Battle Conquered: Fire and Brimstone
This walk brings a peaceful end to a saga of heading towards Battle and arriving too late to enjoy it. For this reason, it is a quite a direct walk to allow some time to explore the Abbey, in the glorious sunshine. Maybe, for this, it is not the prettiest route north but occupy your mind with thoughts of Conquest.
More evidence was on show that Spring is pushing forward with its plans regardless but I was ruminating on an a unsettling feeling that I did not need it to get any warmer to be an enjoyable outing. It was a great deal drier underfoot and a Thursday for the sun, rather than a Friday.
Travel to Bexhill by train is a reasonable do via Brighton but getting out of Battle is lengthier and this has always been the problem when doing a long walk to it. Arriving in Battle before 10 means that you can't gain entry to the supposed battlefield. This makes it tricky to plan an attractive walk. Travel apps seem to struggle in defining the quickest route out of Battle because there are a number of lines involved and any delay can mean the difference of over half an hour or a swing in direction up to London. I got lucky at St Leonards Warrior Square and knocked a chunk off my journey at the expense of others. Bon chance.
Turning immediately away from the sea, seems unfair but this you must do this to gain some ground. Going left out of the station and up the Sea Road, does get you to the Old Town and this is centred around the manor house, with its roots as a Bishops residence of the year 1250. I had a little wander amongst the out-buildings that remain in the Manor Gardens. A 1967 road-widening scheme saw much of the house demolition. Over the De La Warr Road and up Church Street, go around the church and take the footpath north of King Offa Way. From St Peter's Crescent, take The Briary and walk through to Chartres. The footpath on the right of Wychurst Gardens will take you through to the A2036.
Round to the right, Mount View was thronging with earth-lifters, builder's lorries and the thump and snarl of builder's equipment. A great deal of chaotic-feeling house-building is happening up here on the hill. One of the said builders walked a little in front of me, clutching some sharp looking metal materials. He completely stacked it on the churned up verge and leapt up in embarrassment. I tried to make conversation to lighten the moment with limited success.
Take the footpath that remains on the left. Somewhere behind South East Water's fencing is a trig point and the hill houses an underground reservoir. I took a look. Continue west to the bridge over Combe Valley Way. From here you can see what remains of Glovers Farm. A well-graffitied barn stands as a monolith in memorial. A long battle by those trying to save the 17th century building from the ensuing and enveloping development was eventually lost to dereliction and succumbed to arson.
Away from this, you can take the permitted bridleway on your right which might be too wet in the winter to cross Combe Haven. We came across the seasonal watery landscape on this walk. The potential jeopardy, in part, made me choose to continue on Glovers Lane to the byway known as Buckholt Lane. Buckholt means beech thicket and this old road feels lost in and littered by the 21st century. You are messily ejected at the roundabout that connects the 2019 link road with Ninfield.
Cross the junction and continue. The footpath on the right joins with that permitted bridleway and provides an escape route if the ford proves too deep. Realising this, I thought I'd go and see what it looked like. Someone provided a useful plank to cross the water and I made it over. Head north and then back west. Back on Buckholt Lane you find reference to the Combe Valley Countryside Park, of which you are on the very west side. Woods line the route but sadly you have to wait until after Henniker and Buckholt Farm before you enter any. Take the bridleway leftmost into the trees.
A footbridge out of the wood takes you along the footpath to cross the Watermill Stream. Continue to the quiet Crowhurst Lane and turn left. Go over the stile on the right and head down hill towards the big tree on the far side of the Powdermill Stream. This waterway had a long history in the production of gunpowder or 'battle powder' as it was known. Continue to follow the path and cross the footbridge and follow the edge of the field round towards Catsfield Place. You could, of course take a walk in the RSPBs Fore Wood but we did this before. Take the footpath on the right towards Miller's Farm. Just before the farm, from this high point you can see towards the Abbey.
Follow the farm round to the left. Exit over Powdermill Lane and into Powdermill Woods. My first brimstone butterfly of many, aptly fluttered across my path. I headed west by the edge to the car park, thinking there might be more information about walking access. There is a woodyard here and public access on paths going north. The path steered me away from the Farthing Pond and towards the junction on the bridleway which is the 1066 Country Walk. If I had stayed on the footpath, I might have seen more of the reserve. (I found this afterwards).
There is a signpost towards Great Park Farm and a wooden sculpture called 'Window'. I knew there was a cafe here and resolved to eat. At the sculpture, go take a look and then take the path and gate on the left. This will take you through the car park an on to the shop and cafe.
Return to the junction and carry on towards Battle. The gatehouse appears in due course.
I can recommend the milkshakes at the Abbey. To keep me company, I took the audio tour of the battlefield and the remains of the monk's dormitories. It was glorious and peaceful in the sunshine. Commas bathed on the grass and amongst the daffodils. There is a school on site which occupies the 13th Century Abbot's House.
I found it all very interesting but I know there is some controversy regarding the battle site and I wonder and the sources for this significant bit of English history. The gesturing up hill to notable points in the conquest a little sketchy in their certainty and their setting. The suggestion on the tour that England would be a very different place without William seems a bit academic. I'm not sure how to feel but a sense of pride and even nationalism isn't it.
Off to the station along Upper Lake. It's all history now.
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