Walk 16 : Balcombe (round walk)

The gardens of Nymans & the ruins of Slaugham

Length	18km (11.2 miles), 5 hours. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow 10 hours.
OS Landranger Map	No.187. Balcombe, map reference TQ 306 302, is in West Sussex, 7km south-east of Crawley.
Toughness	5 out of 10.
Features	This is a walk full of small delights: a nature reserve and lake with Japanese pavilion down by the stream below the gardens and park of Nymans with its part-ruined manor house; a churchyard in Slaugham (pronounced 'Slaffam') with a 600-year-old yew tree some 10 metres in circumference; the ruins of Slaugham Manor; then a walk down to the River Ouse – with the incongruous sight of a Roman arch and columns in the middle of nowhere – and later up through fields and woods to the fine old village of Balcombe. Note: The published version of this walk includes a crossing of the A23 between points [7] & [8] on the map, but with the growth in road traffic this has become too dangerous to attempt. There are plans to provide an underpass in 2011/12 as part of a road-widening scheme, but until then, walkers must take the route given in the text at [*] below.
Shortening the walk	The second half of this walk is less interesting in some ways, so you could go as far as the Victory Inn in Staplefield and catch Metrobus 271 to Haywards Heath or Crawley. You can also catch this service earlier in the walk, from the Red Lion pub in Handcross. For bus information, see TraveLine or call 0871 200 2233.
History	The Japanese pavilion in the nature reserve was designed by Lord Snowdon, part of whose country estate this is. Nymans (tel 01444 400 321) is a National Trust garden – Ludwig Messel, who bought Nymans in 1890, sought to show that a more exotic range of plants could survive outdoors in Sussex than previously thought. Its manor house was part-gutted by fire in 1947, when huge slabs of the Horsham stone roof fell through three storeys, and the firemen were hampered by bitterly cold weather – ladder extensions and standpipes froze. Nymans is open Wednesday to Sunday, although the house is closed from November to mid-March. Admission (2009) is £7.70, which includes a "free cup of tea or coffee in restaurant when arriving by public transport". St Mary's Parish Church, Slaugham, has a Norman font made of Sussex marble with a fish symbol on it. There is a brass in the church to John Covert, who in his will left 200 marks to his daughters, even if they married without consent to men without land – but only if the men "have virtue and cunning which seemeth as good as 100 marks' worth of land". Slaugham Place, now in ruins, was once a great Elizabethan manor house. It was the residence of the Covert family, who in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries held land extending from the English Channel to the banks of the Thames. It is now a popular venue for wedding receptions, complete with helicopter landing space.
Saturday Walkers' Club	Take the train nearest to 9.40am (before or after) from London Bridge Station to Balcombe. Journey time 40 minutes. On Sundays the service is from Victoria, with a slightly longer journey time. Trains back from Balcombe are hourly. If driving, Balcombe Station has a small car park (£3.10; free on weekends and Bank Holidays).
Lunch	The suggested lunch stop, halfway round the walk, is The Chequers at Slaugham (tel 01444 400 239), an up-market establishment which serves food from midday to about 2pm daily. It's a good idea to call ahead and book a table, especially on Sundays. For a more typical pub lunch, you can choose between an earlier stop at the Red Lion (tel 01444 400 292) in Handcross (a Chef & Brewer pub), or later at the Victory Inn (tel 01444 400 463) or Jolly Tanners (tel 01444 400 335) in Staplefield. If you are visiting Nymans, another option is the NT restaurant there.
Tea	The recommended tea place is the Balcombe Tea Rooms (tel 01444 811 777), which offers a good selection of home-made cakes. It is open until 4pm (but is closed on Mondays); they like large groups to call in advance and will stay open a bit later if necessary. Stronger fare is on offer at the nearby Half Moon pub (tel 01444 811 582).

Travel by Train	Out: Back:
Travel by Car	Start: Balcombe Station is near : RH17 6JQ [gmap]
OS Explorer Map	135 : Ashdown Forest [Amazon]
Revised	This walk was fully revised in : Sep-06 For the walk map, please see the Time Out Country Walks near London Volume 1
Major Updates	Detour to avoid crossing a dangerous road (the A23) [details]
Other The Weald (Kent) Walks	Balcombe to East Grinstead, Crowhurst to Battle, Wadhurst Circular, Stonegate Circular, Robertsbridge Circular, Pluckley Circular, Cowden to Eridge, Wadhurst via Bewl Water Circular, Frant to Tunbridge Wells, Balcombe Circular via Ardingly Reservoir, Forest Row Circular, Forest Row to Sheffield Park, Ashdown Forest and Medway Valley, Battle Circular, East Grinstead Circular, Cowden to Hever,

Walking Instructions 

Note: Bold numbers in square brackets refer to the Walk Map in Time Out Country Walks near London Volume 1.

