leaving Arundel Castle in your wake. If you’d rather let an engine do the hard work, rent one of the self-drive boats from Riverside South Downs and spend a lazy afternoon cruising past weeping willows and wetland birds.
Over on the River Adur, you can hire one of The Kayak Coach’s single or tandem sit-on-top kayaks, Canadian canoes or stand-up paddleboards and soak in the serene beauty of this gentle Sussex waterway at your own pace. Look out for herons, kingfishers and flashes of dragonfly wings as you paddle under bridges and past quiet fields.
Day 3: Pedal power
Cycle into Sussex’s history on a rail-to-trail route made for two wheels.
The Downs Link, a 37-mile trail along disused railway lines between St Martha’s Hill in Surrey and Shoreham-by-Sea on the Sussex coast, connects the North Downs and the South Downs. It’s a joy to pedal.
The route is divided into six scenic sections, with Horsham around the half-way mark. Don’t miss the chance to pause at The Milk Churn café for legendary cheese toasties made with local Sussex Charmer (Stage 2), or to explore the villages of Henfield (Stage 4) and Steyning (Stage 5).
You can also hire bikes and e-bikes from Riverside South Downs and cycle the many miles of trails in the South Downs. Hire is available for anything from 2 hours to 7 days, and you can choose from over 22 smartphone-mapped routes – many of which include a well-deserved pub lunch.
Day 4: Quirky vineyard tours
Raise a glass to Sussex soil on two wheels or four.
Trust Marmalade MTB to put an active twist on a classic vineyard tour! Their Ride and Dine on the Wiston Estate is an offbeat way to roam the vines – and the 6,000 acres of ancient chalk downland that help them flourish. Your private, 3-hour off-road cycling adventure through the estate ends with a two- or three-course meal in Chalk, which you can enjoy with a glass of sparkling wine made from the vines you’ve just pedalled past!
If that sounds too much like hard work, opt for a more relaxed – but equally fun – vineyard tour with Great British Wine Tours. Their Vintage Bus Wine Tour, in a big red 1960s Routemaster, takes you on an English wine adventure like no other! You’ll learn all about English wine making as you visit two Sussex vineyards and feast on a picnic among the vines.
Day 5: Bread and honey
Get hands-on with the flavours of the land.
This is your chance to roll up your sleeves and get involved with local food production in Sussex. The skills you learn could even help you stay active for years to come!
Spend half a day learning the art of honey harvesting on one of South Downs Honey’s beekeeping experiences. Try the Meet my Bees Experience to don a beekeeping suit and watch closely as your guide shows you the inner world of a working hive. Book the Bee a Beekeeper Experience to open and inspect a hive by yourself. Both experiences include a picnic lunch or afternoon tea and, of course, a jar of honey.
You’ll soon see how active breadmaking can be on a workshop at The Artisan Bakehouse! Book a baking class and learn how to knead, shape and bake your own sourdough, rye bread, or English muffins and crumpets.
Day 6: Wetlands and wild skies
Go birdwatching and meet the winged wonders of Sussex.
Birdwatching adds an element of magic to any day out and about in the countryside. RSPB Pulborough Brooks’s birdwatching events are led by expert guides. New to twitching? Try their Birding for absolute beginners session. Get up early for a guided walk set to the Dawn Chorus, stay up late for the Night-time Safari – if you’re lucky, you might hear a nightingale – or listen closely at the Birdsong Masterclass to learn to identify the different tweets and warbles.
For guaranteed sightings of birds of prey, head to Huxley’s Bird of Prey Centre, where hawks, falcons and owls demonstrate their astonishing skills in daily flying displays and Meet a Bird sessions. There are meerkats too!
Knepp has recently reintroduced white storks to Britain so you can see magnificent breeding pairs flying over Sussex soil for the first time in 600 years. Join a White Stork Safari to hear the birds’ characteristic bill clattering and see their enormous nests high in the oak trees as you learn about these characterful creatures.
Day 7: Night-time adventures
Active adventures after dark.
Did you know Sussex is home to some of the darkest skies in southeast England? The South Downs National Park is also an International Dark Skies Reserve. Discover the myths and magic of the constellations shining brightly overhead on Pied A Terre Adventures’ guided Dark Skies Walk. Or head to Kithurst Hill on a self-guided stargazing adventure.
Knepp’s safaris and workshops carry on well after dark, too. As daylight fades, a whole new world wakes up. Join a Dusk Safari to see – and hear – the daytime and night-time worlds swap shifts. Or stay out deep into the dark night on a Bats & Moths Safari to learn about the variety of moths and bats here, and watch for bats feeding over ponds and hedgerows thrumming with nocturnal life.
