Robust Rambles

Section 20 Return

Ardingly to Horsted Keynes

Walk Details

Walk Instructions

With the Ardingly Inn on the right walk down the road to reach College Road. Cross this and go up to reach a main road. Turn right down this a short distance. Just past Ardings Close on the left turn right off the road down an asphalt drive. Bear right at the end then left down a narrow footpath enclosed between fence and trees (this is part of the High Weald Landscape Trail.

Soon cross a stile into a field. Go on down with a hedge on the left to reach a much chewed stile into the next field. Go on down the centre of this field. Cross a concrete track midfield and go on down to a gateway and stile. Keep on downhill again crossing a field to reach a metal fieldgate and stile at the bottom. Go on down again with a hedge on the left. Soon reach a corner of woods. Here go left over a stile by a metal fieldgate.

Keep along field edge with a wood on the right. Cross a stile and footbridge in the corner and keep on, winding through woods for some way. Cross a footbridge halfway. On crossing a second footbridge, climb a bank and emerge into a field. Bear left uphill along the field edge and in the far corner by the end of a hedge, go forward on an enclosed path. Soon pass buildings and reach a concrete drive. Go forward on this and follow the drive all the way out to a road.

Cross the road and continue in the same direction, passing a cottage on the left and a depot. Join a gravel track through trees. Continue on this for some way ignoring all side turnings, to eventually reach a stile at the far side. Cross and continue along top edge of a field with hedge and trees on the right.

At the far corner bear right through a gap into the adjoining field, then continue in same direction with hedge on the left to the next corner and another gap into the field on the left. Go on down with a hedge on the right to a stile by a metal fieldgate. Cross and bear diagonally left across the field ahead and down to a rusty fieldgate.

Go through this and on over a boggy patch to a footbridge concealed in trees ahead. Cross and turn immediately left along to a swing gate. Go on uphill to a metal fieldgate and stile. Cross and turn right along the field edge with a hedge on the right. Pass Nobles Farm. As the path begins to descend quite steeply, look out for a stile in the hedge on the right. Cross and turn left on a gravel track.

Soon begin to climb again. At the top meet a railway. Ignore the brick bridge on the left and keep on the track as it turns to run alongside the railway, then drops down to a road. Turn left on the road with care, under a railway bridge. Soon look for a path going off right into woods. At the top of the woods cross a stile into a field, and keep on uphill with an electric fence on the right to reach a metal swing gate at the top.

Go through and straight on over concrete railway sleepers alongside a horse ride. At the far end go through another new metal swing gate to join a farm track. Go forward on this, soon quite steeply uphill. At the top of the rise, with farm buildings ahead, bear diagonally left across to a corner with a large tree.

Cross a stile here into a field and turn right along the field edge with a hedge on the right. At a corner bear left and keep on along the edge.

Just before a bungalow, turn right through a wooden kissing gate to reach a road. Turn left along the road. Keep on to reach a Y-fork. Bear right here then soon sharp right down a sideroad called Hamsland. Keep on along to the end. Here go through a wooden barrier to continue forward up a gravel track.

On reaching a crossing of tracks, turn left up a rough vehicle track. Just before a house on the right, turn right through a gap in the hedge into a playing field. Bear left across the corner to go down the side of a building and emerge into the centre of Horsted Keynes by the old Crown Inn and the village shop opposite and the start of the section.