Hooe circular

By Ben Perkins

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From, the village of Hooe, which stands on a peninsula of slightly raised ground protruding southwards into the open drained marshland of the Pevensey Levels, our walk soon descends on to the wide open space of Hooe Level. After a short and undemanding climb to a fine viewpoint overlooking the Levels, we continue to visit Hooe Church which occupies an isolated site, well away from the main village settlement. A loop to the south then brings us down once again on to rich marshland pastures, crisscrossed by a network of drainage ditches. Apart from a couple of overgrown paths where a stick might come in handy to beat down encroaching nettles, this is a generally easy walk, though some care with navigation is required in one or two places as the paths are not all as well signed as they should be.

1.From the Red Lion pub turn right along the lane. A few yards past a house called Dewby’s Barn on the right, go right through a gate and forward, passing to the left of an open-side barn to a second gate. Carry on across a field to join the B2095 road over a stile to the left of a prominent oak tree. Turn left

2.After about 200 yards, turn right along an unmade drive between high banks which, after about 300 yards, at the entrance to a large house, becomes a hedged grass track. A few yards after passing beneath power lines, turn left through a gate and go ahead, walking parallel to the power lines and the left field edge. Cross a culvert and stile beneath a prominent tree a few yards to the right of the field corner. Now head half-right across the next field to find and cross a wide farm bridge in the far field corner. Once over this bridge, turn left through a gate and follow the bank of a wide drainage ditch, keeping the water on your left along the edge of two fields, boggy in places where the path has been churned up by cattle and a detour to the right is recommended.

3.After a little over a quarter-of-a-mile, turn left over another wide concrete farm bridge, bear right for 40 yards and then go left over a substantial footbridge. Go ahead to a stile and then halfright up across a field to another stile in the top corner. Maintain the same general direction up across the next field, passing beneath power lines to join and follow a lefthand fence. Shortly, go left over a stile beside a gate and forward with a fence and then a hedge and bank on your left. After about 200 yards, cross a drive and climb concrete steps cut in the opposite bank. Now head half-right, climbing steadily across grass, diverting briefly to get round a protruding fence corner. From this modest hillock you get surprisingly wide views across the drained marshland of Pevensey Levels to the sea, the distant South Downs and inland across the Weald. At the top of the hill go through a new metal gate in the field corner and forward along a left field edge. The signed path then squeezes to the left of a small house and continues along an unmade access drive to join a lane.

4.Your next path starts opposite, heading out across an arable field to join a lane down steps. Turn right and follow this narrow lane to reach Hooe Church. Go ahead through the churchyard, passing to the left of the church to find a stile leading out into a field. Once over this stile, turn left along the field edge. Keep to the left of the next field also. In the second field corner turn right, keeping within the same field with a hedge on your left. In the bottom field corner, follow the field boundary round to the right until, after 50 yards, you can go left over a ditch. Now climb along a left field edge to join a lane through a gate and turn left soon passing, on the left, Court Lodge, a fine 17th-Century red brick house.

5.At A road junction, follow the access drive to Rosemary Cottage and two other properties, opposite. It leads to a gate and a path long a right field edge which descends on to low-lying drained marshland. At a T-junction, turn left, and shortly, just short of a field gate, turn right along a short narrow path leading to a small wooden gate. Go ahead with a drainage ditch on your right. This pleasant meandering path is well signed as it follows the water course at first and eventually goes right over a wide concrete bridge. Follow a fenced track uphill for about 400 yards, keeping with it as it passes between the buildings at Hill Farm to join the A259. Turn left along the nearside pavement.

6.After about 250 yards, just past a large building on the right, turn left along a narrow path, signposted to Hooe. This enclosed path is overgrown initially but you can soon escape into the field on your left and follow the right edge which soon becomes the official path. Keep to the right edge of the next field also as it meanders down on to the Levels once again. Cross a footbridge and follow another narrow overgrown path until, fairly shortly, you can go left across a second footbridge.

7.Go forward along a right field edge. Beyond a gate and culvert veer slightly left on a faint field path, aiming for a distant house with two white chimneys. On the other side of the field, cross a stile without a step and go ahead along the right edge of three fields. Continue along a farm track which takes you out to a road. Turn right and follow this fairly quiet road for almost a mile back to Hooe.