1st walk check 2nd walk check 1st June 2014 24th October 2015 Current status Document last updated Saturday, 26th January 2019 This document and information herein are copyrighted to Saturday Walkers’ Club. If you are interested in printing or displaying any of this material, Saturday Walkers’ Club grants permission to use, copy, and distribute this document delivered from this World Wide Web server with the following conditions: * The document will not be edited or abridged, and the material will be produced exactly as it appears. Modification of the material or use of it for any other purpose is a violation of our copyright and other proprietary rights. * Reproduction of this document is for free distribution and will not be sold. * This permission is granted for a one-time distribution. * All copies, links, or pages of the documents must carry the following copyright notice and this permission notice: Saturday Walkers’ Club, Copyright © 2014-2019, used with permission. All rights reserved. www.walkingclub.org.uk The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any problems encountered by readers. Robertsbridge Circular via Brightling Start and finish: Robertsbridge station Length: 18.3km (11.4 miles). Time: 5½ hours. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at least 8 hours. Transport: Trains go from London Charing Cross to Robertsbridge, journey time 1¼ hours. If finishing at Battle buy a day return to Battle otherwise a day return to Robertsbridge. OS Landranger Map: 199 OS Explorer Map: 124 Robertsbridge, map reference TQ733235 is East Sussex 22km south-east of Tunbridge Wells. Toughness: 3 out of 10. Walk Notes: The major shortcoming of this walk is that there is no lunch stop. Consequently this walk can’t really be considered to be a true SWC walk. That over, if you are happy enough to picnic along the way, then this walk should make for an agreeable enough outing finishing with a refreshment stop at one of the various pubs in Robertsbridge. The first 4km of this walk to Sockernish Manor will be familiar (albeit in the reverse direction) to anyone who has been on walk 112 Stonegate to Robertsbridge. Thereafter the route goes via Oxley’s Green and south of Brightling with its strong Jack Fuller associations, passing by the Jack Fuller Tower along the way, before heading south and then east through Darwell Wood along the south side of the reservoir. This section of the route south of the Derwent Reservoir can be extremely muddy, and even after a spell of dry weather the mud may still be present. For the mud adverse walker it is probably best avoided from October through to March, unless it has been a particularly dry autumn and winter. Concerning lack of a lunch stop, all is not lost if you are happy to make an earlier start for the Battle or Stonegate ending and 2 take lunch approximately /3 of the way into the walk. From June to September, if walking to Stonegate, it is best to avoid the (ii) via Brightling option (and take instead the (i) Shortcut option) as one particular footpath is often very overgrown. Further on in the Stonegate option a 300m section of the Copyright © 2014 - 2019 Saturday Walkers’ Club, used with permission. All rights reserved. Walk 222 Robertsbridge Circular via Brightling footpath at this time of year can become very overgrown. Whilst not impassable, if you bring along a walking stick it will help you to clear the route. Walk options: a) Alternative (shorter) ending at Battle via Netherfield. You may vary the end of this walk, take a late lunch at Netherfield after 13km and finish at Battle. The length of this route is 19.7km (12.2 miles). Follow the walk directions until [6], and then follow the short link directions at the end of the main text, to then pick up from the Battle Circular walk directions at [5] b) Alternative ending at Stonegate. You may vary the end of this walk, take a late lunch at Burwash Weald after 13km and finish at Stonegate. The length of this route is 18.5km (11.5 miles). Follow the walk directions until [3], and then follow the link directions at the end of the main text, to then pick up from the Stonegate Circular walk directions from CW2 walk 19, for which you will additionally require the published book, or the download from the SWC website. c) Alternative (longer) ending at Battle via Brown Bread Street. An earlier start is required if you want to make it for lunch in time at Brown Bread Street, 22½ km into the walk. The length of this route is 34.5km (21.4 miles). Saturday Walkers’ Club: Take the train nearest to 10.15 am from London Charing Cross to Robertsbridge. If taking option (a) or (b) with a later lunch stop, take the train nearest to 9.10am. For the long walk option (c), take the train nearest to 8.05am. Copyright © 2014 - 2019 Saturday Walkers’ Club, used with permission. All rights reserved. www.walkingclub.org.uk 2 WALK DIRECTIONS curves to the left), continue ahead through a lightly wooded area, W. In [1] Coming off the London train from 150m you emerge from the wooded area platform 2 at Robertsbridge Station go into the corner of a field to continue through the exit into the station car park and turn right for 40 metres to then along its right-hand side on a shingle cross over (Station) road to go to the footpath, 260°. In 180m at the right- right of The Ostrich PH, through its Car hand corner of the field, go through a Park (CP). At the end of the CP, go over fieldgate gap into the corner of the next a stile in the right-hand corner to go field to continue along its right-hand along the right-hand side of a building. side, in the same direction. In 35m go through a wooden kissing- gate to continue in a southerly direction After 160m at the right-hand corner of along the right-hand side of a small the field, go through a metal kissing- narrow field with the railway off to the gate, into the next field to go along its right. After 130m, turn right over a stile left-hand side, initially 320°. In 100m to continue in same direction along an cross a car-wide track flanked by 2 metal enclosed footpath and after 35m you kissing-gates, to veer up to the left, come out onto a road, to turn right under 265°. In 120m go through a metal gate a railway bridge. After 70m fork left off and turn right along a lane. In 370m at a the road through a gate in a wooden T junction with a road, turn right. fence into the corner of a field, to go up across it, W. In 140m turn left over a stile into the corner of a field to cross it, N. After In 160m at the far corner of the field go 280m at the far corner of the field cross down some wooden steps (and across a over a stile and turn left down a lane. In plank bridge) to cross over a lane to go 120m where the lane curves slightly to down a car-wide shingle track, 240°. In the left and (more steeply) down, turn 120m go through a metal kissing-gate left through a metal kissing-gate (right of (left of a metal fieldgate) to continue a metal fieldgate), to go down an along the left-hand edge of a field. After enclosed footpath, through a wooded 130m in the corner of the field go area, 250°, (crossing 2 plank footbridges through a metal kissing-gate and turn along the way). After 100m go through a left to cross over a car-wide bridge after metal kissing-gate into the corner of a 15m, to then turn right along a car-wide field, and veer right down across it, W. track, W. In 80m on the far side of the field, go After 60m continue in a westerly through a wooden gate to follow the direction through some farm buildings. footpath down through a wood, in a Just past the farm buildings veer left up westerly direction, passing by a a car-wide track (bordered by a field on redundant stile along the way. your right), 190°. In 130m at a lane junction at the top, turn right to continue In 180m cross a stile to emerge from the up a car-wide shingle track (with a field bottom wood into a field, and veer right, on your right), W. In 100m at a footpath in a westerly direction, aiming for a junction continue ahead, W, along the fieldgate exit. In 90m go through a car-wide shingle track. wooden fieldgate into the corner of the next field and in 20m, turn right over a In 110m (where the main shingle track footbridge, to come up into the corner of then pass by the entrance to a large the next field and turn left, up along its converted oast house with outbuildings left-hand side, 290°. on your left-hand side, to then pass by a pond on your right to then immediately In 350m at the left-hand corner of the fork right, up a footpath for 6m to cross field, go over a stile (right of a wooden over a stile, to go along a footpath along fieldgate) to continue down the right- the edge of a garden.