1 - From the entrance to Fletching village car park, turn left along the High Street. At a road junction, turn left along Church Street, or cut the corner by walking through the churchyard. The church, with its lofty spire, dates from the 12th Century and contains the tomb of the historian Edward Gibbon.

Follow Church Street out of the village, passing, on the left, a small wooden building, housing the old village water pump.

After about 400 yards, turn right through a gap next to a gate and walk along the left edge of the village cricket ground. Go over a stile in the corner, bear half-left across a meadow to another stile and then follow a wide, unfenced grassy path between two large arable fields.

Go through a gap and maintain direction across the next field, where a path should be defined through any growing crop. On the other side of the field, go ahead across a grass air strip and on along an unmade track, which becomes the access drive from a pair of houses and takes you out to the A272 road.

2 - Your next path is signed from the other side of the road a few yards to the left. Cross a stile set back from the road and follow a narrow, fenced path. Go over a stile and footbridge, ignoring a second footbridge to the left and ahead along the left-edge of a large field with a shelter belt of poplar trees on your left.

Where the field headland begins to curve left, you should fork right, in effect almost directly ahead, along a preserved cross-field path. On the other side of the field, go through a wide gap and follow the direction of a yellow arrow across the next field, topping a low rise where, once again, the path should be established through any growing crop.

On the other side of the field, join a lane and turn right.

3 - Follow the lane across Sharp’s Bridge over the River Ouse and up between high sandstone banks until, about 200 yards beyond the river crossing, you can turn right up steps and over a stile.

The official right of way now goes ahead, passing immediately to the left of an electricity pylon but, if ploughed out you may find it easier to follow the grassy right field headland. Beyond the power lines, both routes converge to continue along the right edge of two fields.

Once into a third field, go ahead, walking parallel to the meandering right field-edge and passing immediately to the right of a solitary oak tree. Go through a gate in a shallow dip and bear half-left along a left field-edge with a fence and partially cleared and replanted woodland on your left.

4 - At the far end of the field, ignoring a gate on your left, turn right for 30 yards to pass through another gate in the corner. Cross a minor stream via a culvert, emerge into the next field and turn left along the edge.

After 60 yards, in the field corner, go over a stile and bear half-right across the next field of pasture where there is a faint path which leads you to a squeeze stile at the far end of this large area, providing access into Newick churchyard.

Go over a stile in a wall, pass to the left of the church and follow the church access out to Church Road. Turn right and follow this road for a quarter of a mile into the centre of Newick, passing the Royal Oak Inn on your right and the Bull Inn on your left.

5 - At the A272, cross the main road at the traffic-light-controlled pedestrian crossing and continue the walk along an access drive which starts almost opposite, immediately to the left of the village shop and quickly feeds into a tarmac twitten.

Where the path emerges on to an estate road, bear right and, after 60 yards, turn right along Alexander Mead. Where this road bends right, go ahead along a concrete drive. Just short of the gate into a Water Treatment Works area, turn left along a right field-edge.

Follow this boundary as it trends to the right until, in the field corner, you can turn left along a wide grassy strip, with an electricity pylon directly in line ahead.

6 - In the next field corner follow the field edge round to the left with a wood on your right and, after 70 yards, turn right on a path into the wood.

This rather overgrown path continues through a more open area as it passes beneath power lines where a narrow and mildly precarious sleeper causeway helps you across a boggy area.

Emerge into a field and go ahead, aiming approximately towards the spire of Fletching church. Go through a gate and continue along a left field-edge, crossing a drive en route.

From the field corner, go ahead along an enclosed path which soon skirts to the right of a walled garden, bearing left to a stile and then along the left edge of a lawn to join a lane.

Turn right and follow the lane for a little over half a mile back to Fletching, passing the castellated back gateway to Sheffield Park on the left as you enter the village.

* Distance/Time: Five and a half miles/two and a half hours.

* By Car: Start from Fletching, signposted and most easily accessible northwards from the A272 at Piltdown, about half way between Newick and Maresfield. Park in the village car park on the east side of the High Street at GR 429236.

* By Public Transport: There is an hourly weekday bus service from Haywards Heath or Uckfield to Newick, starting the walk at point five.

* What’s underfoot: Generally level ground, mostly along field paths. Some risk of flooding after heavy rainfall and the possibility of encroaching crops, though most of the cross-field paths should be re-established after autumn ploughing.

* Thirsty Work: Pubs at Fletching and Newick (point five).

* So you don’t get lost: OS Explorer 135.