Robust Rambles

Section 10

Netherfield to Catsfield

Walk Details

Walk Instructions

GREATSTONE TO GILLINGHAM ROBUST RAMBLE

Section 10 Out

Netherfield to Catsfield

Map: OS Explorer 124 Hastings & Bexhill

Distance/Time: 5 miles/2.5 hours

Start: The White Hart, Netherfield, will allow parking to prospective customers; possible on road parking near the village shop

Comment: Unfortunately there are no link paths in the middle of this section so there is some necessary road walking on very busy roads. Please take special care, walk in single file and use the verges wherever possible. A Hi-viz waistcoat is recommended. There is very little waymarking in this area so follow the instructions carefully and keep a close check on your location as you go.

With the White Hart on your right, go forward along the road. At the road junction go straight on, soon passing the village shop on your left and then the Netherfield Arms pub and restaurant. Continue out of the village passing the village hall and eventually leave all the houses behind.

Where the road begins to swing left at the start of a wood, turn right down to a broken stile into a field. Ignore a path off sharp left along the edge of the wood. Instead bear diagonally left down and across the centre of the field to a metal fieldgate in the far opposite bottom corner.

Go through onto a lane and turn right. Reach and pass farm buildings on your left. Pass an impressive gatehouse on your right and soon reach the entrance to a farmhouse. Here bear left over the grass and turn left down the top end of farm buildings to a stile by a metal fieldgate.

Go through and soon reach a second stile and fieldgate. Over this continue down the field edge with trees and hedge on your right. Keep on down to a fence line ahead by double wooden poles. There are metal gates but no stile. In the next field turn diagonally left across the centre of the field, down to a wooden fieldgate near the bottom corner into woods.

Cross a stream by a pond to a metal fieldgate. Go through into a rough field. Turn right down the field edge, it’s rough and boggy, with woods on your right. At the bottom end, just left of the corner, cross a footbridge into woods. Go up to a crossing of tracks.

Turn right on a track which soon crosses a brick bridge. In 20 metres turn left, off the main track, onto a side track and follow this more gently uphill. In 200 metres the track swings sharp right. Here go straight ahead on a feint grass track. This soon broadens and is easily followed up to a road.

Turn left on the road with care. It appears that local people may walk along the edge of the forest but it is rough going and private property. Eventually pass a stone house and reach a busy road junction. Turn right and walk the verge, soon passing the Squirrel Inn. Cross to go on along the verge the same side as the inn. Eventually reach the B2604 road turning down left to Catsfield.

The road is wide and there are narrow verges which are walkable. Take great care. The OS Explorer map shows a track in the wood on your left running down parallel to the road, although not marked as a Public Right of Way.

Walk down the road for ½ mile. Half way pass a side road on your right by a house. Eventually pass a caravan park on your left then come to an entrance on your right into the car park of a fencing company.

Do not go into the car park. Between the car park entrance and the road is a track. Go down this with metal fencing on your right to a stile by a wooden fieldgate. Cross and continue on a narrow path into woods.

At the far side cross a stile into a rough area. Bear slightly right and go forward with stables over on your left (ignore a path off sharply right). On approaching a barn turn right over a small stile into a pasture and walk straight down aiming just left of a pine plantation.

In the bottom corner cross a broken stile onto a sandy drive. Turn left down this with the pines on your right.

Where the pines end, turn left over a stile into a field. Bear diagonally right across to a stile into a playing field. Go straight across the playing field to the vehicle exit onto a main road.

Turn right and walk along the pavement to the White Hart in Catsfield and the end of the section.

GREATSTONE TO GILLINGHAM ROBUST RAMBLE

Section 10  Return

Catsfield to Netherfield

Map: OS Explorer 124 Hastings & Bexhill

Distance/Time: 6 miles/3 hours

Start: The White Hart, Catsfield; down the road opposite, on the left, is the Village Hall car park

COMMENT: Most of this return walk is on the 1066 Country Walk, as no other paths were available. The going is straightforward and there are many waymarks; the middle part of the walk has excellent views. Where this walk leaves the 1066 Country Walk there are few waymarks and careful position checking is needed once again. This area becomes very muddy in winter or wet conditions.

With the White Hart pub on your right, walk towards the village shop. Just before, turn right up a private road. There is 1066 Country Walk waymark. Continue past horse paddocks, then on past a pond on your right, then left through a gateway.

Stay on the main track as it bears right. Ignore a track off right and continue, soon downhill. The route is easy to follow for nearly a mile. Stay with the established main track and ignore tracks off to the side. Pass a deep valley with lakes down on your left.

Eventually reach a point with a farm across the field ahead, here the track swings down to the right. Turn left to a stile by a wooden fieldgate. Cross and turn left on a rough track, soon passing the farm on your right.

The track emerges onto a busy road at Steven’s Crouch. Cross with care and turn left for a few paces. Soon turn right off the road onto a further section of the 1066 Country Walk. Quickly reach a stile and cross into a vast pasture.

Bear diagonally left across and down the field passing two wooden telegraph poles on your left. Pass a hidden pond on your right and go on down to the distant bottom corner (ignore a lower pond way over on your left).

Leave the field and drop steeply down muddy wooden steps. Go up the other side and cross a stile into a large rising pasture.

Bear diagonally left up to a hidden pond on your right. Continue in the same direction to a stile in a fence left of a stand of conifers.

Cross and bear diagonally right across the higher ground then steeply down (avoid the tendency to drift left; there are waymark posts), to a stile in the bottom fence. Go into woods and steeply down to cross a stream then over a stile into a small grassy area. Bear left across to another footbridge. Over this emerge into a rising field.

Go straight up the field. Near the top enter a second field and go on to enter a third. Now aim just right of farm buildings. At the far side go through a wooden kissing gate and bear left along an enclosed path. At the end, turn sharp left, and go down a small grassy area to pass through a wooden kissing gate to emerge onto a road.

Turn left downhill down the road. In 50 metres, just before a brick bridge, turn right on a vehicle track. Follow this for a good distance. Eventually pass a cottage up on the left and reach a junction of tracks. Turn right up a track to a ford (footbridge available on the left) and continue uphill for a good way (possibly muddy).

Pass a farm on your left and go through a wooden fieldgate. Continue uphill for nearly half a mile ignoring a cross track and eventually reach another wooden fieldgate. Go into a wood. At the far side emerge into a field.

Turn immediately right down the field edge. At the corner bear left and keep on along and up the bottom edge of the field. On reaching the end of the wood on your right, turn right through a wide gateway into the adjoining field (there is a white house across the field).

Turn immediately left up the field edge with a hedge on your left. Keep on past a wood at the top and eventually bear right still on the field edge, to a wooden gate out onto a road.

Turn left up the road for 30 metres. Turn right over a stile by a metal fieldgate and go up a wide grassy way (possibly not quite on the route of the OS map). At the top, cross a double stile (part broken) into a field by a pond. Keep on up the field edge with a hedge on your left to a rusty metal fieldgate in the top corner. Go through and continue uphill past an old barn to a junction of tracks and fields with houses in view on your left.

Here turn right through a metal fieldgate and immediately left up the field edge with a fence on your left. Near the top turn left through a metal fieldgate and immediately right over a stile into an enclosed path. At the top cross a broken stile and turn immediately left up the field edge past a house and farm on your left. Stay along the fence and field edge right to the top and a stile.

Cross and turn left a few paces to another stile into a short enclosed path. Emerge onto a farm entrance drive. Turn right up to a main road. Cross and turn right along the verge to soon reach the White Hart at Netherfield and start of the section.