1. [1] Coming off the train from London at Balcombe Station, go over the footbridge and down the platform on the other side. Exit to the right just before the tunnel, then go through the car park, due south. Where this approach road meets the B2036, take the signposted footpath to the right, downhill and heading south-west. Go down steps (which are very slippery in wet weather) and across two stiles to join a lane.
2. Carry straight on towards the cottage for 25 metres (over a stream) and [2] take a signposted footpath to the right over a stile, heading north-west.
3. Go uphill near the field edge on your right-hand side. In 75 metres go over a stile and continue uphill. In 125 metres go over another stile at the top of the field and bear left, now with the field edge on your left-hand side.
4. In 125 metres there is another stile, and you go straight on (note the communication towers disguised as trees on your right). This brings you in 175 metres to a car-wide unasphalted road.
5. Continue along the road, still heading north-west. In 70 metres, just beyond a large wooden shed, take the road fork to the left (following the footpath sign), heading west.
6. Keep on this road, ignoring other possibilities. In 170 metres bend left with it (where a sign offers a footpath off to the right). You pass a pond on your right-hand side, then a house on your left, but keep on towards the barn sheds. When you reach these, veer to the right of the large shed ahead of you.
7. In 125 metres keep to the main farm track as it bends right, then in a further 125 metres follow it round to the left.
8. In 175 metres, 10 metres before your farm track is about to reach the first trees of the wood, fork left, your direction due south, on what is soon a footpath parallel to the farm track. (This is the official path, although simply staying on the farm track for the next 75 metres would bring you to the same place.)
9. [3] In 75 metres go over a stile and turn right (by a three-armed footpath sign) with the edge of the wood now to your right, your direction 240°.
10. In 150 metres you have, at least in winter, a large pond below you on your right, and you bear right, still keeping the edge of the wood on your right-hand side.
11. In 250 metres go over a stile (next to a horse jump) with a small pond beyond, and continue on, in the direction shown by the footpath sign, still with a line of trees on your right-hand side.
12. In 150 metres cross a stile (next to another horse jump) to continue down a path into the woods.
13. In 75 metres, at a T-junction, bear left (following the footpath sign) on a wider path, but in 15 metres turn right downhill, in more or less your previous direction (now 240°). Go down steps (with a wooden railing on your right-hand side) to cross a stream and follow the path up the other side.
14. About 100 metres from the footbridge, turn left at a T-junction with a wider track, then in 10 metres veer right towards a stile 30 metres away. Go over this stile, across a tarmac road and straight ahead on the entrance drive to Ditton Place (marked on the OS map), your direction now 260°.
15. In 250 metres, after passing a new development on your left, and when still 60 metres from the main building, bear left on a car road (following a footpath sign on your right-hand side), your direction now 240°.
16. 100 metres down this road, take the stile on your right-hand side to continue through the field in more or less the same direction (now due west), with the field edge on your left-hand side.
17. In 175 metres go over a stile and down into a wood, soon bearing left on this path, which runs parallel to the stream and pylons on your right. In 200 metres cross this stream on a wooden bridge to continue southwards, now on the opposite bank.
18. [4] In 30 metres take the right-hand fork uphill, your direction 210°. In a further 50 metres, at the top of the slope, bear left following the footpath sign.
19. In 125 metres, exit the wood by a stile. An unofficial path cuts diagonally across this field to the far right-hand corner, but the public footpath turns right and goes around two sides of the field. Either way, exit the field by a metal fieldgate and turn right to pass under electricity cables. Continue through another metal fieldgate.
20. In 40 metres go through a wooden swing gate and turn left on to a concrete farm lane, as shown by a footpath sign, to head south-west. (A modernised timber-framed house is on your right-hand side.)
21. In 80 metres you come to a junction in the farm track – go across this, slightly to the right, then go left on the footpath by the three-armed footpath sign. Go through a metal gate to continue on a wide grassy path, your direction 240°, with a wooden fence on your right-hand side.
22. In 100 metres cross a stream on two planks, then go over a stile to continue with the field hedge on your right-hand side, your direction now 300°. Where the hedge ends, continue across the field towards the left of the house ahead of you. Go alongside its garden fence and across its driveway.
23. At the end of the field, go over a stile and down steps into a wood. Continue along a boardwalk to pass Lord Snowdon's lake with Japanese pavilion on your right-hand side. Cross a footbridge over a stream and go up to a T-junction with a car-wide track.
