Rusper circular

By Eddie Start

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Ifield has a history dating back to medieval times but is now more familiar as an important residential suburb of Crawley.

This walk begins in the old village and heads off into the surrounding countryside, making for Rusper village and returning through woodland and pasture.

1.Walk along Ifield Street, with The Plough Inn on the right, towards the village church. Enter the churchyard crossing to a point opposite the church tower. Turn right through a gate, to a metalled drive beside Ifield Barn Theatre.

Take the opposite signed footpath, passing a small pond and through a gate into a meadow.

Turn half-right and head over the meadow to a line of trees in 250 yards.

Pass through a gate, climbing to cross a footbridge into a second meadow. Take a line half-right, making for a gap in the opposite hedgerow in 200 yards. Cross a stile by a metal gate and climb to The Druids at the top of a rise.

Take the stile on the left of the path onto a gravelled drive, following it for 400 yards to a minor road. Locate the opposite footpath, walking leftward for 100 yards to a garage on the left.

Cross the stile ahead climbing up the field beside a line of oaks to the treeline. Keep left of the woodland, aiming for the fingerpost at the top, right corner.

Enter the woods, go right for 25 yards to a fingerpost and turn left. Climb for 100 yards and before a metal gate turn left, then right, as signed, to a stile and track in 150 yards.

Turn right into a field and descend towards Lower Prestwood Farm. Enter the farmyard and turn left on the drive in front of the lawn, making for the gate in the fence beside a timber garage. Pass through the gate into a narrow passageway and turn right, passing a farmhouse, to a road.

2.Turn left along the road and at the sharp left bend in 100 yards take the footpath, right, over a plank bridge into woodland. Keep to the signed path, veering right, and in 200 yards cross a paddock along the left fence-line to a plank bridge and stile in the left corner.

Enter woodland, left, through undergrowth. In 150 yards turn right. Drop to cross a plank bridge in a few yards, climb to a sign and turn left. Walk for 400 yards through woodland, with a stream on the left, finally turning left for 25 yards and then right for 150 yards. Turn left, climbing to a minor road at Langhurst Farm and turn right.

At a road junction walk to the far side, cross a plank bridge and stile, continuing for 200 yards over a meadow, with a midway stile, and dropping to cross a stile on the left. In ten yards take the stile on the right into woodland. In a few yards cross a plank bridge on the right and go left.

Stay on the path, soon dropping to a gully, crossing a bridge and climbing towards a dwelling. Keep to the right of the boundary hedge, following the wide track to a four-way junction in 200 yards.

Descend ahead on the track, with Venters to the left. Climb out from a gully into open meadow and a four-way junction in 250 yards. Continue ahead over the next meadow, passing through a narrow gate and climbing beside the right hedgeline for a quarter-of-a-mile towards Rusper. Emerge into the village street from the footpath, with the church opposite and The Plough Inn, right.

3.Turn left along the main street and at a junction at the The Sun pub, take the right fork into Horsham Road.

In a few yards, at the rear of the pub, take the signed left footpath into a car park. Go halfright to leave the car park, then turn left on an enclosed path behind houses. The path crosses a stile in 150 yards to Millfields Farm.

Continue ahead, beginning a descent for a quarter-of-a-mile between paddocks and then meadow, passing through a hedge opening to a right field corner. Turn left along the right fence line, over stiles, to a minor road in 250 yards.

Take a few paces left, to the opposite footpath. Follow the enclosed path for 100 yards and enter the next field, take a halfright line to the far left corner.

Cross a footbridge and maintain direction to the next far left corner.

Enter a short section of enclosed path to a drive, leading to the road at Lambs Green.

4.Turn left along the road, passing The Lamb Inn and in 100 yards take the signed footpath on the right.

The onward path follows the left hedgeline, stiles, gates and field boundaries for half-a-mile to arrive at a convergence of hedgerow where there are four metal-gated field entrances.

Take a half-left direction across a second field on the left to the far left corner stile, passing through a gate to Stumbleholm Farm.

5.Turn left beside the farm buildings, with the farmhouse on the right, exiting between brick pillars at the farm entrance. Just before a Dutch barn take a half-right turn. Walk across a field for 75 yards, continuing along the left edge of the next field to the left corner.

Turn right for a few paces before turning left over plank bridges and along a shrub tunnel beside a golf course. Follow the enclosed path for half-a-mile to a road beside Furlong Farm.

Turn left up the road for 300 yards to Pound Cottages and turn right. Walk along the drive, going left around Lower Barn, and follow the straight path crossing two wide fields to a footbridge.

Cross the bridge and follow the path, which in about 50 yards turns to the half-left, heading for a gate in the churchyard wall beside Ifield church. Go left of the bell tower and turn right towards the starting point of the walk.