Robust Rambles

Section 21

Hassocks to Sayers Common

Walk Details

Walk Instructions

GREATSTONE TO GILLINGHAM ROBUST RAMBLE

Section 21  Out

Hassocks to Sayers Common

Map: Explorer 122 Brighton & Lewes

Distance/Time: 4.5 miles/ 2.5 hours

Start: The Friars Oak pub on the A273 on the north side of Hassocks; the Hassocks Golf Club is opposite.

Comment: An excellent walk in fine countryside currently much of it pasture and hay meadow. The outset is across a golf course but contrary to common practice, the path is segregated from the fairways and easy to follow. A long section skirts Hurstpierpoint but this is a delightful village and its rural edges pleasant walking. A section alongside the A23, but high above and well shielded, may be very overgrown. There are stiles.

With the Friars Oak behind, turn left down the main road a few paces (best to use the crossing a little way down). Cross the road and go up the entrance drive to Hassocks Golf Club. At the wall of the first building, go left through a gap in a wooden fence and head straight across the grass to a gap at the far side where a high hedge meets a line of trees.

Go through and on past greens on your left and trees on your right. The path is easy to follow. Eventually exit the golf course through a gap onto an enclosed path between fences (ignore a path off left).

The path soon becomes a tarmac vehicle drive with a brick wall on your left. Keep on this for some way (ignore a path off right). Where the drive swings left, by a house, turn right off it past a wooden fieldgate onto an earthen footpath. At the end reach a private road. Go forward on this to a junction with a main road in Hurst Wickham.

Cross the road and continue forward on an enclosed path. Eventually the path emerges onto a road with a house on the left. Go forward on this road. It soon swings left (by a church into house conversion) and continues down to a junction with a main road.

Turn right along the road for 10 metres, then turn left and cross the road to steps up to a gloomy enclosed path. At the end, cross a stile and drop down to cross another. Go forward on a drive and pass a house called The Granary.

Immediately past this, turn sharp right through a squeeze stile onto a path enclosed between a fence and hedge. Keep on along the foot of houses passing a path off left halfway. Emerge on to a road.

Turn right for 30 metres then left up an asphalt path across a recreation ground in Hurstpierpoint village. Keep going in this direction for over a mile. At the end of the grass go through ‘tank trap’ bollards to cross a drive and continue on an enclosed gravel path by a brick wall.

Meet and continue down a gravel road. At a corner by the Parish Rooms, bear left down a path enclosed between a wall and a fence. Then continue on the grassy path by a flint wall. At a main road, cross, and continue on along a bridleway.

At a junction of paths go straight ahead through a metal kissing gate and continue with power lines on your left and a hedge on your right. Follow the power lines and hedge through three metal kissing gates to reach a farm drive.

Turn right a few paces, then turn left up a bank to another metal kissing gate. Go forward on a gravel farm track still by power lines and between fences. Where the main track swings right, go straight ahead through a gateway and continue towards the noise of a main road. Keep forward when the track becomes a narrow path and reaches a stile at the side of the A23 dual carriageway.

Cross and go up a narrow, overgrown path with the road down on your left. After some way cross a stile onto a road.

Turn right along the pavement. Reach a concrete farm drive on your left and turn down it. Just before farm buildings, bear right on a vehicle track which skirts the farm. On reaching a house at the top, stay on the track as it bears left and drops down past the end of barns on your left.

Wind down then up to eventually reach a bridge over the A23. Ignore a path off right. Cross the bridge and immediately turn right over a stile and down steps to a further stile onto a narrow path in bushes with the road over on your right.

Follow this winding path for some way crossing a stile and footbridge on the way. Eventually the path turns away from the road. Follow it between hedges. In about 50 metres look for a stile hidden in a gap in the hedge on your right (there is a new gate just beyond it).

Cross the stile and go forward up an enclosed, but quite wide, grassy path ahead. At the end, cross a stile and go on along the bottom edge of a large pasture. At the far end cross a footbridge and stile in the corner out to a concrete farm track.

Turn left to a main road, then right, to soon reach the Duke of York pub and the end of the section in Sayers Common.

