Nothing signifies the end of winter like the joyful song of the skylark. Take this 5.5 mile walk near Chichester to bathe in the golden music of this magical British songbird.
I walk everyday and so the gradual transition between winter and spring has been almost imperceptible. Until suddenly, all at once, everything seems to change. It’s not dark when I leave the house at 6am for my morning walk. Snowdrops appear from nowhere, their whiter-than-white flowers glowing amongst the old autumn leaves. Grassy green verges turn purple with crocuses overnight. And as I take my familiar route up Chalkpit Lane, my boots crunching rhythmically on the stony path, I’m brought to a halt by a sound I haven’t heard since last summer: the rising, trilling, honey-sweet song of the skylark.
For me this is a sound that brings back memories of when I have been happiest, roaming over the British countryside. A wonderful geography field trip in Wales in my teens when we spent all day outside amongst U shaped valleys and oxbow lakes, before piling back into an old landrover and singing The Wild Rover all the way back to our bunk-bed-filled cottage. A glorious trip to Cornwall when I was still living in London and the clean, fresh wind and huge views sent effervescent shockwaves through my system. A walk taken in Dorset with my oldest and dearest friends on one of those long, summer evenings when the whole world seems to radiate a benign love and beauty.
All of these occasions were accompanied by the song of the skylark. And to this day, when I see a little brown lark rising from a field, flying ever higher with an impossibly fast flutterings of wings, creating its Mariah Carey runs and trills in an octave only she could hope to mimic, I feel suspended in a golden moment where time stands still and the everyday world drifts far away.
If you would like to experience the song of the skylark, follow the 6 mile circular route below. This is a beautiful circular walk that takes you up St Roche’s Hill for a 360 view North across Chichester Cathedral to the sea and The Isle of Wight and South, over the South Downs and the pretty villages of Singleton and Charlton.
Best Time Of Day
As the saying, “Up with the lark” suggests, larks start singing before dawn. But they will carry on singing all day especially during the mating season February to May. If possible walk on a clear day with not too much wind. Stay at home if it’s raining 🙂
Getting There
By Car Park in the car park at the foot of St Roches Hill
By Bus From Chichester take the 60 bus to Binderton. Cross the road and follow the footpath there, keeping to the left where it forks at Centurian Way. This will take you to Hayes Down. So your walk will start at section 4.
SECTION 1: From the carpark walk up St Roche’s Hill and make the little loop at the top to take advantage of the views. You should hear larks here and keep your eye out for red kites too. Come down the way you came up.
SECTION 2: From the bottom of St Roches’s Hill to East Lavant along Chalkpit Lane. You can’t miss Chalkpit Lane. It’s the white path that leads North in the direction of Chichester from by the carpark. This is a lovely path and again, you should hear larks along the top part of the path, almost all the way to East Lavant
SECTION 3: East Lavant to Hayes Down When you get to the end of Chalkpit Lane turn right down the street past the pub. Where the road divides, take the right hand road which bends sharply to the right. You will have the green on your left and the river and a house on your right. You will see a little wooden bridge. Cross this and follow the path straight ahead. Keep following this path until you arrive at a place with a gate on your left and on your right, a wide grassy path that climbs steeply up Hayes Down, across grassland cropped by sheep. You will see a wooden gate and a little wood at the top of the hill. This is your path up Hayes Down.
SECTION 4: Walk up Hayes Down and when you reach the little gate at the top, just keep following the path that leads straight to the car park. Again this is a great place to listen out for skylarks.
MAP: I generally think life is easier with a map although this is a straightforward route. The OS Landranger Map 197 covers this route. You can buy it for £9.99 which includes the digital map download which is useful. Or get the OS Mapping App for £28.99/year which I think is a bit of a bargain if you walk a lot….especially if like me, you get lost a lot 🙂
Note On The Author
Harriet is a singer-songwriter and entrepreneur living in Chichester. She is a passionate advocate for the benefits of walking for mental and physical wellbeing, creativity and mindfulness.
She is currently walking 3202 Miles in 2023 to raise money for The Alzheimer’s Society, a challenge inspired by her Mum’s long fight with dementia.
50% of people in the UK know someone with dementia. If you want to be part of the solution, please give generously and help us find a cure. Click on the Donate Here button to be taken to my Just Giving Page. All donations go straight to The Alzheimer’s Society.
Thank You
Harriet