From Railway to Rural Sussex: The Pleasures of a Burgess Hill Walk

The Mid Sussex Times June 27 1980

There is a particular satisfaction in a walk that begins at a railway station and soon finds its way into fields. This approximately four-mile circuit from Burgess Hill, preserved in the Mid Sussex Village Walks leaflet, offers an appealing succession of hedged paths, open ground, a meandering stream and woodland.

The opening stretch has a distinctly historical flavour. The directions lead towards Corralls coal yard before following the railway towards Sunset Lane, recalling a landscape in which trains served local industry as well as passengers. Crossing the railway bridge marks a change of mood: the route continues between hedgerows and into a field, exchanging the town’s activity for the quieter pleasures of the countryside.

These enclosed paths invite a slower pace. Their attraction lies in small details: birds moving through a hedge, sunlight catching leaves, or the sudden opening of a view across a field. In spring, fresh growth softens the boundaries; in autumn and winter, the structure of the hedges and trees becomes more apparent. Each season offers a different way of seeing the same countryside.

The section near Hammonds Mill is particularly inviting. Here the leaflet describes a path beside a winding stream, followed by a crossing over a substantial footbridge. Water gives a walk its own rhythm. Rather than revealing everything at once, a meandering stream draws the eye around successive bends and encourages the walker to pause.

The names scattered across the map add another pleasure. New Close Farm, Hammonds Place and Clayton Priory suggest the layers of settlement and working life around which the town developed. They make the route feel rooted in a particular place, although their appearance on the map does not imply public access to their grounds.

Stiles, field edges and narrow footbridges give the middle part of the circuit the intimate character of a traditional Sussex walk. Its interest comes from passing closely through the landscape, noticing the relationship between water, farmland, hedges and paths.

The return introduces another change of scene. Residential roads lead to a narrow passage towards Holmesdale Road, followed in the original directions by playing fields and woodland near Oakmeeds School. Such connections are among the rewards of local walking: an easily overlooked passage can become the link between familiar streets and an unexpectedly rural outing.

This walk’s chief pleasure is its variety within a modest distance. Railway, fields, stream and trees each contribute something different, while the old leaflet offers the added enjoyment of imagining how earlier walkers encountered Burgess Hill’s countryside.

The historical directions, particularly those involving school grounds and diverted paths, should be checked against current public-rights-of-way information before walking.