Lewes to Hassocks walk

Lewes to Hassocks

Distance: 10.5 miles (9.2 miles to Ditchling).
Time without long breaks: Apx 5 1/2 hours (5 hrs to Ditchling). Add time for pub and Ditchling museum, which normally closes at 5pm.

Terrain: Nothing arduous, although there is a bit of a climb at the start up to Mount Harry .
How to get there and back: Train to Lewes, return from Hassocks.
Pub breaks: The excellent Half Moon at Plumpton is perfectly situated at half-way. Ditchling has the White Horse and the Bull Inn. There is also the pop-up Paddock Bar inside a horse box at the site of the old Lewes racecourse, if you are lucky.
More information: There are two alternate routes (see panel below). For a longer walk to Ditchling, instead of heading down to Plumpton, you can carry on along the ridge of the Downs via Clayton windmills. There is also a shorter walk to Stanmer Park and village.

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Beginning in historic Lewes, this walk takes you up to the top of the South Downs, to the site of the old Lewes Racecourse and the scene of a key medieval battle (see panel below). You continue via the beacon at Mount Harry and Black Cap – a National Trust nature reserve with panoramic views – before descending from the ridge. The route then takes you through horse paddocks and woods to the hamlet of Street and then on to the old village of Ditchling, once a centre for the Arts and Crafts movement. There is a convenient pub break halfway along at Plumpton.

Turn right on exiting the station, go over the bridge and take a left by the Lansdown Arms pub into Southover Road. This soon runs alongside the wall of the gardens of Southover Grange, the childhood home of the diarist John Evelyn. When you reach the front of the grange, turn right up steep Keere Street, where the Prince Regent once drove his horse and carriage for a bet. At the top, by the old bookshop, turn left into Western Road, then bear right into Spital Road. When it meets Neville Road, cross over and take the track opposite (still called Spital Road), which runs along the back of Lewes prison. After passing some houses and a wooden gate, the track runs alongside the prison wall.

Head up the track, following the signs for the bridleway, until you reach some buildings on the left. This is the site of the former grandstand for the racecourse, which closed in 1964 after more than 200 years of history. Just down a road to your right you will see an enclosure with a wooden memorial cross and some picnic tables, from where there are views across the town towards Malling Down. This area on the side of the hill is generally thought to be the site of the Battle of Lewes, where Simon de Montford defeated King Henry III (see panel below), although some historians now think the battle took place further down the hill, behind what is now the prison. Continue along the track, in the same direction as before, passing the stables on your left.

This part of the walk has a distinctly more wild feel. You will soon see a tree clump on the promontory of the hill ahead of you. This is Black Cap. To the left of the clump, when you reach it, you will come across a trig point, from where can catch a glimpse of the sea through a gap in the Downs. Continue along the grassy track. You reach a pair of gates and a signpost at a confluence of paths, with burial mounds to your right. Take the gravel track straight ahead. You are now on the South Downs Way (which joins from the south). Ater 600m, look for a small wooden gate on your right and a footpath sign. If you are taking either the longer or shorter alternate walks mentioned at the top of the page, this is where the routes divide - see the panel below.

On leaving the Half Moon, turn right and then go through the gap in the hedge and over a stile to enter a field. Head diagonally across, following the sign. On the other side, you join a fenced-off path with a hedge to your right. The path emerges at a gate to a lane by the entrance to Plumpton Place. Turn right until you come to the agricultural college. There is a short diversion here if you wish to take it – turn left up the path that runs parallel to the front of the main college building to the unlikely location for 12th-century Plumpton church, which has some medieval wall paintings. After visiting the church, return the way you came, and then turn left up the lane. You pass more buildings and a horse paddock, before coming to a small service road on the left.

On the other side of the field, go over steps to briefly enter Plumpton Wood, exiting via a bridge and steps into a large field. Cut diagonally across along the path, aiming for the line of trees. Enter the wood by the sign and follow the path to the right. You come to a footbridge over a stream with some steps heading up on the other side. Follow the path as it emerges from the trees and runs along the edges of fields to your left. It leads to some steps onto a lane. Take a left here to reach the small village of Streat. After passing some houses, you emerge at a road junction by a red pillar box. Turn left. You will see some tall gates on your right. This is the entrance to Streat Place, a huge Jacobean manor house.

