Robust Rambles

Section 25 Return

Oakwoodhill to The Royal Oak(Rusper)

Walk Details

Walk Instructions

With the Punchbowl Inn behind, turn left back down the road to the junction. Bear right down the side road. Ignore a path going off at Ruckman’s Lane and keep on along the road. Pass the amazing old farmhouse at Boswell’s Farm sadly propped up by rusting scaffolding.

Immediately past the farm site turn right off the road on a bridleway. Continue down through woods on an attractive path. Eventually emerge at the far side of the wood through a wooden swing gate onto a gravel farm track. Turn left over a ditch and go through a wooden swing gate onto a narrow enclosed path between a fence and the wood on the left. Follow this out to the busy A29 road.

Cross with care and go forward on a concrete drive to Denne Farm. Weave through the buildings across the farmyard. At the far side, as the track leaves the farm site, bear right into a field and continue diagonally right up the centre of a field, by a power line pole to trees at the top.

At the top bear right into the top corner of the adjoining field then left. Follow bushes on the left surrounding a pond. Go right the way round to the far side and continue along the top edge of the field with the line of bushes and trees on the left. Pass under power lines, ignoring a path off right, and keep along by the trees until they end.

Keep forward across a rough field, ignoring a rather confusing parallel bridleway on the left, to the left hand end of a hedge ahead. On the corner bear right through the bushes to the corner of a field. Turn left along the top edge of the field with woods on the left. At the end of the field turn right down the side. At a gap in the hedge on the left, turn left into the next field.

Again follow its top edge with woods on the left. At the end reach a junction of paths. Turn left to immediately reach a second junction. Ignore a bridleway on the left and go straight up into a field. Go forward following a treeline on the right. Enter a second, much larger field, and keep on downhill still along the edge.

At the bottom exit through scrub into yet another large field and bear right along the edge with woods on the right. At the bottom, dive into woods at the steep sided Tickfold Gill. Do not go down but turn right along the higher ground a short way before turning left steeply down to a footbridge, then steeply up the other side.

At the top cross a footbridge and stile and go forward on an excellent path through a belt of trees. Cross a further stile and keep on through trees. Cross a corner of a field and drop down to a footbridge then up to a stile and on through trees again. Cross yet another stile and footbridge and climb up to a concrete track.

Turn right on this past Oakdale Farm. Ignore side turnings and keep on uphill on the concrete track. Opposite a house at the top go right over a footbridge and stile into a field. Go left around a large oak tree, then diagonally right across the centre of a field, parallel to power lines on the left, to the far opposite corner.

In the corner go through a gap into the field beyond and follow the fence on the left. Just before a group of trees jutting out into the field, turn left over a stile and footbridge and further stile into a field. Go straight across the field to another set of stile, footbridge and stile.

Over these emerge into a corner of a field with many farm vehicles. Go straight ahead along the top of the field with a fence on the left. At the end of the field go through a metal fieldgate into the next field with caravans at the far side. Immediately turn right down the field to a stile into woods at the bottom.

Enter the woods and go down then up to a metal fieldgate and stile into a field. Turn left down the field edge. At the end of the field turn right up the side with a hedge on the left, towards Tickfold Farm. On reaching the farm site the path is diverted. Turn left over a new footbridge then immediately right. Pass farm buildings to a further footbridge onto a drive. Turn left along the drive to emerge onto a road by the Wise Old Owl pub in Kingsfold village.

Turn left with care along the busy A24 road and cross to the other side. In a short distance turn right off the road on a grassy path between fences. At the bottom bear left then right on a short road. At the end turn right up a passageway at the side of the last house. At a wooden gate turn left down through bushes to a field.

Here is a Y-fork of paths. Bear right across the field to a gateway. Do not go through the gate but continue down the field edge with a hedge on the right. Leave the field through a patch of scrub and cross a stile into a field. Go on down the edge with a hedge and trees on the right, to a railway below.

Over the railway go straight down the field parallel with the hedge on the right. Aim just left of the very bottom corner and enter woods over a broken stile. Cross a footbridge and go on up a narrow footpath enclosed between fences.

Cross a stile at the end into a field and immediately turn right to a second stile. Cross into a paddock and go up by a fence on the right. At the top cross a stile onto a drive. Turn left up the drive to a road at the top. Turn left along the road for 50 metres.

Look for a new stile in the hedge on the right. Cross into a field and go up by the fence on the right to a further stile. Cross into a pasture and go on up by the fence again. Halfway along turn left and go diagonally right across and down this large field to the very far opposite corner, just right of a wooden power lines pole.

Cross a stile and footbridge in the hedge to a field beyond, and bear left up it. At the top cross a footbridge and stile into a wood and drop down to another footbridge. Continue up to a stile into a field. Go straight across the field to a broken stile at the far side. Cross this and bear left across a rough pasture passing isolated trees on the left to reach a stile into woods at the far side.

Ignore all other paths and cross the stile into the wood and go straight ahead and down to a footbridge. Go steeply up to a stile into a field. Go straight ahead up the field then down to power lines and on to trees at the very bottom of the field.

Here turn left along to a wooden swing gate into a wood. Cross the wood to another gate at the far side and exit onto an enclosed path. This leads all the way to a garden. Go through the garden upto a road.

This is Friday Street. Turn right to the site of the closed Royal Oak pub and the start of the section.