Heath Resistance

HORSTED KEYNES TO CROWBOROUGH VIA CHELWOOD GATE AND ASHDOWN FOREST

Walking on the tail end of Storm Goretti promised for a full waterproof kind of day. Ripe for a cold splosh eastward through Ashdown Forest. It was a day rushing with streams and rivulets, of considerable undulation through the sands and clays and traversing heath and common into Crowborough. It drizzled steadily but I remained warm, cheerful and mostly dry. My shoes have failed me again. They have proved in no way waterproof. I'm thinking of finding some kind of technical wellies. Dry feet would have made this a top day.

Horsted Keynes, (say economist not Milton), is reached from Burgess Hill on the 270 bus in around half an hour. The western side of Crowborough is less convenient with a 29 or 29a Regency bus to Lewes or Brighton for a train connection. You might manage a return in an hour and a half.

It was a still dark when I found my way from the main road. This is the Sussex Border Path. From the bus stop, backtrack and descend north on Church Lane. No surprise then that you come upon St Giles Church. I walked through the churchyard and through the back to rejoin the road from the school. The path then goes through Church Wood to walk alonside Broadhurst Lake. In the residual breeze, a tree took a moment to cast a few dead branches upon the water, proving the ice still persisted. Continue north beyond the lakes and the manor and at the junction, turn left. At Chilling Street, turn right and then take the footpath on the right over the stile.

The path goes straight over the fields to Balcombe Lane and enters Grinstead Wood. The way then veers north on the slope and turns right again to go up to Twyford Farm. Through the yard, join Tyford Lane to go back southwards to Birch Grove Lane on the Greenwich Meridian Trail. Here you cross one of a couple of dramatic fords before leaving on the bridleway. If you take the bridleway, you end up going through the amusingly-named Buttocks Bank Wood so I definitely made an error here. Instead, keep on the bridleway through Birchgrove Wood, with the string of lakes to your right before meeting the Birch Grove Road again. Turn left and then take the bridleway on the right beside Newnham's Wood. This is the Birch Grove Estate, the one-time home of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. An interpretation board gave a map and was at pains to tell me what they were doing for wildlife. I was also instructed to keep my dog on its lead to protect the ground-nesting birds. This told me everything I needed to know about their normal everyday 'estate activities'. Further south is a memorial to Ray Ward, the champion clay-pigeon shooter and gun maker.

As you emerge into the field, round the corner and follow the hedge-line to the London Road. A kite flew into the air. Cross the road and go left to then continue past the Cumnor House School, the largest independent prep school in Sussex. This estate is Woodgate.

Bear left in the wood and then follow the footpath going right over the stream to arrive at Box's Lane. At the junction, take the Coach and Horses Lane to the pub and go directly over School Lane into Coach Lane. I sat on the bench and ate an orange, all the time being watched by a retriever. This dog is also currently on streetview. At the junction, go straight over Tanyard Lane and onto the footpath. Beyond Lamb's Farm, bear left through Chelwood Common and rejoin the Stone Quarry Road towards the bus stop on Beaconsfield Road at Chelwood Gate. There is an excellent book swap theat shares this shelter.

The footpath now continues behind and into Ashdown Forest. Once beyond Jubilee Green, you are free to wander. Wander I did and although not an unpleasant route, a chance remembering of something called Chelwood Vachery had me googling on the fly. The ambandoned 1930s Forest Garden is not where I thought it was on the OS Map and a bit of pre-planning would have meant I could have connected this. Instead, through a mixture of references, I wandered very close but not quite there.

I present the way I went but feel free to modify for the best bits: I should point out that the drizzle was persistent and viewing the dramatic undulations of this heathland through a haze, added a dreamy lonelinesss on the summits and through the crunchy clay puddles. The 'forest' is largely that rare heathland habitat but once the hunting ground of John of Gaunt. It is the highest point of the High Weald Forest Ridge. You will have entered in and around Braberry Hatch. The word 'hatch' being an old word for a gate to within the old 'pale' surrounding the deer park. Continue up hill, past the stone bridge and beyond the mill stream.

Bear right with the wooded area on your right and then enter the trees. Here I did a mad ramble, in a clockwise direction around what is marked as the Vachery. On the far side, go beyond the gate to the private housing and continue to the bridleway that dissects this area. This is taking you back downhill to the mill stream and if you go just a little further, you will be at the forest garden. I ignored this and took a path on the left, past a pond. Follow a distinctly southward path until you hit the millstream again and the footpath. I continued above the bank and to the edge of the access area and the boundary of Millbrook Farm. Follow this back and uphill to rejoin the footpath.

You might hear the rumble of the A22 on your right and now bear left on a broad path that parallels it. You will come upon the Millbrook West car park. Cross this and the Milbrook Road and head back south towards the prominent Millbrook Clump. Take the broad path on the otherside that continues roughly east. Follow the signs to Nutley Windmill. From this 12th century post mill design, continue to Friend's Clump. On the north side of the trees, descend northeast to what is known as Barker Crossing and remember to look back a few times. Continuing with the edge of the forest, you come to Noddy's Bridge. Now climb up to the road and Lodge Car Park.

On the other side of the High Road, join the Wealdway on the line of the Roman road towards Greenwood Clump but before you get there, turn right, cross Black Hill and join the bridleway.  You are around the very highest point of Ashdown Forest. This road down feels very like an ancient hollow and passes Old Mill Farm, the waterfall and passes through Crowborough Warren. Here it dawned upon me that the MOD land is connected to the Crowborough Training Camp where there are controversial plans to house asylum seekers. I saw no sign of the anguish that the tiresome and divisive issue of small boats has brought to bear. I was glad of that. Follow the excellent hedges on Warren Road to the junction and then turn right to take Melfort Road. On Beacon Road, you can go left and lunch at the Blue Anchor or just continue to take Church Road on the right. At the junction with Croft Road, turn left to take a bus back.