Southwards Wadhurst circular

By Ben Perkins

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Restoration of the deer park has opened up a new walk link, taking in Wadhurst Castle and Wadhurst Church, seen here in the distance

Starting from the village of Wadhurst, this walk heads south, using a new route between points 2 and 3, which has been established under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and explores an area of old 19th-Century parkland, currently under restoration.

The return route passes through Wadhurst Deer Park. For various reasons, several of the paths used are not marked on the current Explorer map which may, therefore, be unhelpful in one or two places. Most of the paths are, however, well signed, thanks to energetic work by the local Footpath Group, so you shouldn’t have too much difficulty in finding your way.

If you would like a longer walk, this circuit can be conveniently linked with a walk from Wadhurst to Bewl Water, published last year and available from the Argus website (go to Wadhurst circular).

1. Start the walk downhill along Washwell Lane. Ignoring a right turn (Courthope Avenue). Continue down the lane between high banks.

2. After about a quarter of a mile, turn right over a stile where a notice indicates the start of the Countryside Stewardship path. Go ahead along a right field edge, ignoring the signed public footpath off to the left - this is the return route.

In the field corner, cross a stile and keep to the right of the next field, also with a stream in a deep wooded ghyll to your right. In the field corner, bear left across grass to a stile into woodland.

Walk through this wood to another stile and continue uphill across pasture, walking roughly parallel to a fence, a little way away to your right.

Over to your right you get a good view of Wadhurst Castle. Originally built in 1820, subsequently embellished with Victorian castellated towers and damaged by fire in the Twenties.

Now restored, it serves as a conference centre and romantic wedding venue.

On the other side of the field, turn left, keeping within the same field and walking parallel to a right-hand fence. Go over a stile about 40 yards to the left of the next field corner and follow a fenced path though an area of mixed, broad-leaved woodland.

Leave the wood over a stile and head gently downhill across a field aiming for a stile which takes you into thick coniferous woodland.

3. Follow a well waymarked path which, after a few yards, turns right. Shortly join and bear right along a sandy forest track. At the next path junction, fork right and after a few yards turn right again, following yellow arrows.

Towards the bottom of the hill turn right along a narrow path which leads to a railway crossing.

Descend to cross a stream and up to leave the wood at a field corner.

Go forward with a wood on your right at first, then climb along a right field edge.

In the field corner go through a gate and keep to the right edge of the next field, following it out to a road where you turn left.

4. At a junction with Snape Lane, go ahead. After another 350 yards, turn right over a stile beside a gate, follow a short sunken track and then follow the left edge of two fields where a wide view opens out ahead, southwards across the Weald.

In the second field corner, walk round to the right with the field edge until you can double back sharply to the left down a bank to join a drive. Turn left to follow this tarmac drive gently uphill.

5. After about 300 yards, at a way post, turn right, still along a drive which soon passes alongside a grove of planted trees with a high deer fence on your right.

After about a quarter of a mile, at a T-junction with another drive, turn left and, at another junction of drives, go ahead through a gate in a deer fence.

Now drop downhill with this fence on your right and another fine view, this time back towards Wadhurst where the church spire is in clear sight.

After about 250 yards, at a three-arm finger post, turn left to drop downhill along an unfenced track which crosses a culvert in a dip and passes through woodland, now with a deer fence on your left.

From the other side of the wood, veer very slightly right across an area of parkland pasture, soon walking roughly parallel to a straggly line of trees marking the right field edge.

On the other side of the field, go through a gap and drop downhill with a small wood and a deer fence on your left once more. Follow this fence down through a dip and up to a gate where you leave the deer park. A rough track and then a house drive take you out to a lane.

6. Your next path, a recent diversion and therefore not yet marked on the OS map, starts through a gate opposite and drops obliquely down through a conifer plantation. Cross a stream and bear half right up across rough pasture to join a lane in the top field corner.Cross this lane and follow the path opposite. Go over the railway. After a few more yards, cross a wide forest track and follow a narrower path ahead marked with a waypost.

Follow this clear path through Snape Wood for about a quarter of a mile. Cross a forest track and shortly leave the wood over a new stile.

Climb along a left field edge. A stiled route continues through a wooded dip and on beside a right hand fence with the spire of Wadhurst church directly ahead.

7. Cross a drive, using two stiles, and follow a trodden path across a large field with the church spire still in sight ahead. Drop obliquely down a bank to join Washwell Lane, back at point two to the Countryside Stewardship Path sign. Bear left to follow the lane back up the hill to the start.