24. Turn right here, following the footpath sign, to head north-west. Continue in this direction, soon with another large lake on your right (you are now on National Trust land, part of the Nymans estate).
25. [5] In 300 metres you come to a two-armed footpath sign on your right, and (with the Woodland Walks straight on) you take the footpath fork uphill to the left. This path soon bends to the left, with a valley below you to the right.
26. Follow this attractive path through the woods for 750 metres, ignoring ways off. After climbing gently uphill, a wider path merges from the left. Follow the Short Walk sign to cross a streambed and then in 10 metres fork left on a narrow path uphill, as indicated by a public footpath sign.
27. In 200 metres cross a farm track and continue uphill. (A gate off to the left here would take you into Nymans gardens, but visitors – even National Trust members – are expected to use the official entrance further on.)
28. In 200 metres, after climbing steeply, you come to Nymans carpark. If you wish to visit the gardens or the NT restaurant, go through the wooden fieldgate on your left and up to the entrance. Otherwise, continue for another 100 metres to the B2114 and turn right to reach a possible lunch stop, the Red Lion, at the road junction.
29. The onward route here is to turn left on to the B2110, signposted Cowfold and Horsham (if coming out of the pub, turn right). Cross the bridge over the A23, continue past All Saints Church and keep ahead on the B2110 at the mini-roundabout, now signposted to Lower Beeding.
30. [6] In 125 metres, just past the Royal Oak pub on your right-hand side, turn left up a driveway with a concrete public footpath marker. 40 metres up this path, follow it round to the left, past allotments on your right. In 50 metres, bend right with the path in front of a hedge, then in 30 metres go through a wooden swing gate and continue ahead between hedges, your direction 140°. In 60 metres you come out on a car lane and turn right, initially heading south-west.
31. Continue on this lane, ignoring turn-offs. In 500 metres you pass a couple of practice starting gates for horseraces, then in 125 metres detour around a set of iron gates to continue on the lane.
32. In a further 500 metres, go through a side gate to the right of a large white-painted gate blocking the lane to enter the village of Slaugham. In 125 metres you come to the suggested lunch stop, The Chequers inn, on your right-hand side.
33. After lunch, continue across a minor road and through the lychgate into St Mary's Parish Church. Go past the (closed) west door and veer left, ignoring a footpath which continues straight on. Just past the south door entrance, veer right on a path through the churchyard, soon passing the 600-year-old yew tree on your right-hand side.
34. Where the gravel path ends, continue ahead on a grassy path and leave the churchyard through a kissing gate, entering Church Covert (owned by the Woodland Trust). Follow the footpath sign half-right downhill across a field, heading south-east, with the ruins of Slaugham Place ahead on your left.
35. In 180 metres this leads you to a two-armed footpath sign and on to a path between fences, your direction now 160°, with the ruins on your left-hand side. In 75 metres veer right with the path to circumvent the garden of the cottage ahead of you.
36. On the other side of the garden, cross a wooden bridge over a stream and go up to join Moat House's driveway. Continue ahead, with the stream and ruins to your left. In 100 metres you meet a car lane [7], with a 'No Through Path' sign ahead of you.
37. (The published walk continues ahead at this point, but this route involved a dangerous crossing of the very busy A23. The original walk directions will be reinstated when a safe crossing has been provided.)
38. [*] To avoid this road crossing, turn left on to the car lane (which is the private driveway to Slaugham Manor, so technically you might be trespassing) and continue along it for 300 metres to a T-junction with a minor road (the one you crossed just before St Mary's church).
39. Turn right on to this road, in 250 metres going underneath two road bridges carrying the A23. Continue on this road for another 1km, eventually going ahead at a crossroads – Staplefield's large village green is on your left-hand side, with the Jolly Tanners about 300 metres away on the other side of the green. (The original walk route rejoins from the footpath on the right here.)
40. Continuing ahead, in 100 metres you come to the Victory Inn on your right-hand side, another possible refreshment stop. In a further 50 metres, you cross the B2114 to continue straight on, uphill. In 175 metres, you pass St Mark's Church (which is usually locked) on your left-hand side.
41. 300 metres beyond the church, you pass Jasmine and Heron Cottages on your right-hand side, to keep on the main road. In a further 190 metres, ignore Rose Cottage Lane to your right and stay on the road, signposted Balcombe.
42. [9] In a further 250 metres – just past the entrance drive to Tyes Place (marked on the OS map) and by a footpath sign on your right – turn half-right into the driveway of North and South Meadow Cottages, heading south-east.
43. In 80 metres you pass the cottages and bear left with the driveway. Pass to the right of Old Hall Farm Cottage and take a narrow path half-right to exit its garden over a stile. Bear left, following the footpath sign, to head east along the left-hand field edge. The intriguing castle-like Old Hall is away to your left (but mostly hidden behind trees), with its own mini-crystal palace beyond it.
