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Down Wakestone Lane there are several lay-bys to park in. I chose the larger one right on the apex of a very tight corner as this has the best access to several of the routes into the forest.
Is quite hilly throughout, although most of the way there's nothing too steep. Some surfaced paths but mostly muddy woodland paths which even in July in places were a little boggy. No stiles, but the odd fallen tree to navigate.
There is a small stream that you cross - was quite low in July but may be a little more tricky to cross in wetter seasons.
No bins here.
Very close to the pretty, historical town of Petworth. Also to Hesworth Common (coming soon) and The Men's nature reserve walks.
If you see where my car is parked, there are three routes into the forest from here and I took the middle one directly in front of my car. This leads you adjacent to the stream on your right through the woodlands. From here there are many routes you can take, and if you want a shorter and easier walk then as you go north you'll eventually come to the signposted bridleway that runs horizontally straight through the park and this takes you back to the start. If you can though I would recommend following my route or at least finding your way to the loop at the north west tip on my route map as suddenly the forest opens up to your left hand side and there are some fantastic views across the local area.
It's a lovely woodland to walk through with a mix of forest environments as you explore, from open woodlands with huge canopies, to denser birch areas and colourful shrubs. It's not at all busy with lots of open areas and Hank absolutely loved it here being off the lead the whole way. A local dog walker I met along the way told me there can be lots of deer and horses here too so whilst I didn't see any today it's something to look out for.
