Steve Kisko walks around the village of Isfield, crossing the meanders of the River Uck and the tracks of a preserved steam railway. This walk is best when Isfield Station is open to watch the steam trains in action.

Start the walk at Isfield Station entrance and turn right along Station road. Isfield Station is part of the preserved Lavender Line, a heritage railway. In 500 yards as the road bears right take a tarmac track left. In 200 yards, take a stile on your right. Follow the right field boundary, through a kissing gate, into the next field and on to pass to the left of the village hall, onto the road. Turn left. After the road bends right take a footpath on your left between gardens, into a field. Go straight on to a footbridge, then go to the left of the hedgerow ahead, keeping it on your right, cross another footbridge then veer left in the next field towards the church to meet the road, Church Lane. Visit the church if time. Turn right.

Follow the road to meet Station Road again and turn left. In 200 yards opposite the gates to Isfield Place take a wooded footpath on the right over a planked bridge and stile, then another stile to a further stile into a field. Veer right to a stile in the far right hand side corner. Turn right onto a track between fields. Where it widens keep straight to reach the banks of the River Uck. Take a gate on the left following the left hedgerow which in 200 yards bears right to go underneath the old railway tracks of the Lavender Line. With the river on your right, aim for the telegraph pole and on to a footbridge. Continue straight to skirt the edge of the wood on the left, to find in the corner a stile and a planked footbridge leading to a road. Turn right.

Pass through Worth Farm complex and after this in 200 yards before the bend turn right into the field. The footpath here goes straight across the field but it is difficult to navigate, best to go roughly in-between the first set of telegraph poles in front of you and in-between the next to aim for a coppiced edge of the other side to find a path in between the trees. You should have found the railway line, cross over. Follow the path round to the left to a metal gate. Follow the river again, close on your right, through some farm gates and round to the left over a farm concrete crossing. It bears right to a gate, enter the field, turn left away from the river. Keep to the left field boundary and in 80 yards go through another gate into a field. Keep to the left fence to reach a stile. Follow the track as it veers left through Tile Barn Farm.

On reaching the horse paddocks beyond turn left, now enclosed. As it opens up, aim half right to enter a pine wood. Exit and turn right. Soon find a gate on your left, follow the path and in 30 yards turn left to cross the railway again over a large bridge. Over the bridge go through a metal gate and follow the right field edge to cross a stile near a house onto a track. Just before reaching the main road, turn left upwards towards a metal kissing gate into a field. Cross the field to a hedgerow gap in the opposite corner, then in the next keep the hedgerow on your left. In the next corner take the gate ahead and keep to the left edge of the field to meet the A26. Cross straight over. Enter the field on the other side, aim rightish towards the telegraph pole and then down to a gap in the hedgerow. Go straight across the next field, up a bank to the right of a lake. Soon the path takes a sharp right over a stile to a road. Turn left.

In 150 yards take a footpath on your right over a stile, cross the paddock to another stile and enter woodland. In 30 yards the track turns right. When a track comes in from the right keep straight. On reaching gates, do not go through but turn right into woodland, possibly over a small stream as there is no well defined entrance, keeping close to the woodland edge following the fence line on your close left. After it bends left go over 2 close stiles, again follow the wooden fence line with lakes on your left in the distance and many rabbit holes underfoot. A final stile will take you on to the A26. Turn left.

In 60 yards turn right down the access road of Brook Lodge Farm. On reaching buildings keep right, take a bridge over a stream and immediately turn left, over a stile to a narrow field. Continue straight. As i narrows in the corner, cross a stile. Keep to the left in the field to cross a footbridge. Keep left again. At the corner, turn left now with the fence on your right, soon over a stile to a track. Turn right. Follow this between houses, it bears left and then out to Lewes Road. Turn right and in 70 yards you will reach Isfield Station again on your left in Station Road.

 

Distance/time: 6.5 miles /3 hours.
Public transport: Brighton and Hove bus no 29 stops at the start in Isfield on Lewes Road, see www.buses.co.uk
Useful for train operating times: www.lavender-line.co.uk
Car: Street parking in the village nearby the station.
Underfoot: A flat walk which may be muddy near the river banks. Cross the Lavender Line with care when steam trains are operating. A very small section of road walking.
Thirsty work: The Isfield Station Cafe and The Laughing Fish pub next door.
Maps: OS Explorer map 122.