Section 12
Three Oaks to Westfield
Walk Details
Walk Instructions
FOLKESTONE TO FARNHAM ROBUST RAMBLE
Section 12 Out
Three Oaks to Westfield
Map: OS Explorer 124 Hastings and Bexhill
Distance/Time: 3 miles/ 1 ½ hours
Start: The walk starts from the Three Oaks pub in Three Oaks, there is parking here, but as usual, ask permission and make use of the facilities after the walk.
Comments: This is a short section since in wet weather or winter months the paths and fields will be very muddy and slow going. Wellington Boots and walking poles are strongly recommended. As well as mud, some of the valleys are very marshy, so extra care is needed. This is quiet and isolated countryside with woodland and large arable fields. All stiles have been replaced by metal swing gates.
From the Three Oaks pub, go down the narrow road at the side called Maxfield Lane. Immediately past the car park, go right through a metal kissing gate. Cross to a wooden kissing gate by a fieldgate, and enter a pasture. Go across the top of this field towards a distant house roof, passing a wooden pole.
Near the top of the field where it narrows, by a corner of fencing and a holly tree, turn left on a cross path (a 1066 walk). Turn downhill to leave the field through a gateway, and go on, down another pasture, to a gateway at the far side under power lines.
In the next pasture go uphill, under the power lines. At the far side bear left through the hedge (ignore a path off right). Cross yet another pasture to a metal kissing gate. Continue across the next field to further metal kissing gate in trees, leading to a railway bridge.
Cross this bridge and go forward on a pleasant, but possibly muddy, enclosed path to reach a metal swing gate by a fieldgate.
Through this bear left (leaving the 1066 walk), and go diagonally left across and down the pasture to a wooden gate at the far side of the field. Go through and on down a wide grassy path between lakes. There may be mud and standing water in the middle.
At the end meet a gravel drive and turn left a few paces then immediately right over a ditch to meet a concrete drive. Cross this, bearing slightly left, to an enclosed path going up through trees with a ditch on your left and a field on the right.
Near the top of the slope the path ends. Turn right, into the field, then diagonally left across the top of the field to the far opposite corner, by a wooden pole. Leave the field through a gap in the corner. Immediately turn left on a feint path dropping down through trees. Emerge into a field and turn right down the edge.
Keep down to the bottom corner of the field. Exit through a gap and go on down a broad space between two woods, following the power lines. Reach a metal swing gate at the very bottom. Enter a very marshy area and bear left across to another metal swing gate and a footbridge beyond, into a large upward sloping field.
Follow a feint tractor track uphill and slightly left towards a clump of trees sheltering a pond, with power lines beyond. Keep to the right of the trees, but continue bearing slightly left up to the top of the rise, to pass a pylon on your left.
Once under the power lines, look for a very feint and narrow path off on the right (if you miss it keep going for some way until another path goes off right). Go along this narrow path, soon downhill, towards a distant works in the foot of the valley. Halfway down the slope, look left, to find a footbridge in the hedge at the far side of the field. Turn across to this footbridge.
Cross the footbridge and go straight up the field ahead, under cables, to an old gateway at the top. Go through to meet a driveway going around a paddock. Go forward on this drive with a hedge on your right to eventually emerge onto a road.
Turn left along the road a short way, sadly, past the now closed ‘The Plough’ pub. Turn immediately right down the side of the pub, along a narrow road. Soon reach a T-junction. Turn right here a few paces, then left through a metal squeeze stile into an enclosed path. Go up through trees to emerge into a field. Go on up the side of the field with a hedge and new houses on your right. At the top of the field continue to follow the hedge around to the left and eventually emerge onto a main road.
Turn right on the road and follow it into Westfield village. Pass the church and continue along to eventually reach the New Inn (there are shops beyond) and the end of the section.
FOLKESTONE TO FARNHAM ROBUST RAMBLE
Section 12 Return
Westfield to Three Oaks
Map: OS Explorer 124 Hastings and Bexhill
Distance/Time: 4 miles/ 2 hours
Start: The walk starts from the New Inn in Westfield, there is no parking here, but on-street parking is possible off Moor Lane opposite.
Comments: This is a return along a 1066 walk route, so waymarking is evident, but also mud. All stiles have been replaced by metal swing gates.
From the New Inn, cross the main road and go down the road opposite, called Moor Lane. Keep on down to a road junction with a sign to Brede. Here turn left across to a rough drive called Fishponds Lane.
Go up the lane. Near the end, pass a bungalow on your right and reach a metal barn. Bear left to a metal swing gate and go through to an enclosed path. Go up with a hedge on your right (can be extremely muddy). At the top reach a metal kissing gate and enter a pasture. Go straight on across the field parallel with the hedge on the left to a metal kissing gate into a wood.
Follow an obvious path through the wood and on up to a gravel road.
Do not cross to the path opposite, but turn right on the road for a few paces. As the road begins to swing right, turn left, into an enclosed path, going up between a fence on the left and trees. This is a 1066 walk. At the top reach a metal kissing gate by a metal fieldgate and go onto a road.
Cross, bearing right, to a wooden swing gate into an enclosed path, in the angle between farm drives. Follow a pleasant path between young trees. At the end go through a metal gate into a paddock with houses at the far side. Drop down, diagonally right, to a further metal swing gate in the far opposite corner.
Go through into an enclosed path, passing a house on your left. Soon emerge onto the top of a sloping field. Turn left down the field edge with a hedge on your left. At the bottom corner go through a gateway into the next field.
Now bear diagonally right up a sloping field towards woods. Reach a hedge and go through a metal swing gate, into the field beyond. Continue up this field, heading left of a house at the top and the end of a wood.
Leave the field through a gap out onto a gravel drive. Turn right along the drive and soon pass a house on your left. Stay on the drive as it bears right (ignore a footpath off left here) down towards a white weatherboarded house with oast attached. Pass another house and pond on your left. Just before the white boarded house, turn left through a metal swing gate into a pasture. Go diagonally right up the pasture, passing a house on your right, to reach a metal swing gate into a very large field.
Bear slightly right across the top of this field. Do not drop down left but keep across aiming to the right side of a copse of trees sheltering a pond. Find and go through a metal kissing gate and go on down a sloping field to a footbridge in the hedge at the bottom.
Do not cross but turn right along the field edge with a stream on your left. Keep on for some way. Eventually reach and cross a footbridge on your left. Go on up a path between wire fences.
Reach and go through a metal swing gate and walk forward to a second one going into the field ahead. Keep on along the edge of this field with a fence and hedge on your right.
At the far end approach a barn conversion. Just before the end of the field turn right through a metal swing gate and over a footbridge into a garden with oasts ahead. Turn left across the bottom of the garden past a pond to emerge onto a gravel drive.
Turn right on the drive (leaving the 1066 walk) and walk along past the impressive timberframed Great Maxfield house and the oast houses. The drive becomes a concrete track and passes a lake on your left.
Soon reach a parking area just before the concrete track starts to climb steeply and turn right. Here a footpath crosses (used on the outward route). Turn left off the concrete track over a ditch and immediately meet a gravel drive. Turn right on this drive (no waymarks) and follow it for some way.
Pass a lake on your left, then follow the track as it swings left then right (ignore a path off left to a footbridge here). Pass a lake on your right and continue with woods on your left to eventually exit onto a road.
Turn left on the road for some way, uphill over the railway past Three Oaks station and on a little further to the Three Oaks pub and the start of the section.
