Liphook 8
We all like to be beside the seaside, and if you live in west London, Surrey or Hampshire that probably means a day trip to the Sussex coast. The normal route is down the A3 to Portsmouth then along the A27 to Hayling Island or West Wittering or Bracklesham Bay. Wherever you end up, the drive is insipid and often congested. It's only redeeming feature is the Hindhead tunnel. To avoid the A3 snooze, some say the A286 from Godalming through Midhurst to Chichester is the way to go, or if you're heading further east the A283 via Petworth, but while both have some good moments they also have some very dull quarters of an hour.
This route starts at Liphook, just south of the tunnel, and runs to the car park by Billy's on the Beach at Bracklesham. It's a figure of eight that goes one way down and another up, crossing over at South Harting, and takes in some of the better roads in Sussex while avoiding the worst traffic. This is a celebration of the Sussex countryside, a drive of quick sprints between pretty villages scattered over the South Downs using roads both smooth and sweet, and narrow, rough and muddy. There's a video that gives a taste of the drive here.
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Liphook to Bracklesham route for GPS |
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Bracklesham to Liphook route for GPS |
Starting at the A3 turn-off we took the London Road into Liphook and out along the B2070, where the speed limit goes to 60 just in time for a tempting straight. Left at Rake, quickly through a typical Sussex wood, flicking between light and shade with an occasional glimpse of the South Downs over on the right. Straight over the cross-roads at Rogate and up Habin Hill until the road narrows into a sunken lane with steep banks on either side topped by trees that touch overhead, then down to South Harting.
Leaving South Harting on the B2146 we took a left onto the B2141. This is a lovely hill climb, and was used for a competition started in 1905 by Frank Russell, otherwise known as The Right Honourable The Earl Russell (status being in proportion to the number of definite articles in your name) who chose this hill not only because his house was on it but because it's damn good. The climb strings together some nice curves up over the top of the South Downs, then a long gradual descent of quick straights with good sight lines.
Resisting a return run to Harting, we went through Lavant and out along the straight-as-a-ruler New Road until the roundabout where a right took us past Goodwood, home to the Festival of Speed hill climb and The Revival, a curiously English race meeting for cars from the 40s 50s and 60s at which the spectators wear an eccentric interpretation of period dress. The Revival car park, no ticket needed, might be the best car show on earth; where else might you find an immaculate DB5 next to... another DB5, and another, and... oh, a Morris 1100. A huge field packed with glorious classics, curiosities and nostalgic reminders of cars our parents and grandparents drove, and anyone can wander around and admire them.
After Goodwood it was the Chichester bypass, notoriously static at the wrong time, followed by backroads to Bracklesham. Once there we could enjoy traditional English seaside treats such as trying to stand upright in a gale and wondering how I managed to get the tide times so wrong. Nautical needs satisfied we were about to leave when a local, pausing with his grandson on the way home from school, mentioned there'd been a Mclaren there the previous week and the driver had kindly let his grandson sit in it... pregnant pause until I caught on and made the same offer. It was only later that I understood the boy's slightly confused expression - the Nomad's steering wheel is removable.
The return route took us back to South Harting and then on a single track road uphill to the A272. Here the sensible, or the late, could turn left and join the A3 at Petersfield, but we turned right and then left at Woolbeding. The road soon turned narrow, dark and rough enough for one last shot of adrenalin before returning to Liphook. And back through the tunnel.