Glorious circular walk from Steyning, taking in the banks of the River Adur and disused railway line on the Downs Link

Steyning & District Community Partnership long ago produced a series of four walks, funded by a grant from the Wilson Memorial Trust, and they have been so popular, they leaflets are now on their fourth reprint.

I was meeting up with the team at the Steyning Centre this week, for the launch of the Steyning & District Food & Drink Festival, so it seemed the perfect opportunity to try out the River and Countryside Walk, which is Walk 2 in the series.

The walk starts from Fletchers Croft, where the centre is located, and you can pop in to pick up a copy of all the walk leaflets there. There is a paid-for car park, or free parking on nearby streets, as well as the option to travel by bus to the town centre.

I covered Steyning Parish Council for quite a few years but this was the first I knew there was a little stream beside the car park with a lovely wooden bridge over it. Find the bridge by the playground and this is the start of the walk. You need to follow pretty much a straight line through Holland Road, using a network of footpaths, and within no time you are out in the countryside.

Go over the bridge then follow the footpath to the right. Cross Jarvis Lane to join Holland Road and follow it to the end, then continue straight ahead on a footpath between houses. This footpath takes you over the A283 Steyning bypass to join King's Barn Villas then continues straight ahead, crossing Rosemary Avenue, before ending in Roman Road. Continue along Castle Way, opposite the footpath, and stay on the left-hand side until you get to King Stone Avenue at the end.

Opposite you will see a path between two houses, leading into a green field, and a glimpse of the glorious countryside scenes to come. There are a few steps down to another path, where you turn left to a gate taking you out towards the river. Stay on the high path to reach a wider path and opening, where you go right to head towards a metal bridge.

Stay on this side of the riverbank and you will now be turning left to follow the river for quite some distance. Soak up the scenes, enjoy the distant views of the South Downs and look out for swans as you walk. Do be aware you will likely encounter some cows as well!

You will cross another stream coming in from the left, pass through two gates where the path is gravel, then cross a stile which is to the right of a locked gate. Now we are back on grass and there are two more gates. In between these, the river bends to the left and here, at low tide, you can see the remains of an old quarry.

Soon, you will come to an old railway bridge, our first sighting of the Downs Link, which runs along the disused railway line that connected Steyning to Henfield. At this point, we are only crossing the Downs Link but we will be following it later in the walk. Go across and through a gate to continue along the riverbank. From here onwards, I found the path was clearly much less trodden. There are two gates close together and then a marshy area on the left, where grey heron and white egrets can often be seen (or heard, in my case!).

You will then see a square brick structure by a gate. This is Northover Pump and here is where we leave the river to turn left to begin looping back to Steyning. It's a long way yet, though!

Go through a gate and walk past houses and farm buildings, continuing for a reasonable distance to a corner, where there is a footpath sign by a gate and a stile on the left. Cross this and a second stile opposite, then turn left to walk along the edge of the field. There is then another stile to cross before turning right, following a footpath sign.

There are several fields to walk around, keeping to the edge. Walk round two sides of this field and leave via a gate in the corner. This takes you to a little wooden bridge, which you cross to the next field. Here, you see Huddlestone Farm in the distance and a copse of trees to the right. This is where we are heading.

Follow the field boundaries and footpath signs until you find you are heading uphill to the farm. At the gate, do stop and look back to enjoy panoramic views of the glorious Sussex countryside. Wonderful!

Use the stile beside the gate, then follow the minor road to the left. Keep straight ahead, ignoring the footpath signs pointing down to the right, and carry on for some way. I was worried I had gone wrong but don't panic. Enjoy the scenes for a while until the road reaches a junction with another footpath sign.

You can enjoy views of Truleigh Hill, Devil's Dyke and Lancing College Chapel from this point. Then turn right and follow the track to rejoin the Downs Link. You will see a sign pointing to it left and straight on. We want straight on and you simply follow the track pretty much back to Steyning.

Funny to think that in the old days, here is where steam trains would run. Now you are much more likely to encounter a cyclist or three! You will cross another old railway bridge and pass Fox Hall Farm, Steyning Wastewater Treatment Works and Kings Barn Farm.

Once you reach Kings Barn Lane, turn right and follow the road. You will see the Downs Link turns left but we are carrying straight on. Eventually, the road takes you back over the bypass. Bear round to the right along Cripps Lane and soon you will see a footpath on your left, which takes you back to that first bridge.

Or why not carry on a few steps to see St Andrew's and St Cuthman's Church. You will also see the Statue of Saint Cuthman, the builder, depicted sitting on a stone block gazing in the direction of the church. This sits at the entrance to the Fletchers Croft car park.