Robust Rambles

Section 9

Johns Cross to Netherfield

Walk Details

Walk Instructions

GREATSTONE TO GILLINGHAM ROBUST RAMBLE

Section 9  Out

Johns Cross to Netherfield

Map: OS Explorer 124 Hastings & Bexhill

Distance/Time: 6 miles/3 hours

Start: From the site of the John’s Cross Inn, which was just south of the exit onto the main A21 road of the footpath at the end of the previous section, look across the road to locate a lane marked ‘ NoThrough Road’. Parking is not easy but there is a layby on the main road.

Comment: This is a tough section with views and interesting contrasts of terrain. However, several paths through the woods by the Darwell Reservoir are difficult to find, many stiles are broken and there are even some locked gates to climb. In wet conditions the paths become very muddy and the going slow. An adventure in good weather but rather long for short winter days.

From the site of the old John’s Cross Inn, cross the main road, with care, and go up the lane opposite (marked ‘no through road’). Continue through a gateway onto a private road, and continue along this drive for ¼ mile.

Go through a brick gateway and continue. At a second brick gateway, bear left through a wooden fieldgate and on down the lower drive. At a T-junction bear right a few paces, then left over a broken stile into a field corner.

Bear diagonally right, across and down, towards three conifer trees. On reaching a wire fence, turn left along with the fence on your right to a metal fieldgate.

The metal gate is locked. So climb across and go downhill on a grassy path with a fence on your left. Follow a leafy path down to a railway bridge. Cross and go straight on up a field to a broken stile by a metal fieldgate onto a road.

Turn right for 100 metres. Immediately past Castle Farm Cottages, turn left up a gravel track, to an old wooden fieldgate. Cross a broken stile and go towards a wooden pole. Pass under wires and continue downhill on a grassy track between trees.

The path bends left, then reaches a Y-fork. Go right on the narrower path down to a footbridge and stile. Continue up a field edge with a fence on your left to a stile at the top.

Cross and go forward to metal fieldgates and out to a drive. Turn left a few paces, then right at a wooden fieldgate onto a leafy path down through trees.

At the bottom, cross a broken stile and broken footbridge, to continue up the side of the field, with a deep gully on your left. At the top go through a gap into a rising field.

Bear diagonally right (aim left of the farmhouse ahead to oak trees on the highest point). By the trees is a wooden fieldgate. Pass it and turn sharp left, diagonally across, to a wooden fieldgate at the far side.

Pass the gate, and continue to a pond and trees by an old stile. Turn left on a muddy forestry track. The track soon bears right downhill to a gravel drive. Turn left along it.

Follow this track for 200 metres to the top of a rise where the track ends at a field entrance and sleeper bridge. Do not enter the field ahead. Turn left along the field edge with a ditch on your right. Soon pass through a gap into a rough open area sloping down.

The route actually bears slightly left here, across and down to a stile entering the Darwell Reservoir area (alternatively go on down the edge of the area, making sure not enter trees or scrub on your right; on reaching a concealed pond on your right, turn left across to the stile).

Follow a narrow path, very overgrown and muddy. Reach and cross a sunken track, and continue through woods. Walk carefully on a feint and twisty path; there are strips of yellow tape on branches. Cross another sunken track and head steeply downhill.

Cross a footbridge at the bottom, and bear slightly left and steeply uphill. Over the top drop steeply down to cross a stream and continue uphill on a sunken track. Follow this for 1 mile. At a Y-fork, bear right, on a flatter track.

Keep on, to reach a concrete bridge over a conveyor belt. Cross the bridge.

Continue forward, directly away from the conveyor, on a bridleway up a muddy slope (there are several tracks but they all come together at the top). Keep on, steadily uphill, through woods.

Finally reach a T-junction with a forestry track on a U-bend. Bear slightly right to go ahead on the lower arm for ¼ mile.

