A Woodlark
Sometimes, walks are surprisingly solitary. I am always quite comfortable with the companionship of my own musings, when I'm on the trail but there are moments better shared. Company is therefore welcome but going solo liberates me from having to be considerate or even great company. What I also occasionally miss, is some accompaniment and reassurance in the other direction. A Friday walk is normally punctuated by early dog walkers, morning athletes and the lucky others that have free time during the week but sometimes, noone is doing a path with or against me. A pretty straight route from one place to another might lack people because of its length or isolation and so it was, that I found myself initially on a lonesome bridleway, alone with my thoughts amongst the rhododendrons.
Ifield station is just next to Crawley and a train via Three Bridges does you well. Return from Henfield is on the 100 bus.
From the south platform, cross over on the footbridge and head north on Ifield Drive, bearing left into Tangmere Road. Go left into Rusper Road and then go left on the footpath marked for Ifield Mill. This water mill is in a place of watermills and iron forges and corn since the 1200s. This was once a wooded land and part of St Leonard's Forest. When fuel for smelting diminished, flour production dominated. You will initially follow the Bewbush Brook, whose weakening power saw the demise of industry in the area. Join the bridleway or walk on the path closer to the brook; both will meet at the side of the railtrack going southwest. The railway slashes the mill pond in half and at the bridge, cross over. Continue on the west side of Waterfield Gardens on St Francis Walk.
The bridleway crosses the brook and continues south on the Spruce Hill Brook. In Bewbush, I left the path and joined Kilnwood Vale to look for the historic moat, fed by the stream, as marked on the map. I found a rather lovely big oak tree and a big but fairly unsassuming 'historic building', owned by the council. This is actually of Crawley Manor's six moated manors. The white painted brick encases a late 15th century timber-framed building with a 17th century staircase. Only half the moat survives and is difficult to get to. I made a bit of a mess trying to make my way back but, back en route, the bridleway is diverted from the map, to run west to a crossing of the Horsham Road. On the way, you may notice the Bewbush Castle, a self-built and styled crenellated home and built around a modest cottage.
Over the dual carriageway, the path reverts east and then south through Holmbush Forest. This wooded area has promise but while Buchan Country Park to the east is explorable, the forest has but one bridleway through the spruce and rhododendrons. What is noticeable is the sandyness of the High Weald, on your way to Colgate. To the west the woods appear to be used for paint-balling. Colgate is a geographical high point that once boasted a Napoleonic beacon and then a tower but you experience neither on our short stay.
At the Forest Road, cross over and walk west. Go left after the church into Blackhouse Road. Opposite the school, where the kids were being dropped off, take the footpath to the corner of Springfield Lane but continue southeast on the footpath. The interest and quality of this wood increased considerably. I stopped at a bridge over a trickling gill before continuing into Blindman's Wood. As you leave the trees you experience some heathyness up to Woodland Lane.
Follow the quiet road west to join the footpath on the left at Barnsnap. When you reach Grouse Road, turn left and then go right on the next footpath up hill to cross the Newstead Gill. On the way and in confirmation of my growing satisfaction, I heard the distinctive diving warble of woodlarks.
At Newstead Farm, I hesitated as to continue or take the track on the ridge. The latter won out and I followed the avenue of trees to what is the High Weald Landscape Trail. Leave the tarmac and turn right. I rather surprised a pair of ponies at Tattleton's Farm. Turn left and then left again to leave the trail and join the footpath through Hammerhill Wood to Hammerpond Road. A little shimmy around Keeper's, takes you south to Handcross Road. This is Plummers Plain and the origin of the River Ouse that emerges at Newhaven.
Turning right takes you along to Lower Beeding and beyond The Plough Inn. Cut the corner via the next footpath on the left and cross Brighton Road. You pass the 'Old Swimming Pool' of what would have been on the edge of playing fields of the once prep school. Over Newells Lane, continue on a circuit that will have you back over this road in sue course. For now, go through Spring Wood, past Cook's Farm with its colonial style outbuildings and tropical planting and into Nuthurst. This was once the home of Architectural Plants but now sits on the edge of community allotments.
In Nuthurst, I turned left to the Black Horse Inn and perfectly timed it for lunch. Back on the road, return beyond Cook's Farm and take the bridleway that runs parallel with the incoming path and into Lodgesale Wood. The trees are stately. Now go over Newells Lane and continue left and opposite, on the edge of Newells Rough. This is a lengthy track towards Crabtree. Bear left at the next bridleway before switching south on the footpath known as Job's Castle. Go past a scrap of open access land and join the southward leg of the Sussex Diamond Way. Stick with the trail as it winds west at Woldringfold.
Go south on Burnthouse Lane and continue on the Sussex Diamond Way until the next south footpath. Continue on the road until you can make an eastward way to continue south by Browning's. Capon's Farm, over the road is an example of a Sussex Wealden Yeoman's house of the 13th century. Also apparent and omnipresent, as you cross the road and go right a little, is the monastery of St Hugh's Charterhouse. The monks are the strong and silent type of the Carthusian order, with 4-5 hours of manual work out of their cells. They have the world's biggest cloister enclosing an apple orchard of 3.5 acres from which they make apple wine.
Just keep going south when choices are presented and you'll pass the monastery and then Mockford on your left. Take to Shermanbury Road and turn right then left on the edge of Partridge Green's playing fields. At the T junction, turn right and skirt the hosre-jumping field and that beyond the sewage works.
You'll come upon the old railway line and Downs Link. You can switch off for a bit now. Having ummed and ahhed, the sky released a few drops of rain to announce the rather dull section. A fox entertained by hunting just in front of me. You cross the Adur at Betley Bridge. Ignore the first footpath on your left, which leaves the main trail and take the second as it weaves east to Henfield. Skirt Kings Field and cross the playground to join Church Street. Follow the signs from the churchyard to the Cat House, for fun.
On Henfield High Street, make your way to a bus stop of your choice. You have up to two chances of catching a bus as the 100 goes up and down the road on its way. I did my shopping while I waited.
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