The South Downs Way
Pyecombe church
The lovely churchyard at the Downland Church of the Transfiguration at Pyecombe must have been an idyllic place for the departed to rest once. Steep sided and looking out towards Newtimber Hill few places can have been a better place to rest for eternity. Nowadays the vista is less attractive and the peace shattered - although hopefully not till the end of time.
One day peace will return to Pyecombe churchyard.
The church itself is very plain, although the whole area around churchyard and Pyecombe village are very attractive.
The gate to Pyecombe Churchyard, shown in the picture above, is interesting for two reasons. It incorporates a design of the famous Pyecombe crook and the special design of the gate is known as a Tapsel Gate.
Tapsel Gates are a feature of Sussex churchyards that you won't find anywhere else - and there's only six of them left.
Try to open the gate before you continue on your journey and you'll see what's unusual about them.
The other Tapsel gates in Sussex are mainly in East Sussex (at Kingston near Lewes, Jevington, East Dean and Friston) while in West Sussex Pyecombe shares this distinction with Coombes, in the Adur Valley above Shoreham-by-Sea.
As you continue along the way you start to see the sails of the Clayton windmills and can see golfers enjoying the greens and fairways of Pyecombe Golf Club.
It may seem obvious to you that you are now about to cross another major transportation routes - the A273 - but it may not seem obvious that you are actually passing two major transport routes Clayton Railway Tunnel passes beneath your feet here, hidden deep in the chalk.
Places to visit close to the South Downs Way
Amberley | Arundel | Ashington | Bepton | Bignor | Bramber | Bramber Castle | Burpham | Bury | Chanctonbury Ring | Charlton | Chilgrove | Clayton | Cocking | Compton | Cootham | Devil's Dyke | The Devil's Humps | Didling | Duncton | East Dean | East Harting | Edburton | Findon | Graffham | Harting Down | Heyshott | Houghton | Hurstpierpoint | North Marden | Parham House | Poynings | Pyecombe | Rackham | Singleton | Slindon | South Harting | South Stoke | Stedham | Steyning | Storrington | Torberry Hill | Treyford | Trotton | Truleigh Hill | Uppark | Up Marden | Upwaltham | Upper Beeding | Washington | West Dean
You might also like
- A guide to walking, riding and cycling the South Downs Way in Sussex
- Some walking and hiking equipment shops in Sussex
- The Downs Link - a flat walk from Shoreham-by-Sea to the North Downs in Surrey
- Best places for West Sussex walkers
- New LIPCHIS Way - a footpath from Chichester to Liphook
- A flat family-friendly walk from Chichester to the Beach along Salterns Way and Chichester Harbour
- The historic Monarch's Way in West Sussex
- West Sussex mountain biking guide
- West Sussex Horse riding resources
- Cycling and Horse riding on the bridleways of West Sussex
- B&B Midhurst
- Hotels Midhurst
- B&B Chichester
- Hotels Chichester
- Hotels Petworth
- B&B Arundel
- Hotels Arundel
- B&B Worthing
- Hotels Worthing
- B&B Haywards Heath
- Hotels Burgess Hill
- Butser Hill to Harting Down
- Harting to Cocking
- Cocking to Upwaltham
- Upwaltham to Amberley
- Amberley to Washington
- Washington to Upper Beeding
- Upper Beeding to Devil's Dyke
- Devil's Dyke to Ditchling Beacon
- Devil's Dyke viewpoint
- The Devil's Dyke
- Saddlescombe Farm
- West Hill
- Newtimber Hill
- Newtimber to Pyecombe
- Pyecombe Village
- Pyecombe Church
- Pyecombe Golf Course
- Clayton Windmills
- East Sussex Border
- South Downs Way Tips
- Cycling in Sussex
- Bike repairs
- Bicycle hire
- Mountain Biking
- Sussex Walking
- The Ramblers
- Other trails
- Horse riding
- Arundel
- Bognor Regis
- Burgess Hill
- Chichester
- Crawley
- East Grinstead
- Haywards Heath
- Horsham
- Littlehampton
- Midhurst
- Petworth
- Shoreham-by-Sea
- Steyning
- Worthing