Length: About 17.5km (11 miles), Shorter option available. Toughness: 4 out of 10
A favourite walk visiting two of Mr Tiger’s favourite pubs. The morning goes over the downs, through Glynde, and on to lunch in the characterful Ram Inn in West Firle, a pretty flintstone village.
The afternoon stretch passes Charleston Farmhouse and Berwick Church, both decorated by members of the Bloomsbury Group.
In summer, hollyhocks put on a bit of a show both in Firle and on the approach to Berwick church.
Trains:
Get the 09:46 Hastings train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 09:53), arriving Lewes at 10:50 .
For a shorter 8 mile walk avoiding the climb out of Lewes, you could start at Glynde. (Change at Lewes onto the 11:12 Hastings train, platform 3, arriving Glynde 11:18). You might need to take a longer lunch break to let the others catch up. What a chore!
Trains back from Berwick are at xx:58 changing at Lewes.
Get a day return to Berwick, Sussex. (NOT Berwick, Northumberland,)
Lunch:
The Ram, West Firle 01273 858222 is a favourite.
The nearby cricket ground has benches suitable for picnickers
Tea:
Charleston House has a tea shop, accessible without entry fee.
The Cricketers Arms (01323 870 469), 4½ km after Charleston, is another favourite. They do tea till 5 and they have a nice garden. Depending on the route taken, you still have a 2 or 3 km. walk to Berwick station, so allow time to reach it (30 or 45 minutes).
There’s also the Berwick Inn 01323 870018, near the station. It too has a pleasant garden.
Charleston House costs £16.50 to visit (“Green Traveller”
price for arriving on foot). Other concessions here. The garden is
free to visit. Berwick Church, reached later, is free and open at most
times.
Directions:
You need two sets of directions:
- The main Lewes via West Firle walk as far as West Firle (on the "Download Walk" button) plus
- the Berwick ending (on the “Lewes to Berwick option” button)
Both available here.
If taking the shorter route to Berwick Station, there is a cycleway runs alongside the final stretch of road.
T=2.25.variant
Sunday, 25 June 2023
Sunday Walk: Lewes to Berwick
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3 comments:
N=6, W=hot_sunny_with_a_breeze. Three started from Lewes and three from Glynde one a bit earlier than the other two. The Ram was rammed at least in the car park but we found a free table in the garden and were served promptly with a sea bass coming twice. After lunch it seemed even hotter, two of us stopped at the Charleston Farmhouse Cafe for tea. Three had gone on and the remainder took a shortcut via Selmeston to leave one wilting sole at the Barley Mow reaching Berwick in time for the 15:58.
I was a late starter partly because of a cancelled replacement bus to Clapham - I know! So I didn't think I would stop at Charleston but in the end the "front group" decided we had no chance of catching the 1558 (I didn't know about a short cut) and found we had time to sample the Cricketers (one soft drink, an accidental low-alcohol beer and one proper beer purchased) and the Berwick Inn (beer pronounced "harmless") before the 1658. Standing room only on the train back from Lewes.
PS I'm happy to report the hollyhocks were out
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