Location: Balcombe village
Grid Reference: TQ309308(OS Map)
OS Map: Explorer 135
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 5 hours
Information Available: West Sussex County Council, Rights of Way on 01243 777620
Directions/Transport: Start the walk in Balcombe. Near the Half Moon Pub there is a track towards Balcombe House. Continue on the track at the junction and do not go along the side of the house. Continue on the footpath to the junction, turn right and cross a footbridge. At the lane turn left, continue on the lane around some bends to come to the top end of Ardingly Reservoir. Cross the bridge and turn right onto a Bridlepath.
Follow the Bridlepath around the reservoir until you reach the road. Turn right and cross the bridge. On the other side turn right and continue along a footpath beside the reservoir. Continue on this footpath until you reach the end of the reservoir. You will meet the High Weald Landscape Trail (HWLT). Turn left and follow the trail past Ardingly College. Cross the road and continue on the HWLT, turning left when you meet another path.
Continue on the footpath to the B2028 road. Turn right and follow the road a short distance. Turn left and continue on the HWLT. At Pickerage Farm it follows a lane for a short distance. At Ludwell Farm it turns left off the lane and cross country to some woodland. Continue through the woodland until you reach a junction with another bridlepath. Turn left onto this bridlepath.
Shortly you reach the B2028 road. Turn left and walk down the road a short distance until on the right hand side of the road there is a footpath that skirts Wakehurst Place. Follow this footpath through Horsbridge Wood and Bloomers Valley. When you reach another footpath turn left to cross the Ardingly Brook. The path takes you out of the woodland and turns left along the edge. Continue on the footpath to reach a lane. Cross the lane and continue on a farm track. Shortly a left hand footpath leaves the track. Take this footpath. Continue towards Balcombe.
At a footpath junction turn right, do not enter the wood. Continue along the footpath to Balcombe Lake. At the end of the lake take the path on the right. Follow the path that goes along the edge of the Lake. It then leaves the lake and heads off into a wood. The path meets another path, turn left and head back into Balcombe village.
Bus Information: 272, Burgess Hill - Crawley via Balcombe, Mon-Fri one bus. No Sunday Service. 82, Crawley - Haywards Heath via Ardingly, hourly, Mon-Sat. 82, Sunday Service two hourly. Phone for further information on 0870 6082 608.
Train Information: Station at Balcombe on Brighton - London line. Two hourly service. For further information phone 08457 484950
Guide: High Weald Landscape Trail, West Sussex leaflet produced by West Sussex County Council
Waymarking: High Weald Circular Walks Waymarking Discs
Services: Half Moon Inn in Balcombe and shops. Pubs and shops in Ardingly village.
Download:
pdf
Kew In The Country (143.11 kB)