Robertsbridge to Battle L=2.20
Distance: 10.7 Miles or 17.2 km for those more metrically minded
Difficulty: 4 out of 10
Train: Take the 9:14 AM Hastings bound train from London Bridge, arriving at Robertsbridge at 10:47. Return trains from Battle are at 07 and 44 minutes past the hour. Buy a day return to Battle.
This walk is touted as “ the best wood anemone walk in the Southeast ”. Hopefully, the little guys are still out..... In addition to these little darlings, the route covers pretty rolling terrain of the High Weald and finishes in historic Battle . You can find more information about the walk and download the walk instructions here .
The recommended lunch spot is the Cross Inn in Staplecross (4 miles or 6 km into the walk) which will mean you can enjoy the main event (the wood anemones) just before Seddlescombe without feeling the need to rush for lunch! A later lunch option would be the more upmarket Queen’s Head in Seddlescombe (7 miles/11.2 km from the start). Tea and other late afternoon refreshments can be had at various places in Battle.
Enjoy the walk (and the wood anemones)!
3 comments:
Given how madly early they are this year, there is a good chance of seeing BOTH bluebells and wood anemones full out on this walk. I write this comment while standing on a wood near Otford where this is the case. We will see if it is true near Robertsbridge….
After a somewhat elongated journey via Redhill due to engineering works, a select N=8 of disembarked at Robertsbridge, not needing to “do names” because we all knew each other. I inveigled the group into doing a short cut across the main road at the start of the walk in order to see the first wood anemone wood at its best. Despite the cloud it was mild enough for them to be open, but they were looking confusedly in all directions, wondering where the sun was.
The other natural feature of the day - apart from primroses, celandines and varied birdsong - were the hornbeams, which were all putting out small new leaves of eye-aching green. The effect in the woods was quite entrancing. This must be one of the best hornbeam walks in our repertoire because they were everywhere.
At Staplecross the group spilt 50:50 into leavers and remainers, the former wanting to carry on to lunch in Sedlescombe, the latter happy to stop at the Cross Inn. On this occasion the remainers won and we found the pub transformed. A gorgeous menu including venison lasagne, lentil and root vegetable hotpot and chickpea curry. The staff were friendly and there were quite a lot of reserved tables. Definitely a pub to book on future walks.
One left lunch early so as not to get back to London too late, so we were seven in the afternoon. We made the classic mistake on leaving the village of turning right too soon and ending up trampling flowers and crossing a stream in the bottom corner of a field to get back onto the proper path. Not sure why we repeatedly make this error: is the GPX wrong?
We had hoped the cloud would clear after lunch. Instead it drizzled. But it turned out to be clearing drizzle. Afterwards the sun did come out, w=skies-eventually-clearing-to-full-blue, the morning grey quite forgotten.
One disappointment was when we got to Killingan Wood. Wood anemones were relatively sparse here - lots of leaves but few flowers. Since they were flowering abundantly everywhere else on the walk, I wonder if they are getting shaded out here (ie the trees need coppicing). The bluebells were half or more out, however (ludicrously early….) and the hornbeam foliage green, as aforementioned, so it was still an idyllic scene.
In Sedlescombe six stopped for tea at the Queens Head, four having puddings. The latter were slow to come but it was very pleasant sitting in the garden in the warm sun (when the wind was not blowing, which mostly it was not). Four of us thought it pleasant, at any rate. One, having wintered in the Antipodes, thought it “freezing” and huddled in woolly hat and gloves. We speculated about whose head was represented on the pub sign and decided it was a 13 year old Elizabeth I - at which age she was not a queen, but don’t let’s be picky….
After tea we were persuaded to try a variant that was essentially the ending of the Crowhurst to Battle walk. This nearly deprived us of the bravura ending of the walk where you crest a hill and see Battle across the valley. So again some inveigling was needed to get the group to detour back onto that route.
We got to Battle at 5.55 and eschewed the pubs in favour of shopping for the 6.44 train. A long journey home, but wine, hummus and lively chat made it speed by.
GPX seems to be right Walker but the correct route is only 20m further on and unlike the false friend has no footpath sign and looks like a private gate. Written instructions warn of the issue. Doctoring the GPX to encourage walkers to go beyond the false friend would only add to the confusion.
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