At a T-junction with another forestry track, turn right and keep on this, ignoring a side track, to a car park at the far end. Go through to road. Turn left down it to a crossroads.

Go over and down the road opposite for ½ mile. After Little Spray’s Farm, turn left over a stile by a wooden 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 up to a junction of tracks and fields.

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 the end of the section.

GREATSTONE TO GILLINGHAM ROBUST RAMBLE

Section 9  Return

Netherfield to John’s Cross

Map: OS Explorer 124 Hastings & Bexhill

Distance/Time: 4 miles/2 hours

Start: The White Hart pub in Netherfield; parking at the pub or on-road

Comment: Again, a walk of interest and contrast but some sections of the route are obscure and poorly waymarked so attention to instructions and map position is vital. Take care crossing the mineral railway line, it is not a sleepy branchline. Enclosed may paths become overgrown in summer and muddy in winter.

With the White Hart pub on your right, walk on along the main road. At a Y-fork, bear left, keeping on along the top road. Continue past the village shop over on your left and then the Netherfield Arms bar and restaurant. Pass the village hall on your left.

A little further on, having passed the last house on your left and just before the road bends sharp left in woods, turn right down a slope to a broken stile into a field. Two footpaths start from here. Turn sharp left along the field edge with woods on your left.

Reach a stile and cross to drop down to a lane. Turn left a few paces then right, up a bank, to continue along the edge of the wood on a pleasant path.

Emerge at a road junction. Cross to go down the narrow road opposite signed to Mountfield. At a junction, by a house called The Shooting Box, turn right for 200 metres, passing the Old Rectory.

Look for steps up the bank on the left to a stile. Go forward along the top edge of the field with a hedge on your left. The path has been diverted. On reaching a wooden fieldgate on your left, turn left across a stile.

In a few paces turn right over a stile by another wooden fieldgate and go along the edge of the field with a fence on your right at the back of houses. Keep on to the far end of the field (ignore several gates in the fence, and a stile by a wooden fieldgate in the far corner).

Cross and continue by the edge of the wood to a stile and metal fieldgate, passing a lake over on your right. Enter the wood and keep forward on the main track for ½ mile, ignoring side tracks. Stick to the well used path and head towards road noise !

Pass a large lake way over on your right, and reach a metal fieldgate by a wooden pylon. Bear left over a footbridge and climb up to a road (this is an access road to the gypsum mine served by the conveyor belt crossed on the outward section).

Turn left along the road for 10 metres, then right, off the road, to cross a well used railway line (stop, look and listen carefully). Go up the bank ahead to a narrow, enclosed footpath between fences.

Cross a drive at the top, bearing slightly right, to another drive opposite. In a few paces, by white painted concrete tank traps, turn left (ignore a footpath straight ahead by gates). Go past a parking area with a wire fence on your right, into a narrow enclosed footpath. Soon cross a bridge over a main railway line.

Reach a stile and cross into a field. Bear left up the side, just left of a church at the top. At the top corner, turn right and follow the top edge of the field, past the church on your left (worth a visit) and on to a corner.

Cross through a gap into the field ahead and keep on by the hedge on your left. At the end of the field, go through a gap. Turn right a few paces into a lower field, then left to go along, with a hedge on your left, towards a wood.

Reach the wood and go forward on a narrow path through the trees. At the far side of the wood, go straight across the field, aiming at the righthand end of a line of houses. At the other side of the field reach and cross a footbridge and stile.

In the field ahead, bear diagonally right, towards an old cottage. Cross a stile onto a road. Turn left up this road for ¼ mile.

At a T-junction, go straight over to a stile by a gate(currently very muddy), and go up the field edge with a fence on your left.

At the top continue into the next field and keep up this, by the hedge on your left, for a ¼ mile to a metal fieldgate. Keep on, still with the hedge and trees on your left. At the very top turn left, by a metal fieldgate, onto a drive.

Turn right on the drive and follow it all the way back to a main road in John’s Cross and the start of the section.