1 - From the car park opposite the church in Clayton walk half-left across the recreation ground, passing the church hall, to a squeeze stile and kissing gate in the hedgerow. Cross New Road with care, going left beside a brick wall as it turns to the right and arrives at a right branch on to a footpath, leading away from the road and following the line of the railway. (If arriving by bus, alight beside the Jack And Jill Inn and cross, with care, to join the path on the far side of the road bridge.) Keep to the enclosed path for one-third of a mile, passing field and woodland, to arrive at a bridge crossing left over the railway line.

2 - Take this left turn, soon entering scrub and crossing a stile, to follow a wider footpath beside Bonny’s Wood, with a memorial garden on the left. On coming to the roadside, cross to the opposite path, turning right for a few yards and taking the left, signed footpath along a right fenceline, crossing a stile in 200 yards.

Take a half-right line across a rising meadow and pass through a kissing gate.

In the next field follow the left fence for 300 yards, passing through a second kissing gate. Follow a half-left trodden path across the next field to the far left corner, go through a gate and, in a few paces, go left over a stile. Walk down the pasture edge, over a midway stile and continuing to New Way Lane, beside Bearstakes cottage.

3 - Turn right up the lane, climbing to the point where it levels off and, when opposite a metal paddock gate on the right, locate and cross the stile in hedgerow, up steps in a bank on the left.

Walk beside a railing fence in the hilltop meadow, cross a stile and, in a few paces, pass a marker post, indicating our first encounter with the Greensand Way – the Roman road that once traversed central Sussex.

Descend to a marker post at the bottom of the slope and take a half-left line (yellow arrow) towards a short avenue of alder trees, leading to a footbridge crossing. Go quarter-left to the next field corner, cross a stile and continue along the field, passing over a stile and crossing footpath. Maintain direction for a further 200 yards to a path junction, passing through a squeeze stile.

Turn right and follow the path that continues beside a high wooden fence, passing by The Pest House and Whit Farm to a bridleway junction at Bedlam Street. This crossing once stood at a high point on the Greensand Roman road, and west of the bridleway junction the road’s raised supporting foundation, or agger, can be seen across the field.

A short distance away, to the south, stood a Roman villa.

4 - Turn left from the junction, following the bridleway towards Randolph’s Farm, dipping and climbing towards buildings and veering right of the business units, before resuming direction and descending towards Randolph’s Copse, passing by a pond off to the right.

Keep to the bridleway as it passes through Foxhole Shaw and comes to Foxhole Cottages. Pass by the dwellings and outbuildings and, as the driveway branches right, take the left bridleway (blue arrow) that climbs the field edge, towards trees at the foot of Wolstonbury Hill.

5 - Climb into the thin strip of woodland, taking a few paces right to pass left through a bridle gate on to the lower slopes of the hill. Climb ahead, more steeply, on the bridleway and, in a few yards, at a fork in the trodden paths, keep direction – do not divert left. Enter into scrub on a steeper path, passing a midway marker post (blue arrow), before coming to clearer, more level terrain.

Walk ahead, with prominent earthworks off to the left. When opposite the more prominent of the two workings, locate a narrow trodden path branching half-left and heading for a deep gully that is on the right (south) side of the mound. Climb up through the gully and at the top, just after a small surveyor’s centenary plaque set into the left bank, turn almost full right for a few yards along a fence and cross a stile on the left.

Climb the broad path to the top of Wolstonbury Hill, heading for the obvious trig point. From the summit it is possible to divert left (north) to get a wide-ranging view across the Weald, with the distinctive feature of Danny house, the Elizabethan mansion, a short distance from the foot of the hill.

Return to the trig point and resume direction eastward across the top of the Iron Age camp to a point where the obvious remaining rampart is encountered.

The pits, lumps and bumps across the summit are possibly evidence of the firing range that existed in the valley below in Wellcombe Bottom, prior to the D-Day invasion during the Second World War.

6 - Turn right along the rampart, following the path to a squeeze stile and turn left along the hilltop bridleway to a gate.

Follow the track for half a mile to pass through a bridle gate, close to Rockrose. Turn left (blue arrow) and follow the bridleway as it begins a descent through woodland, ignoring a left footpath branch in 100 yards.

The track becomes steeper as it passes down the hillside, getting slippery in places, crossing a clay band where horse traffic has disturbed the ground. Finally, the path levels off and, in a little over half a mile, comes to New Way Lane.

Turn right along the lane, to the main road, with the inn off to the left and the entrance to Clayton Tunnel over a wall on the right. Cross the road with care, turning right back towards the recreation ground at Clayton.

* Distance/Time: Five and three-quarter miles, taking two and three-quarter hours

* By Car: Clayton is east off the A273 road into Underhill Lane. Car parking is opposite the church in the car park beside the recreation ground. Start point GR: TQ300140

* By Public Transport: Travel details from www.traveline.info, phone 0871 2002233. Bus service stops beside the Jack And Jill Inn. Return south for 100 yards to join walk

* What’s underfoot: Below-the-Downs walking, mainly on well-defined paths, liable to be muddy in clay sections; a steep climb up Wolstonbury Hill. Possible with a baby backpack, but care required on steep slopes; not possible with a baby buggy

* Thirsty Work: Jack And Jill Inn at Clayton

* So you don’t get lost: OS Explorer map 122, plus a compass for general direction