Petworth Park
On this walk, children will enjoy the hundreds of deer roaming the park as well as the geese and swans on the lake.
Springtime on the lake
Ambling Path Members get a free hot or cold drink when they order a toastie from Toast Me Up
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Scroll down to sign up
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Ambling Path Members get a free hot or cold drink when they order a toastie from Toast Me Up 🥪 Scroll down to sign up 🥪
The Basics
Time: 1 hour 30 mins
Distance: 5 km / 3.1 miles
Terrain: Grassland paths, some steady inclines (but you can keep it mostly flat by avoiding the viewpoints).
Pushchair: If the ground is firm a pushchair should be able to get around.
Dogs: Dogs are welcome, but must be on leads around the deer.
Refreshments: Toast Me Up sell toasties and drinks from the car park on Wednesdays to Sundays. Ambling Path members get a free hot or cold drink when they order a toastie - sign up to become a member here
Toilets: There are no public toilets for visitors to the parkland.
Public Transport: No.1 Stagecoach service between Worthing and Midhurst (passes Pulborough train station) or No. 99 Compass service from Chichester to Petworth. Alight in Petworth town centre and then walk up to the deer park.
Parking: National Trust Deer Park car park (NOT the Petworth House car park) along the A283 London Road out of the town, £3 all day Just Park app, members free, open 10am - 8pm (Postcode: GU28 9LS - W3W: ///over.jumped.education)
The park is full of free-roaming deer
Petworth Park is a truly splendid 700-acre deer park with a landscape designed by Capability Brown. Bring a picnic and explore the multiple pathways, lake, ancient trees and herds of fallow deer. The deer park is free to explore but if you want to enter the National Trust managed Petworth House, you will need to be members or buy tickets.
The Route
From the car park head out into the park on the main path but then almost immediately divert away from this by bearing left along the grassy path that runs parallel to a line of trees, the wall and the road beyond. This path will take you to the lower pond.
When you reach the pond, continue with the pond to your right. After the pond, keep going in the same direction with the boundary wall to your left and a circular clump of trees away to your right.
Just after the kennels, veer right towards the next clump of trees and begin to climb the hill to the left of these trees. You should see a surfaced path winding its way around the side of the hill and should head towards this. Just as you hit this path, leave it again by forking off to the right along a grassy path. With the peak of the hill away to your left, continue around the side.
At the top of this path you can enjoy view across the parkland to your right and to your left you will just start to see the lake come into view. Bear left and continue upwards for around another 50 metres and more of the lake will come into view below you to your right.
Begin to make your way down to the lake and walk across the lawn with the lake to your right and views of Petworth House to your left. Continue around the lake in a clockwise direction.
Once you have rounded the top of the lake and walked down an avenue of trees, the path will fork. Leave the path and walk along the grass, keeping the lake directly to your right. Keep a clump of five oak trees to your left and a group of three to your right. At the end of the lake, the black railings will curve away to your right and you should fork left and follow the grassy path with a circular clump of trees at the top of a hill to your right.
The path will bend round to your right and meet the path that comes down off the hill mentioned above at an oak tree. Turn left. At a huge dead tree that appears to have once been struck by lightening, turn right and then take the next left to head back towards the car park.
A worthy diversion from this route is to climb Monument Hill, where you can see a folly with a little turret and enjoy the views across the entire park. This is best added on by turning left at the lightening tree or by taking the right-hand fork at the beginning of step 6.
You will spot the play area in our pictures on the green as you drive along London Road (not part of National Trust estate).
As a member, you gain instant access to all 162 PDF files. Members also benefit from special members-only discounts at some of our favourite pit-stops.
Did you know?
Petworth Park is one of the finest and best preserved landscapes by Capability Brown. It has been home to herds of fallow deer for over 500 years; they were reportedly hunted by Henry VIII on his visit to Petworth in the 1520s. Today you can spot between 700 and 800 deer across the park.
We are passionate about keeping The Ambling Path as a free resource available to everyone, forever. If you have enjoyed using our walking guides, then please consider leaving us a donation. This will help to cover our costs as well as rewarding the considerable time and effort needed to maintain the site. Thank you.
