Cuckoo Trail Low Weald Circular - Sustrans

Cycling East Sussex
Cuckoo Trail & Low Weald circular
0 1
2 Miles
A27(T)
0 1 2 3
B2192
Metres
100
80
60
0
20
0
A22 A22
Ripe
MILL LANE
Lamb
Inn
LANGTYE LANE
Selmeston
Berwick
Upper Vert
Wood
Lower Vert
Wood
B2124
Golden Cross
Selmeston
A22
Berwick Berw wic ck
Ve
Alciston iston i
East
Hoathly
Chalvington
Avenue Verte
Yew Tree
Inn
la llaa Tour To TT urr
ddee de Manche
Zoo Zo
LOWER WICK ST
A27(T)
Shortcut
Narrow bridleway
Golden
Cross Inn
Deanland
Wood
Easy To Miss
Right Turn
Kilometres
Polegate Arlington Ripe Horam Hailsham Polegate
A259
B2244
LC
Polegate
enue Av AA Reproduced from Ordnance Survey mapping with the permission of
the controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown Copyright.
Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead
to prosecution or civil proceedings. East Sussex County Council.
Licence no: 100019601, 2008
V rtee
MManncche
BURGH HILL LANE
Six Bells
Horam
Chiddingly
Golden olden Cross Cr CCros
A22 A22
Busy Road
Summersbrook
Wood
Chiddingly
Muddles
Green
Yew Tree
Inn
LANE
SMITHLANDS
Lower Dicker Dickker
k
Arlington
Wilmington
BAYLEY’S
LANE
Arlington
Shortcut
A27(T)
STONEHILL
Upper Dicker
Michelham
Priory
Avenue Verte
Stonehill
Farm
Abbot’s
Wood
Avenue Verte www.sustrans.org.uk
A22
Rough track
CHIDDINGLY LY L LA LANE ANE
A267
Shortcut
Rough ugh track track
A267 A2267
Lower
Horsebridge
HEMPSTEAD LANE
Wilmington
Wood
Polegate
A22
A27(T)
B2104
A267
A22
7
B2203
Hor Ho HHoram
ram
Hellingly
A2270
B2104
Verte Ve
Avenue uue
A271
Cuckoo CC ckooo
TTrail
V r
Cuckoo Trail
A295
B2104
A27(T) A27
2 (T))
Hailsham
The Old Loom
Mill (cafe)
B21044
B2
B
A271
B2247

As an alternative to the roller coaster roads of the
High Weald, try this delightful ride. It follows the
fl atter lanes to the west of the Cuckoo Trail and the
toughest climb is only 55 metres; a small challenge
compared to some of the other rides.
Make your way from Polegate towards Abbot’s
Wood and follow the bridleway on a mixture of
surfaces - at times it is a wonderful smooth, stonebased
track and at others it can be muddy after wet
weather. Before long you are on the lane network
which leads into the village of Arlington.
Shortly after crossing the Cuckmere River, keep
an eye out for the bridleway to the right that takes
you past Arlington Reservoir. Following the road
north of Berwick Station, you soon leave the traffi c
behind as you head west to the villages of Ripe
and Chalvington, taking in fi ne views of the South
Downs. The land is a mixture of lush pasture and
arable fi elds, surrounded by hedgerows and verges
fi lled with wild fl owers. Lovely old houses can be
glimpsed at every turn of the road.
David Young
Abbot’s Wood
David Young David Young
David Young
Arlington Reservoir
Take care crossing the busy A22 and scamper back
onto the network of quiet lanes through Chiddingly
with the impressive Chiddingly Place at the far end
of the hamlet. Another architectural delight awaits
you at Stonehill, at the top of the only noticeable
climb.
A short section on the A267 leads back to Horam.
A gentle descent on the wonderful Cuckoo Trail
south of Horam under a canopy of trees, carpeted
with bluebells and wild garlic in spring, takes you
through Hailsham back to Polegate and the starting
point.
Wildlife Art Trail, Cuckoo Trail Lying to the south
of Hellingly bridge, for a distance of about 1/2 mile,
there are a series of carved oak panels created by
the Bentley Wildlife Carvers depicting animals, birds
and plants found on the Cuckoo Trail at different
times of the year.
Abbot’s Wood A total of 360 acres of mixed
woodland gifted by Henry I to Battle Abbey and
once overseen by the abbot (hence its name).
Ancient ditches and banks can still be seen.
Ian Chamberlain Ian Chamberlain
Nr Golden Cross
Wildlife Art Trail
Arlington Church Dates from Saxon times with
pieces of a Roman building in the walls. Excavated
items are on display inside.
Chiddingly The 130 foot church spire soars above
the village cottages. From the church you can
see for miles over the downs. Inside the church
is an outsize monument to members of the
Jefferay family, with two large standing fi gures in
elaborate Elizabethan dress. Sir John Jefferay, died
23rd May 1573, was Chief Baron of Exchequer
under Elizabeth I and, at various times, Member
of Parliament for Arundel. The monument is in
alabaster, which was probably mined at Mountfi eld
near Battle, where there is still a quarry in use. There
is also a persistent rumour of a secret tunnel from
Chiddingly Place to the church, which is supposed
to emerge either in front of the monument or at the
base of the tower, but this is so far unproven.
Cuckoo Trail Nr Chiddingly