Length: Standard walk:
15.5 km (9.6 miles) shorter and longer options available in notes.
Toughness: 3 out of 10
Train times: 9.43 from
London Bridge - arrives Stonegate at 11.09
Return trains: from Stonegate
to London Bridge are xx.25 mins. You can
change at Tonbridge for trains to Sevenoaks, Orpington and Victoria.
Ticket: Return to Stonegate
Description: This is a very rural and quiet walk through beautiful
Wealden countryside. We walk across gentle
hills, pastures, peaceful valleys, and classic English woods. There is an opportunity to visit NT Bateman’s
for lunch (free for NT members) and then on to the unspoiled village of Burwash
for lunch. May be overgrown in one spot in Upper
Collingtons wood.
Lunch: The Rose and Crown
in Burwash. Serves lunch all afternoon,
but please call ahead to book 01435
882600
Also The Bear Inn Motel, High
Street,Burwash Phone: 01435 882540
Picnic: Churchyard near The Rose and Crown pub in Burwash. Alternatively, just before approaching the
churchyard, there is an idyllic picnic spot with beautiful views and a couple
of benches.
L=2.19
1 comment:
N=10 on the walk, I am told. (I was one of them: I just did not count as I was not expecting to do the walk report.) The train went by a roundabout route from a quiet London Bridge due to “hidden” engineering works: a slightly longer journey time, but it passed in pleasant chat.
Wind had been forecast but was not a huge feature for much of the day. Instead we had w=a-sunny-morning-and-a-cloudy-afternoon. The morning passed pleasantly, with some autumn colour and showers of hornbeam seeds streaming off the trees at one point. Despite yesterday’s deluge there was minimal mud.
Six took advantage of the scenic benches just before Burwash to picnic: four of us went to the Rose & Crown (two having first gone to the other pub by mistake). Food was good and generously portioned, and the service cheerful. We were later joined by two of the picnickers and the six of us stayed together for the rest of the day.
The one defect of this walk is the lack of a tea pub at the end. We planned to remedy this by visiting the Wheel Inn in Burwash Weald mid afternoon, but it was closed “until further notice” due to a gas leak. So we consulted our chronometers and calculated we would make the 17.25 train.
On this last leg two things happened. 1) The wind picked up massively (or we were just more exposed to it). Huge oak trees swayed in the wind. Earlier, just before Burwash Weald, we had heard a tree or branch crashing to the ground in a wood, so the sight of thrashing branches overhead was a bit disconcerting.
2) There were suddenly loads of fungi: brittlestems, sulphur tufts, honey mushrooms, blushers and all sorts. This seems to be a good year for them.
Having survived the windy section, we passed through hop gardens (abandoned or otherwise?) and got to the station in good time for the 17.25. On the train various tea supplies were produced, including thermoses, chocolates, a scone and jam, and a vegetable samosa. We had a sociable ride back to London.
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