The path runs between trees before emerging at a football pitch. Go over the wooden bridge on the far side of the field, following the path along a hedge to your left, with a cricket pitch and recreation field on the other side. Then go through a small gate to reach Farm Lane, on the edge of Ditchling village. At the junction, turn right into East End Lane. After about 300m, look out for a lamp-post on your left-hand side and a signpost to the Old Meeting House (opposite a lane called The Dymocks). Follow The Twitten (old Sussex word for alleyway) past the old burial ground. At the end of the path, turn right to reach the centre of the village.

Just over the road from the church, on the other side of West Street, is the White Horse, which used to be a real traditional village pub. It has recently rather sadly been refurbished, but it's still a good place get some sustenance before the final leg of the walk. There don't seem to be many buses from Ditchling to Hassocks, so you will need to either order a cab from the pub or walk the last mile and a half to Hassocks station. Head westwards out of Ditchling via West Street and keep going. You will pass the Greyhound pub in Keymer and there is another pub right by Hassocks station. Trains from Hassocks go to London and Brighton.

You will then see a sign on your right for the South Downs Way. Rather than turn off here, however, a better route is to carry straight on along the track for another 350m, with trees to your left, until you reach a four-fingered signpost. Turn right here, in the direction of the public footpath. As you ascend the hill, there are great views behind you and across Cuckoo Bottom towards Kingston windmill. You pass a bench and then come to some wooden railings. Just beyond, there is a three-fingered signpost. Turn right here along the path (there is a sign saying 'private land' but the path is still a public right of way). It crosses some horse gallops, so take care when crossing over. The path then winds through bushes. When it comes out at a track, turn left.

On the right, you will see a horse box which sometimes serves as a pop-up bar. The path turns briefly sharp right before carrying on in the same direction. When the old racecourse ends, it runs between trees. Ignore the path that comes off to the left, and carry on past the National Trust sign. You come to some gates by an electricity pylon. After the gates, rather than carry on straight, take the grass path that runs diagonally off to your right at an angle of about 2 o'clock and ascends to the peak of Mount Harry (you will see the top of the beacon ahead). There are sweeping views of the Downs to the south behind you and, when you reach the beacon, views across the Weald below. Turn left, following the path that runs along the top of the escarpment.

If taking the main lowland route, go through the gate to follow a beautiful path that winds down along the side of the hill (chalk paths can be slippery, so if it has been raining you might prefer to carry on along the SDW for half a mile and then turn right down the broader track of Plumpton Bostal, which the path joins halfway down). There used to be a white cross on the hillside here, but little remains of it now. The path leads down via some steps to a gate. Turn right and follow the track to the bottom of the hill, where it meets a road. Take care crossing over and turn left to reach the Half Moon pub. This is the perfect place for a break, particularly as it is almost exactly half way through the walk.

The next section runs through a series of fields and woods, but is well signposted throughout. Enter the field ahead of you at the turning of the lane via the gate, following the sign. On the opposite side, you reach a stile and a small bridge. Cross the next field, keeping close to the fence on your left, to some steps and another small bridge. You come to a larger open field. Follow the track here along the hedge to your right and then take the footpath straight ahead that runs between trees, crossing over a footbridge. Follow the well-marked path through the woods. You exit via another bridge and some steps. Cross over the farm lane and take the path opposite as indicated by the signpost.

Take the track that forks off to the right by the phone box to reach the Norman parish church. Follow the lane around past the church. After the churchyard, there is another view of Streat Place and its grounds. Just after passing a flint house on the right, go over some steps into the field on your left and follow the path. It comes out at a lane. Cross over and take the track opposite, passing some barns on the right, with the vista of the Downs to your left. After about 2/3 mile along this flat track, you reach a road. Take the steps opposite following the sign marked footpath to Ditchling.

If you take a right at the crossroads, by the Bull Inn, and go up the High Street, Church Lane on the left will take you to the village green, which is the site of Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft. Ditchling has long been associated with the art and crafts movement. This started in the early 20th century when Eric Gill founded an artistic guild here, which attracted other artists such as Hilary Pepler, Edward Johnston and Frank Brangwen (see the panel on walk 11 – another walk that goes here – for more about the Ditchling artists). Other famous previous residents include Dame Vera Lynn, who lived in the village from the early 1960s until her death in 2020. The green itself is a beautiful spot to take a break.

