Welcome to Capital Walkers, the friendly London Ramblers group for people aged 40+. We walk every weekend and usually at least once during the week.
The High Weald Landscape Trail offers a captivating 95-mile journey through the counties of Sussex and Kent. The High Weald—designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)—remains a lush, diverse mix of woodlands, grasslands, heathlands, meadows, hop gardens, orchards, and hammer ponds.
The first (and westernmost) of the five sections of the trail starts in Horsham and finishes in Haywards Heath. It could best be described as undulating. Early on the walk, we enter the large St Leonard’s Forest and continue through cool valley woodlands with small streams and hammer ponds. The gentler slopes of the Ouse Valley open up into farmland. There are some few fine ridge-top views.
As we may have a late lunch, please bring some snacks for the morning. Lunch will be in the gardens of St Mary’s Church in the charming village of Slaugham, so please bring a packed lunch. While the path passes through some small villages, for the most part, you are unaware of the considerable population hidden away in this stretch of countryside. It also means that there are no exit points along this section of the trail.
The walk will be brisk (2.5–3 miles per hour) and, depending on the weather, may be muddy in places.
While toilets are available at Horsham railway station, they can be crowded, so you are encouraged to use the train toilets beforehand.
There is a pub directly in front of the Haywards Heath train station for those who wish to stay on for a drink.
Travel:
Buy a return ticket to Hayward Heath from London Blackfriars at 9:09h (London Bridge at 9:15) , and change in Three Bridges to Horsham,
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trains are delayed so I will arriving at Horsham at 10:30.
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Please buy a single ticket from Three Bridges to Horsham.
There are several trains within the hour from Haywards Heath back to London.
No booking required.
The finishing time is an estimate only and will be dependent on a number of factors such as, weather, the speed at which the group walks and the number of breaks taken.
The following sections of the High Weald Landscape Trail will take place on 26th April, 24th May, 28th June, and the final one over the weekend of 26th July, concluding in Rye, Kent.
Horsham Railway Station
Haywards Heath Railway Station
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