Soup and a Roll
No excuse required. Wakehurst is a lovely place to walk, not just because of the excellent gardens and the presence of a Seed Bank but because it nestles in a rocky valley. The geology makes it special. The footpath crosses the actual property and so you'll get a taste of it even without paying.
The woody walking, excluding the nosey around Ardingly College was very muddy in places and, as I was suffering the tail end of a cold and the lashing gusts of Danish-Met-Office-named 'Storm Pia', I was glad to emerge swiftly onto firm ground at Haywards Heath. Merry Christmas.
Balcombe is a little north of Burgess Hill on the railway. As you leave the station, head north through the village and past the Half Moon pub. As the road runs out, you'll enter a field and cling to the fence at the back of Balcombe House, towards the appropriately named Walk Wood. A rather excellent wooden boardwalk helped me to avoid some rather awful terrain.
You'll emerge the wood onto Boundary Road. The path skirts the edge of The Warren, you'll cross a bridge before going eastward into the trees. The junction is not quite the crossroads it appears on the map. After another footbridge, you emerge in a clearing accompanied by a striking dead tree. Cross the field towards Forest Farm and the junction with Paddockhurst Lane and the Paddockhurst Estate. Turn right and then immediately left at a stile that doubles as a very comfortable seat for a drink or a snack.
Following the edge of the field you enter another wood and plunge east towards Ardingly Brook. Rising up, you'll exit the trees and enter the Wakehurst Estate. Cross the cow field and pass the Millennium Seed Bank on your left. Even without membership, you could pop into the reception building to Wakehurst and grab a tea and go for a wee. I took a break at the Stables Cafe and was able to reach the roof of Wakehurst Place via the scaffolding used for its restoration. Neat.
Once refreshed, continue to the road and immediately turn left on the bank above the road. Between the houses, you'll descend the path over the road on a path over the sandstone which meets the southbound High Weald Landscape Trail. The woods here are like an extension of Wakehurst, with rhododendron and tall tree specimens. Stay on this Trail, when you reach the junction, all the way to Hook Lane and go south. Pickeridge Farm is well and frequently signposted. Head for it. You may put your map away and pass the sheep fields until you reach Withyland. Go left of the house and down the driveway which is Berry Lane.
Cross Lindfield Road and turn right towards Ardingly. At the footpath on the left, walk confidently round the back of the house and continue south all the way to the corner of Horse Wood. I had originally planned on taking a farm route towards Lindfield but decided to keep on the Trail and go west through Sandgrove Wood towards the College. Follow the College road, leave the trail to maximise viewing all the College buildings or stay on the path but, either way, head towards the reservoir. At the edge of the reservoir, bear left, off the surfaced path and south. You'll enter the field and catch a glimpse of the Ouse Valley Viaduct on your right. Continue over a couple of footbridges and enter the wood. The other path will take you on the Sussex Ouse Valley Way. Save that for another time. Continue through River's Wood to River's Farm, over the railway bridge to the corner of Haywards Heath Golf Course. The path degrades into a muddy trench but alternative routes are available to the west of this. There appear to be many dog-walkers to aid legitimacy. Exit and take Wickham Way towards the railway. The red doors of the fire station shine brightly in an eve of Christmas-kinda-way
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