Length: 20 km (12.4 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10
London Charing Cross: 09-15 hrs Southeastern service to Hastings Waterloo East 09-18; London Bridge 09-24; Sevenoaks 09-50; Tunbridge Wells 10-11 hrs
Arrive Crowhurst: 10-46 hrs
Return Battle to Charing Cross: 07 & 44 mins past the hour
Rail ticket Buy a day return to Crowhurst
This is a pleasant walk with lots of variety - farmland, woods, a woodland route through a golf course, through the grounds of what used to be a famous international boarding school, a stretch beside the River Brede, and on to Battle and Battle Abbey - "1066 and all that".
There are no steep hills today, just a few modest inclines. The walk's challenges tend to be by way of overgrown paths and, later in the day, wobbly stiles. This was my first ever SWC walk, many moons ago. I celebrated my anniversary in August of this year when the undulating woodland path through Hastings Golf Club was clear and easily negotiable: but it is a "pig" when overgrown. Shortly after exiting the golf course you head through a wood on a narrow, winding path where in places you have to duck and dive under overhanging rhododendron bushes. But then having crossed over the A21 road it is very pleasant, easy going all the way to the lunch pub. Your reward for making it this far is a usually excellent lunch at the New Inn in the village of Westfield - serving food until 2-30 pm - you should arrive circa 1-30 pm.
Leaving Westfield after lunch you head down a country road to then enjoy a pleasant leg along field edges on broad grassy ways with a stream on your right before a further short section of road walking takes you to what used to be the Pestalozzi International Village in Sedlescombe. You walk down through the school's grounds to exit through woods into fields beside the River Brede. On then through the village of Sedlescombe and a tricky woodland bit by a stream which takes you out into a large field which is often overgrown. You then cross a road and walk along a field edge which takes you into woodland - another tricky bit. Next up is a path at the end of back gardens of detached houses. Here you encounter some missing or wobbly stiles, to add to the fun of your day ! You leave the gardens and make your way through another overgrown field and then it is relatively straightforward going until you reach Battle. Information on the Abbey and its opening times is in the Directions. In town you will probably find its tea shops closed, because you will arrive at classic tea time (how annoying is that ) but there are a number of pubs and some usual suspect coffee shops where post-walk refreshments can be had. There is also a pub very close to the railway station.
At times a bit of a battle to Battle - but a rewarding day out - so why not give it a go !
T=1.35
Walk Directions are here: L=1.35
3 comments:
N=6 plus a small dog met on Crowhurst Station, though one (not the dog) was lost fairly soon and only glimpsed in the distance towards the end. Unlike last week’s delightful all-day rain, Saturday was even better: all-day w=sun. We walked on lanes and through fields and woods and did not find the overgrown paths nearly as impassable as the walk description suggested. We picnicked in the church of St John the Baptist and had a look inside the (mentioned in the Domesday Book) church. We speculated about the event about to take place within, and on asking were told that the 20 or so men and women were about to have a “Street Pastor” training. No one wanted to go to the pub so we kept going, albeit with a little rest in the sun just outside Sedlescombe where one of the group needed to buy extra water. We missed a turning at some point after that, took a path a little too far south, crossed the A21 in the wrong place, went past a farm with a cart horse and foal, and approached Battle through the Great Wood (Forestry Commission but the part that we saw, deciduous). But that seems to have allowed us to miss the walk section with 7 stiles before returning to the official route into Battle. Where we did not find any tea shops still serving and got the train home, rather than visit the Abbey or battle field. A lovely walk, especially the woods, lots of huge old trees - having to crossing the A21 twice is a pity but we all survived. The day finished with a beautiful sunset seen from the train.
The sixth walker here!
I early on fell behind the athletic pace of my five companions, and was further delayed by meeting a stray dog on a narrow path between a thick hedge and a barbed wire fence. Large and fierce looking, he was on three legs. The other one was still attached though horribly mangled. He and I stared at each other, each unwilling to reverse or pass each other.
However he turned out to be gentle, and began to follow me. I spent some time trying to re home him with various people, succeeding when I found two men building a dog house!
I can see where the five others took the wrong fork on leaving the children’s playground at Seddlescombe. How I wish I’d done the same thing.
The route ahead has some nearly overgrown paths. The one leading to the seven gardens and seven stiles is completely overgrown and the field beside it is neither grazed nor mown, so one has to wade through the tussocks of fallen grass, like walking knee deep in treacle.
The last garden has a vineyard. (Very tasty small grapes)
The way out is across a brand new footbridge which absolutely no one seems to use as the next field is again full of extremely overgrown grass with no sign of a track of any kind.
Soon one comes to the long path alongside the sewage works, which smelled horrible in the unusually warm October sunshine. Through the wire mesh fence one could glimpse seagulls squabbling over tasty morsels on the settling beds. Ugh!
The ending could be rewritten, perhaps turning right before the impassable path and soon joining the route of the Robertsbridge to Battle walk, or turning left up into the Forestry England wood.
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