Sussex Walks: Upper Beeding River Loop (River Arun)
Some days you just need to be by water. But, as nice as it is to be near the beach, walking on the stones and dodging everyone else doesn't quite make for a waterside amble. Which is when you need to hit a river, I feel. On a very flat day I headed out with a friend to capture this peaceful walk by the water. It’s one of those walks you stumble upon and it becomes a mainstay in your life. Monty loves it as he can dip in and out of the water like the oversized otter he is.
Sometimes I put so much emphasis on photos that I let it stop me from sharing these walks so while these aren’t my perfect frames for this walk I’m cracking on anyway and I might be struck to update later down the line.
This hour long circular near Shoreham by Sea will see you always by water (unless you venture into the village which I’m betting you’ll want to!) on a fairly sturdy, flat path. You’ll be dodging some cyclists for some of it but it’s a great lunchtime or mid week walk for resetting - if you fancied doing a longer walk you can continue to Steyning and make a day out of everything Steyning has to offer (cafes, grocers and independent shops).
And just before you continue to the walk, a note about these posts. Sometimes I wonder if anyone actually gets to these posts beyond Instagram or the newsletter and if they’re useful and then all of a sudden I’ll have a flurry of messages from people saying they have done a number of TIDE walks or in person they’ll tell me how discovering a walk through this blog has been a game changer. And this is why I do this blog, I hope to document these walks in the right way so you can trust this platform to be a source of walks for you. So, I’ll be propelled to go out and find more walks to photograph and share… and then I’ll start wondering if anyone reads them again... and repeat. Such is the creative process.
So I suppose this is me thinking out loud and noting that this circle happens so that I just continue to find and document these walks. But also a gentle nudge that if these posts are helpful I’d love it if you could share and tag, drop me a message or comment in the sections below the posts - it makes all the difference for me to know the time spent on these posts is useful for you.
Walk info.
It seems a strange place in Upper Beeding as you park your car in a lay-by along the busy road that has just passed some abandoned industrial buildings. But scratch the surface and you’re in for a treat. Sitting on the northern edge of River Adur Gap of the South Downs, you are always in the presence of the water and there is much wildlife to be seen in the area.
Upper Beeding was mentioned in the Doomsday Book in 1086 and has oodles of history including providing refuge to fleeing nuns and medieval salt making.
The ground on this walk can get a bit muddy on the east side of the river but there is a fairly sturdy path on the west side. There are benches along the route for tea and biscuits!
This walk takes 1 hour at a fair pace without stopping or venturing into the village but if you want to explore allow more time for that.
Start Point.
what3words: shots.work.extensive
You’re going to be parking in the lay-by on the west side of the A283 just after Dacre Gardens on the right if coming from the south?Shoreham or just before Dacre Gardens on the left if coming from Steyning. A note here that for those in vans might have to find an alternative place to park if you have a high top as there is a barrier around 2.3 metres high (I cleared it in my low top Vivaro plus solar panels).
Parking is free but often busy. So be prepared to have to park a little further down the Shoreham Road near Dacre Gardens. The alternative is to find parking in Upper Beeding itself and do this walk from that point - it is an easy walk to follow as you are always by the river.
The Walk.
Once parked you’ll see a path directly from the lay-by that heads towards the river. Take the path and head to the bridge and cross it. Take a right to walk along the West side of the river. Amble along passing underneath the A283 as it transports cars to Steyning. This is around your half way point. Carry on along to Upper Beeding where you will cross along the river at The Street (what3words: delays.troubles.twitchy) then you’ll be going back on yourself along the east side of the river back to the bridge and to your vehicle.