GREATSTONE TO GILLINGHAM ROBUST RAMBLE

Section 21  Return

Sayers Common to Hassocks

Map: Explorer 122 Brighton & Lewes

Distance/Time: 4.5 miles/ 2.5 hours

Start: The Duke of York pub on the B2118 in Sayers Common; some on road parking possible.

Comment: A delightful walk in quiet countryside with many hay meadows full of wild flowers. Basically, easy walking with many of the stiles being generous squeeze stiles put in by a local volunteer group. The first path has been cut off by the A23 so there is a diversion up to a road bridge.

With Duke of York behind, turn right to pass the car park then a roundabout. A short distance on, turn right down Berrylands Farm road. Follow the road for 75 metres, then just before a turning called The Chestnuts on your right, turn left up a path enclosed between fences.

Soon reach a playing field. Bear right along the edge. At the corner ahead keep forward on a grassy way. Soon emerge into a car park. The path should go over a stile straight ahead to a flat crossing of the A23; this is impossible. So turn left up the car park and enter an enclosed path at the top through trees.

Stay on this past the playing field on your left and then on over a footbridge. Keep on this path to exit onto a close called The Acorns. Go down this road and follow it to the right and up to a T-junction by a red post box. Turn right here and soon reach another T-junction with a main road.

Turn right again and at a roundabout turn right to cross a bridge over the A23 dual carriageway. Immediately across the bridge turn right down steps to a stile. Cross into a field and bear right along the edge with the A23 over on your right.

At a corner turn left along a wire fence. This soon ends but keep on across the field to a lone tree. Here turn right and drop down to a footbridge and stile in the bottom hedge.

Over these, turn left up the side of the field for 10 metres then turn right across the field towards a telegraph pole. Pass the pole to reach a farm track. Cross this and keep on in the same direction as before.

Leave the field through a gap by a corner of woods and bear left across the centre of the next field aiming lust left of a telegraph pole. At the far side bear left down a broad grassy way to a stile to a road.

Turn right on the road. In a short distance, just past the first house on your left, turn immediately left down a path enclosed between fence and hedge. Cross a stile(broken) into a field, and continue down the edge. Go through a metal fieldgate at the bottom and continue down the centre of the field ahead.

At the bottom, cross a footbridge, to meet a track. Cross this to enter woodland on a narrow, feint path. Cross an open space and keep on again on the narrow path to emerge at a squeeze stile. Cross this into a field.

Ignore a path off left and bear diagonally right down the field to the hedge at the bottom. Turn left along it to reach a squeeze stile and exit onto a road. Cross to another squeeze stile opposite and continue along the field edge with a hedge on your right.

Cross a squeeze stile half way. At a corner of the hedge turn sharp right down to a final squeeze stile onto a road. Turn left. In 50 metres turn right over a stile by a metal fieldgate. Go along the edge of a pasture with trees and a fence on your left.

Just before a metal fieldgate, bear left to a squeeze stile and continue on a narrow shady path between fence and trees. Emerge onto a playing field and keep forward to the corner ahead. Here turn right still down the edge of the field with a hedge on your left.

In 50 metres the hedge swings left to a gap. Go through and turn right to continue down a field with the hedge now on your right. Emerge onto a road by Hurstpierpoint College. Turn left along road to reach a T-junction.

Turn right for 20 metres, then left off the road up a gravel bridleway. Pass another playing field on your left. Ignore a path off left and continue along a field edge with a hedge on your left. In 150 metres, just before a large tree in the hedge, turn right off the bridleway, down and across a field with the South Downs looming in the distance.

At the bottom cross a stile by a metal fieldgate and bear left across the corner of a field to a stile in the hedge by a cattle trough. Over this continue in the same diagonal direction across the centre of the next field.

At the far side cross a footbridge and stile and continue forward. Cross a footbridge in a hedge and continue in the same direction. Finally cross a stile onto a bridleway. Cross this and continue forward on an enclosed path between hedges.

This soon reveals itself as crossing a golf course. At the far side meet and unmade road and continue down to a main road. Turn right for 150 metres to reach the Friar Oak pub and the start of the section.