Alternate Routes

The shorter route (9 miles/4 1/2-5 hours, view map) goes to Stanmer rather than Ditchling. It's a good one to do if you're heading to Brighton (or Brighton football stadium) or if you don't have enough time for the longer routes. Instead of taking the gate on the South Downs Way which leads to the path to Plumpton, carry on along the track (or, if you want to visit the Half Moon, go through the gate and then return to the ridge as above). After about 3/4 mile, take the gate on the left and follow the path that runs parallel to a driveway to a farm. In about 400m, bear right and take the wooden steps on your right, turn left and go over the stile (if you carry straight on, the path becomes Ridge Road, an old trackway that emerges at Falmer). Go straight ahead until the fence on your right ends, then head diagonally across the field until you reach a stile. Cross over this and then go through the gate ahead.

There are longer and shorter routes which offer alternatives to the one detailed above. For the longer option (13 miles in total, 7 hours - view map), you carry on along the Downs ridge to Clayton windmills and descend to DItchling from there. Follow the route on this page but rather than going through the gate on the South Downs Way which leads to the path to Plumpton, continue straight ahead and follow the second half of walk 11. (If you don't mind the climb back up, you can still visit the Half Moon pub – an extra 3/4 mile. To return to the ridge, walk up Plumpton Bostal all the way to the top).

The path runs down to Moon's Bottom. When you reach the bottom of the valley, take the gate into the field with trees on your right, then go through the gate on the right into the woods. The avenue of trees leads to a confluence of paths. Take the chalky track ahead that descends down past a shaw called Granny's Belt. This track will take you to Stanmer. You'll pass a cafe and some toilets and, shortly beyond this, the village church, which is next to a pond. Just beyond the church is a junction of lanes where there is a wooden signpost. If you carry on straight ahead, you will reach One Garden, the original walled garden for Stanmer House. As well as the garden, it houses a restaurant and a market selling local produce.

Return to the junction and turn right, passing Stanmer House itself, a Grade I listed Georgian mansion, which has a garden cafe and bar. Just past the house, take the pathway on the right that runs parallel to the road. Where the path finishes. just before the park lodge gates, cut through by the car park on the left emerging through a gate onto a road. From here, turn left past the 60s modernist buildings of Sussex University. You will soon come to a pedestrian subway on your right that goes under the road and leads to the football stadium and Falmer station, which has frequent trains to Brighton and Lewes (alternatively, carry on straight ahead following the paths that run along the front of the campus and up some steps until you reach The Swan at Falmer village).

Lewes is famous for its wild bonfire celebrations held on November 5, a date that marks an attempt to destroy parliament – but ironically the battle that was fought on the hill outside the town played a key role in parliament's formation. On that day, too (14 May, 1264), the town was a ferment of smoke and fire, as it was set ablaze by Simon de Montfort's victorious barons. The barons had rebelled against King Henry III due to his refusal to engage them in government. Both sides raised an army. The King’s infantry encamped at St Pancras Priory (see walk 23), while his son, Prince Edward (later Edward I), commanded the cavalry at Lewes castle. De Montfort’s forces, wearing emblems of white crosses, marched overnight to Offham Hill, where they clashed with Edward, whose pursual of some of the knights left the King exposed. Even though the royalist forces outnumbered the barons by two to one, hundreds were slaughtered on the hillside, while others retreated to the town, now in flames. One of the King’s men hid in a windmill but was spotted by the rebels who taunted him with ‘Come down, come down, thou wicked miller'. King Henry and Prince Edward were captured.

Following the battle, the King was forced to cede his powers to De Montfort, making him the 'uncrowned King of England'. But De Montfort’s reign over a country now in a state of lawless disorder only lasted just over a year – he was killed and his body dismembered at the Battle of Evesham by an army raised by Edward (who had escaped). During his brief tenure, De Montfort held two parliaments, consisting of men elected or chosen by different areas of England. Edward adopted many of the ideas, issuing orders for the election of two representatives from each county and city. The Battle of Lewes can therefore be considered a significant event in the history of democracy, its main legacy being our present-day form of government. KB

Full-day country walks in SE England and beyond

Lewes to Hassocks

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Full-day country walks in
SE England and beyond