Midhurst is a market town inside the South Downs National Park. Woolbeding Gardens, the Weald and Downland Living Museum, West Dean Gardens and Petworth House are all within a short drive.
Image: South Downs National ParkThe South Downs National Park protects the chalk hills, woods and river valleys that run across Sussex and into Hampshire, including the Seven Sisters cliffs. The South Downs Way follows the ridge, and there are step-free Miles Without Stiles routes, some of the darkest skies in England and plenty of villages and vineyards to stop at.
Image: National TrustA 26 acre garden on the edge of Midhurst, with distinctive garden rooms and colourful borders that flow into the Rother valley landscape. Follies include a classical Tulip Folly, a ruined abbey, a gothic summerhouse and a river-god grotto, alongside a striking ten-sided glasshouse and Silk Route garden.
Photo: Chris Thomas-Atkin, CC BY-SA 2.0A large estate in the Rother valley just west of Midhurst, running from open heathland on Woolbeding Common down to parkland and riverside pasture along the River Rother. The heath is home to nightjars and woodlarks, and Belted Galloway cattle graze it. It is separate from Woolbeding Gardens, which has its own ticketed visits.
Photo: Chris Gunns, CC BY-SA 2.0A quiet working estate in the folds of the South Downs above Singleton, with beech and oak woods, old pasture and flint cottages and barns. Hat Hill, the high point, looks over Goodwood racecourse and down to Chichester. A disused railway tunnel on the estate is a winter roost for 12 of the UK's 17 bat species.
Image: Weald & Downland Living MuseumMore than 50 rescued historic buildings tell the story of 1,000 years of rural life in the South Downs. Step inside historic homes, watch traditional craftspeople at work and meet the animals, with dogs on short leads welcome too.
Image: National TrustA grand 17th-century house holding one of the National Trust's finest art collections, including Turner, Van Dyck and Gainsborough. Outside, a 700-acre deer park by 'Capability' Brown gives big South Downs views and room for a long walk.
Image: West Dean GardensWest Dean Gardens sits at the foot of the South Downs north of Chichester and is one of the finest restored gardens open to the public. Highlights include the Victorian glasshouses, a productive Walled Kitchen Garden, a 100-metre Edwardian pergola and the 49-acre St Roche's Arboretum. It is open year round, with a restaurant, tea cottage and shops on site.
Photo: N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0Mixed broadleaf woodland and open heath on the Sussex and Surrey border near Haslemere, and one of the Trust's oldest countryside sites. Belted Galloway cattle are helping the heath recover after mid-century fires, and chestnut coppice glades draw butterflies such as the brimstone in late spring. It is now part of the Wealden Heaths National Nature Reserve.
Image: South Downs CentreAn evening of astronomy led by the South Downs Astronomical Society at the South Downs Centre in Midhurst, on Friday 23 October 2026 from 7.30pm for around two hours. Attendees learn to recognise the autumn constellations, consider the Cosmos and our place within it, and view deep space objects through quality telescopes. Suited to everyone, and booking is recommended.
Image: South Downs National ParkA Halloween family workshop on Thursday 29 October 2026 at 10.30am, lasting two hours, run within the South Downs National Park near Midhurst. Children dissect owl pellets to work out what owls have eaten, then make a Halloween lantern and a monster to take home. Suited to families with children, and booking is recommended.
Image: Midhurst Rother CollegeA fireworks display takes place at Midhurst Rother College in Midhurst on 6 November 2026. Booking is required through the event page, and the listing suits families, couples and friends.
Image: Hawksfold Lane EastFernhurst Fawkes 2026 is a public bonfire and fireworks event on Saturday 7 November 2026 in Fernhurst, near Haslemere. Tickets are needed through Eventbrite, and proceeds support a new permanent Fernhurst Village Christmas Tree and the Recreation Ground Trust. It suits families and anyone who enjoys a community fireworks evening.
Image: Elsted Village HallTrotton Players present The Christmas Carol, a festive comedy with carols, at Elsted Village Hall on Saturday 5 December 2026. The show suits families and anyone looking for a seasonal outing near Midhurst. Booking is required through the event page, where times and prices are listed.