44. In 300 metres note the arch with Roman pillars in the field to your left. In a further 40 metres, at the bottom left-hand corner of the field, go through the hedge into a lightly-wooded area and follow the path to the right.
45. The path gradually curves back round to the left, later with the River Ouse on your right. In 400 metres, cross the river by a wooden bridge, following the footpath sign.
46. Head uphill on the other side, your direction 150°, towards a gate in the hedge at the top of the field. Go through this and continue along a path between hedges to reach Sidnye Farm (marked on the OS map).
47. At the farm, bear left, following the footpath sign. In 25 metres, at a three-armed footpath sign, bear left again, passing the large corrugated iron shed on your right-hand side and heading due east. Veer slightly left around another farm shed to go straight on past two cottages on your left-hand side.
48. Keep on the farm's driveway. In just under 1km, you come to a T-junction with Rowhill Lane, where you turn left downhill.
49. In 180 metres you pass the entrance to Hillside on your left-hand side and, in a further 120 metres, you cross the River Ouse.
50. Instead of bending right with the lane here, go into the field on your left to continue straight on uphill (due north, towards a red-brick house visible on the horizon), with the field edge on your left-hand side.
51. In 250 metres you come up to a lane. Turn left here and then in 15 metres turn right up a narrow path, passing a redundant stile to continue northwards in a large field.
52. In 250 metres go over a stile and continue uphill towards another stile in a hedge. Cross this and bear left uphill, keeping the hedge on your left as you pass the red-brick house on your left-hand side.
53. In a further 250 metres, you come to the brow of the hill (with fine views to the south and east). Continue for 50 metres with a hedge on your left, then go gently downhill on a car-wide track into Pilstye Wood. 50 metres into the wood, ignore a fork to the left and keep on the main track downhill, with an impressive rock outcrop split by tree roots on your left-hand side.
54. [!] In another 50 metres, an earth car road merges from the right but instead of joining this, follow a footpath sign to take a narrow track opposite and slightly to the right, now going more steeply downhill. In 40 metres, bear right with this path and continue downhill, heading north-east and with a new plantation on your right-hand side.
55. In 200 metres exit the wood by a bridge (with wooden railings) over a stream and go over a stile. Here the footpath sign points straight uphill (due north), but if the field is planted with crops with no clear path through them, you may prefer to detour to the left to go around them on the field edge.
56. On the far side of the field do not go through the metal fieldgate but take the stile to its right to go on to a narrow path between fences. In 60 metres you cross another stile to come out on to a main road (the B2036), where you turn left, due north. In 75 metres you pass a house on the other side of the road.
57. (You can shorten the walk here by continuing ahead on the B2036, reaching Balcombe Station's approach road in 500 metres.) For the main route through Balcombe village (with its tearoom), cross this busy road carefully and go up a tarmac lane, following a footpath sign, your direction initially 140°.
58. In 100 metres you enter the drive of Kemps House (marked on the OS map), with the house on your left-hand side. Having gone through a field gate and passed the house, bear right to leave the property by a wooden gate. A path brings you in 20 metres to a stile and then the main London–Brighton railway line.
59. Cross the railway with great care (trains come round the curve at up to 90mph). Continue on the path up the bank on the other side, parallel to the tracks. Cross the stile at the top and bear right, with the field edge on your right-hand side, towards the houses ahead (due north).
60. Once by the houses, follow the footpath sign along the right-hand edge of a small terrace. Go over a stile and across a tarmac road into a cul-de-sac, Jobes. Where this road bears left, go slightly right on to a tarmac path between hedges, heading north, with gardens on your left-hand side.
61. In 100 metres continue on, now with playing fields on your left-hand side. At the far end of these, continue on a tarmac lane past a pavilion and Balcombe Parish Church Room on your left-hand side. On reaching a road, turn left.
62. At a T-junction in 75 metres, either turn right for the Half Moon pub or bear left and cross the road to the recommended tea place, the Balcombe Tea Rooms.
63. To get to the station, continue down the road past the tearoom, reaching London Road in 180 metres. (You can go directly to the station by turning left on to this main road, reaching the entrance in 350 metres.)
64. For a more pleasant but circuitous route, cross straight over London Road to continue down Rocks Lane, your direction 210°. Keep on this road as it passes under the railway bridge after 300 metres.
65. In a further 300 metres, you come to a T-junction by a stream, where you turn left, following the footpath sign. Go up the steps you came down at the start of the walk and turn left at the top into the approach road to reach Balcombe Station. Trains to London leave from the near platform.