Fletching Common circular

by Ben Perkins

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Look out for the timbered farmhouse just before you enter the Wapsbourne Wood

The attractive heathland of Chailey Common is a designated nature reserve covering 450 acres in all, though broken up into several separate fragments. At the beginning and end of this five-mile walk you can explore one of the smaller segments of the reserve at Lane End Common.

This area is criss-crossed by a complicated tangle of paths, so some care is required following the route at the beginning and end of the walk, where you might easily be led astray along the tempting alternative paths.

Have a compass to hand. The rest of the walk is generally easier to follow, particularly where it uses part of the well-signed Ouse Valley Walk through Wapsbourne Wood. Watch out for a shaky footbridge and a rather precarious stile at point two.

1. From the rear left corner of the car park, start the walk along a path which soon passes immediately to the right of a notice displaying a map of the Common and heads generally northwards, gradually losing height. Where the main path bends away to the left, go ahead, along a narrower path, still heading north.

Where this path divides, fork right through thicker woodland. The path finally squeezes to the right of a swampy area to join the A275.

2. Turn left and after 40 yards go right over a dilapidated plank bridge and a shaky stile. Go ahead across a field, passing beneath power lines to go through a gate. Veer slightly right across the next field, dodging the nettles which are overtaking this rough pasture, to find the next stile and some steps at the right end of a block of woodland.

Keep to the left edge of the next field. In the corner go through a wide gap and turn right along a wide tree-lined path which continues as a hard-surfaced drive. Follow the drive as it winds between the buildings at Wapsbourne Farm, passing to the left of the fine old brick and timber-fronted farmhouse dating from 1606.

3. Pass to the left of a tennis court and, once through the gate to Keepers Cottage, veer half-left across grass to a stile. Now follow the well waymarked Ouse Valley Walk, along the top edge of a field, across a field intake and on, with woodland on your right.

Shortly, turn right following signs with care through Wapsbourne Wood. At a junction, turn right along a wider track and shortly go left along a narrower path. Leave the wood over a stile and go ahead across pasture.

Join a left-hand fence with trees on your left and, after another 30 yards, ignoring a signed path off to the left, bear half-right across pasture to a stile in the field corner.

A clear path drops down through more woodland to join a track where you should bear left out to a lane.

4. The Sloop Inn is now a short distance along the road to the right but, to continue the walk, turn left. After 100 yards, turn right over a stile and go forward along a right field edge. In the field corner, go over a stile, forward for 20 yards, up a low bank and left on a woodland path.

Cross a drive and continue on a path within the wood and then across a field to join a road, where you should turn left. At a road junction, go ahead, followign the sign to Chailey and Fletching.

5. After 200 yards turn right over a stile and go forward along the left edge of two fields. In the second field corner, go over a stile and bear right along a field edge, following it round to the left.

Shortly, diverge slightly from the field edge, dropping down to a stile in the bottom-left field corner. Go ahead across a concrete bridge, through a gate and uphill along a left field edge.

At the top of the hill go over a stile and turn left along a fenced sandy track. Follow this track to Lindfield Farm and then along the access drive from the farm. Where this drive bends left, go ahead along a track to join a lane and turn right.

6. After 100 yards, turn left along the drive to Warrs Farm. In front of the farmhouse, bear left for a few yards to find a path which squeezes to the left of a garage, then join and follow a concrete track, enclosed as far as a gate and subsequently beside a right-hand hedge.

Descend into a dip, where you should turn right through a gate. Follow a grassy headland path until you can go left to follow a path through Warrs Wood. Leave the wood through a broken gate or over a “natural” stile formed by a tree trunk a few yards to the right.

Maintain direction across the next field to a stile, pass through a belt of woodland and squarely across two more field to join the A275.

7. Cross the road and follow the signed path back on to Lane End Common. At the time of writing the path passes through an enclosure occupied by Hebridean sheep but these may be gone by the time this walk is published.Where you have a choice of paths, fork right.

Ignoring paths to left and right, keep ahead at two more path junctions and you will soon find yourself back at the car park.