Image: Rogate Pumpkin PatchA pumpkin patch at Slade Farm near Rogate, with pick-your-own pumpkins, themed play areas, family activities and photo spots, plus food and drink.
Image: Weald & Downland Living MuseumThe Weald & Downland Living Museum in Singleton is open Thursday to Saturday throughout October 2026, from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Visitors can walk among more than 50 rescued historic buildings that show everyday rural life, with gardens and animals alongside. It suits families and visitors of all ages, and pre-booking is recommended.
Image: Weald and Downland Living MuseumSneak peek days linked to The Repair Shop take place at the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Singleton, running from 15 October to 1 November 2026, 10:00am to 4:00pm. The activity is aimed at families, and booking is recommended.
Image: Weald and Downland Living MuseumDinky Dragon's Toddler Club is a weekly family activity for toddlers at the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Singleton. It runs on Fridays from 16 October to 11 December 2026, from 10:30am to 12:noon. Booking is recommended, and further details are on the organiser's event page.
Image: Weald & Downland Living MuseumMore than 50 rescued historic buildings tell the story of 1,000 years of rural life in the South Downs. Step inside historic homes, watch traditional craftspeople at work and meet the animals, with dogs on short leads welcome too.
Image: National TrustA grand 17th-century house holding one of the National Trust's finest art collections, including Turner, Van Dyck and Gainsborough. Outside, a 700-acre deer park by 'Capability' Brown gives big South Downs views and room for a long walk.
Image: South Downs National ParkThe South Downs National Park protects the chalk hills, woods and river valleys that run across Sussex and into Hampshire, including the Seven Sisters cliffs. The South Downs Way follows the ridge, and there are step-free Miles Without Stiles routes, some of the darkest skies in England and plenty of villages and vineyards to stop at.
Photo: Chris Thomas-Atkin, CC BY-SA 2.0A large estate in the Rother valley just west of Midhurst, running from open heathland on Woolbeding Common down to parkland and riverside pasture along the River Rother. The heath is home to nightjars and woodlarks, and Belted Galloway cattle graze it. It is separate from Woolbeding Gardens, which has its own ticketed visits.
Photo: Chris Gunns, CC BY-SA 2.0A quiet working estate in the folds of the South Downs above Singleton, with beech and oak woods, old pasture and flint cottages and barns. Hat Hill, the high point, looks over Goodwood racecourse and down to Chichester. A disused railway tunnel on the estate is a winter roost for 12 of the UK's 17 bat species.
Photo: N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0Mixed broadleaf woodland and open heath on the Sussex and Surrey border near Haslemere, and one of the Trust's oldest countryside sites. Belted Galloway cattle are helping the heath recover after mid-century fires, and chestnut coppice glades draw butterflies such as the brimstone in late spring. It is now part of the Wealden Heaths National Nature Reserve.
Photo: N Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0One of the largest areas of ancient chalk downland in the Trust's care, on the South Downs Way just east of Uppark. From the brow of the hill the views run north over the Weald and south to the Isle of Wight. Iron Age earthworks and the site of a Napoleonic telegraph station on Beacon Hill add some history to the walking.
Image: National TrustThe highest point in the South Downs National Park, a heather-covered hill with one of the best views over the Weald from the Temple of the Winds. Easy tracks lead from free car parks through heathland and woods that inspired Tennyson.
Photo: Martyn Pattison, CC BY-SA 2.0A working deer farm in the South Downs National Park near Petersfield, where fenced paths lead between paddocks of deer towards the River Rother. Children can let off steam in a handcrafted adventure playground, and there is a farm shop, butchery and bar and grill on site.
Image: National TrustA 17th-century house crowning the South Downs ridge near South Harting, with views stretching to the Solent. Its Georgian interiors show the comfort of life upstairs alongside the servants' world below, and past residents include the Fetherstonhaugh family, Emma Hamilton and a young H.G. Wells.
