A286 road

Last updated

UK road A286.svg
A286
Route information
Length32 mi (51 km)
Major junctions
North end Milford, Surrey
Major intersectionsUK road A283.svg A283
UK road A287.svg A287
UK road A272.svg A272
UK road A259.svg A259
A27
South end Birdham, south of Chichester
Location
Country United Kingdom
Primary
destinations
Milford, Surrey
Haslemere
Midhurst
Chichester
Road network

The A286 is an A class road in the south of England, from its northernmost point in Milford, Surrey, to Birdham, West Sussex. It passes through the market towns of Haslemere and Midhurst, and the cathedral city of Chichester. The road is mostly single carriageway, with a small dual carriageway section as part of the Chichester ring road.

Contents

The road is 32 miles (51 km) long and follows a predominantly rural route through common land, farmland, woodland and the South Downs.

Route

Surrey

Cottages on Shepherd's Hill, Haslemere Cottages on Shepherd's Hill - geograph.org.uk - 962714.jpg
Cottages on Shepherd's Hill, Haslemere

The A286 begins at a junction with the A3100 (the old A3 London to Portsmouth road) in Milford. A few hundred metres south of its origin the A286 crosses the A283 road to Petworth, then crosses Witley Common, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The route passes Witley Park and through the village centres of Brook and Grayswood before dropping down into Haslemere, passing Haslemere Educational Museum and Haslemere Town Hall, where it crosses the B2131 road leading west to Liphook and east to Petworth. The road rises steeply up Shepherd's Hill and down the other side, skirting the edge of Camelsdale (in the parish of Hammer) where it passes the southern end of the A287 before reaching the boundary with West Sussex.

West Sussex

Once in West Sussex, the route passes through Kingsley Green, a hamlet between Haslemere and Fernhurst, where the road was widened and straightened in the 1960s. This part of the route was turnpiked in the 18th century and was a toll road until 1864. [1] The road crosses Friday's Hill and drops down through the village of Fernhurst.

A286/A272 junction at Easebourne A286-A272 Junction, Easebourne. - geograph.org.uk - 347957.jpg
A286/A272 junction at Easebourne

After Fernhurst, the road continues downhill to Cooksbridge, where the road was widened in 1962 and an old bridge dated 1774 removed. [1] It then crosses Henley Common; the road formerly passed through the hamlet of Henley up a narrow, steep lane, which was bypassed by an easier route in 1825. [1] After passing a lane leading to the former Edward VII Hospital the road drops steeply once again until it reaches Easebourne, passing the Budgenor Lodge former workhouse [2] and joining the A272 from the east. At the north end of Midhurst, the road passes the edge of Cowdray Park and the ruins of Cowdray House as it crosses the River Rother. It splits with the A272 to the west in the town centre.

Three miles south of Midhurst the road crosses Cocking Causeway and passes through the village of Cocking. South of Cocking, the road rises steeply and crosses the South Downs Way trail, dropping down again to the village of Singleton, passing the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum. The route becomes less hilly as it reaches the coastal plain, passing through West Dean with West Dean College and Binderton, a hamlet in the Lavant Valley. After a junction with the B2141 road west to Harting and Petersfield, the road passes through Lavant and a mile further on reaches the outskirts of Chichester at Broyle.

At Chichester's Northgate, it is joined by the B2178 from the west, and then passes either side of the city centre, past Chichester railway station, the B2144 road to the east, and the A259 south coast road. Passing through Stockbridge, the southern outskirts of Chichester in the parish of Donnington, the road crosses the A27 Chichester Bypass. It then crosses the Chichester Canal (a few feet above the water, blocking the passage of the canal) and passes Chichester Marina on the eastern edge of Chichester Harbour. After a few more miles it reaches the village of Birdham, where it splits into two B-class roads – the B2179 to West Wittering and the B2198 to Bracklesham Bay.

Major Junctions

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
Surrey Milford 0.00.0UK road A3100.svgUK road A3.svg A3100 (Portsmouth Road) to B3001 / A3  Guildford, Farnham, Godalming northern terminus
0.30.48UK road A3.svgUK road A3100.svgUK road A283.svg To A3 (Cherry Tree Roundabout) / B3001 / A3100  / A283  Guildford, Petersfield, Farnham, Godalming, Petworth, Chiddingfold, Witley
Witley 1.32.1(Gasden Lane) - Witley
Brook 3.35.3(Park Lane / Brook Road) - Bowlhead Green, Sandhills, Chiddingfold
Grayswood 5.58.9(Lower Road) - Hambledon, Chiddingfold
Haslemere 6.911.1UK road A283.svg B2131 (Petworth Road) to A283  Petworth A286 loops back around via High Street
711B2131 (Lower Street) Liphook, Station
7.912.7UK road A287.svg A287 (Bell Road) Liphook, Farnham, Hindhead Not signposted southbound; A287 only appears on northbound signs.
West Sussex Fernhurst 9.815.8(Hogs Hill) - Lickfold, Lurgashall, Hurstford Ind Est
Between Fernhurst and Henley11.318.2HenleyNo road name
Easebourne 14.222.9UK road A272.svg To A272 (Wheelbarrow Castle / Hollist Lane) Woolbeding, Petworth, Tillington
14.723.7UK road A272.svg A272 (Easebourne Lane) Haywards Heath, Petworth, Tillington Tillington signposted northbound only
Midhurst 15.224.5UK road A272.svg A272 (Petersfield Road) Petersfield
15.625.1(Bepton Road) - Bepton
West Lavington 16.626.7(Oaklands Lane) - Dunford, Pendean
south of Midhurst17.227.7(Bex Lane) - Heyshott, Graffham, South Ambersham
Cocking 18.129.1(Bell Lane) - Bepton, Harting
Singleton 20.933.6(Charlton Road) - Charlton, East Dean
Mid Lavant 24.940.1(W Stoke Road) - East Ashling, Funtington
2540(Sheepwash Lane) - East Lavant
25.340.7(Pook Lane) - East Lavant
Chichester 2743UK road A27.svgUK road A259.svgUK road A285.svgUK road A27.svg A27 (Northgate Gyratory) / A259  / B2145 / A285  / A27  / B2178 Worthing, Bognor, Selsey, Witterings, Ring road, Portsmouth, Funtington, East Ashling Beginning of the Chichester Ring Road
27.243.8UK road A27.svg B2178 (Spitalfeld Lane) to A27  Worthing
27.544.3UK road A285.svgUK road A27.svgUK road A259.svg A285 (Eastgate) to A27  / A259  / B2145 Worthing, Bognor, Selsey
27.644.4UK road A27.svg To A27 (Southgate Gyratory) Portsmouth
27.944.9UK road A259.svgUK road A27.svg A259 (Via Ravenna) to A27  Fishbourne, Portsmouth Loops back to the Northgate Gyratory
28.445.7(Station Approach) - Station End of the Chichester Ring Road
28.746.2UK road A27.svgUK road A259.svg A27 (Stockbridge Roundabout) to A259  Brighton, Worthing, Portsmouth, Bognor Regis
2947B2201 (St. George's Drive) to B2145 Selsey, Sidlesham, Donnington
29.948.1(Dell Quay Road) - Dell Quay
near Chichester Marina30.949.7(Wophams Lane) - Sidlesham, Donnington
Birdham 31.851.2(Sidlesham Lane) - Sidlesham, Almodington
32.752.6To B2198 (Bell Lane) / B2179 Earnley, Bracklesham, East Wittering, Itchenor, West Wittering southern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Fernhurst - History of roads" . Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  2. "Easebourne Workhouse" . Retrieved 20 May 2025.