Berwick via Upper Dicker Circular Walk

Tranquil, quiet and gently undulating countryside with fine views of the downs and weald

Length	17.3 km (10 3/4 mi) Time Required: 5–6 hours plus any stops or diversions
Toughness	1 out of 10
OS Maps	OS Explorer OL25 (Eastbourne)
Walk Notes	The walk starts and end at Berwick railway station, a 10 minute journey from Lewes. An idyllic ramble through tranquil, quiet and gently undulating countryside. Not a South Downs walk, but with fine views of the downs and weald. South Downs without the grind!
Travel	Berwick Railway Station is served by trains between Brighton, Lewes, Polegate, Eastbourne and Hastings. Trains call once an hour throughout the week. If coming from London, it may be quicker to go to Brighton and change there, rather than changing at Lewes.
Walk options	This is not a long walk, but if pressed for time you could cut out the circuit of Abbot's Wood or take the short cut indicated in the final paragraph.
Points of interest	Abbots Wood derives its name from the times of Henry I, when the wood was gifted to Battle Abbey and overseen by the Abbot. A mixture of tree species, including conifer, hazel and hornbeam can be found. Michelham Priory House and Gardens is managed by the Sussex Archaeological Society (£14 in 2025, check with them for opening hours). The Priory was founded by Augustinian canons in 1229, on a secluded island surrounded by England's largest medieval moat. It was largely destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and rebuilt as a Tudor mansion. It later became a farm and housed wartime evacuees. Construction of Arlington Reservoir began in 1969 to meet the growing demand for tap water. A dam was built across the River Cuckmere, and the spoil from the excavation was used to build the rolling landscape around the reservoir's edges.
Lunch	The Old Oak Inn, Caneheath, Arlington, East Sussex, BN26 6SJ, is passed both after 4 kms and (more conveniently) after 7.4 kms. An award-winning free house and restaurant (Argus Pub of the Year 2024 and 2023). Large South facing sheltered garden and sundeck. Closed on Mondays, open other weekdays 12 to 10, Saturdays 10 to 8 and Sundays 10 to 5. Tel: (01323) 482072. Blue Door Cafe at Michelham Priory (no admission needed, same hours as the Priory) The village shop at Upper Dicker would be a good place to buy provisions and there are picnic tables nearby. The Plough, Coldharbour Road, Upper Dicker, BN27 3QJ, is the other lunch option (10.2 kns). Described as a beautiful 17th century gastro pub in the East Sussex countryside, with country-style restaurant, bistro bar, sun terraces and extensive gardens. Food served from midday till at least 8pm every day. Tel: (01323) 844859.
Tea	Arlington Reservoir Kiosk is a short detour from the walk and is good for a hot drink and a cake. The Berwick Inn is directly opposite the station at the end of the walk. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Author	This walk is based on an original created by Chris Smith of Travellog Lewes for The Ramblers.
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Version	Nov-25 Mike Powell
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Walk Directions

The directions for this walk are also in a PDF (link above) which you can download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone.

Berwick to Old Oak Inn (4 kms)
The start of this walk follows #cw2.27 Walk 2/27 (Berwick to Seaford). Exiting from platform 2 of Berwick station, turn right to emerge on the road with Berwick Service Station away to the left opposite (from platform 1, you need to take the level crossing). Carefully cross the road and turn left. In 20 metres turn right just before the service station, following the direction indicated by the footpath post on a path (with the Berwick Service Station garage off to your left), your direction 100°. In 40 metres go through a metal kissing gate. Veer left across a field aiming for a gate on the far side, your direction East (the map indicates another path further to the right, which may not be apparent on the ground). In 110 metres go through this metal gate (with a sign for the Cuckmere Pilgrims Path, or CPP) and continue on a faint grass footpath across the next field, heading to the left of a row of bushes on the far side and to the left of a line of mini pylon cables, your direction 80°. Your onward path is visible climbing by the fence in the next field.
In 140 metres go through two metal gates each side of a ditch stream and continue uphill, with a barbed-wire fence to your right, your direction East. In 120 metres, at the top of the hill, turn right to follow the fence, your direction 140°. In 50 metres go through a metal gate and turn left downhill, still with a barbed-wire fence on your right, your direction East. There is now a clear view of Arlington Reservoir to your left. In 150 metres go through a metal kissing-gate in the bottom right-hand corner of the field (which may be hidden by trees). In 5 metres turn right on a tarmac lane (Walk 2/27 turns left towards the reservoir) for 40 metres to Chilverbridge House. Turn left (at a footpathsignpost) through a gate and the garden. At the end of the garden in 80 metres, to the left of a wooden outbuilding, go over a stile and immediately afterwards turn right over a second stile. The reservoir wall is a short distance to your left.
You go over two more stiles and in 160 miles cross the road carefully. A wooden signpost directs you to a path to the left of a parking area, which winds North East through trees, parallel with the road. At the end of the path in 200 metres, cross the road again and turn right along a wide pavement, crossing the River Cuckmere by a bridge. Turn left on a tarmac drive (entering South East Water property), signposted for the CPP and Wealdway (a long distance path between Gravesend and Eastbourne). Follow the Wealdway at 15°, with the river close by on your left. Where the drive turns to the right, take a stile on your left by a field gate and continue on a (possibly wet) grass path. In 100m, at a fence corner on the right, continue ahead along a grass path through a tussocky field. You are heading directly towards the church at Arlington.
In 250 miles go over a stile and through a gap in a hedge and turn right, leaving the CPP and Wealdway. Follow a path on the left side of a fence and hedge. In 110 metres the path passes over a plank bridge and between a residential fence and a ditch to reach a road in 80 metres (The Street). Walk left down the road passing Copyhold Cottages. In 65 metres turn right down a signposted path, with a hedge on your left and a wooden fence on your right. In 60 metres turn left (ignoring a gate on your right) over a footbridge and through a gate to enter a large field.
Continue at 60° to the right hand opposite corner of the field, towards a gate, with houses and pylons visible beyond. At the far corner of the field in 270 degrees, go through a gate, cross a footbridge and a stile (broken or missing in 2025) and cross Wilbees Road. Go over a stile and continue parallel with the right edge of the next field under the power lines, ignoring a stile and path to the right in 190 metres. In 70 metres go through a metal gate and continue in the same direction across two more fields (each 180 metres long).
In another 30 metres turn right along a minor road at Bates Green Farm. In 40 metres you pass the farm entrance ("Light Refreshments in the Bluebell Barn", open Wed & Sat 10.00-16.00) and in another 100 metres, turn left with a signpost over a stile and follow a tall hedge on the left. In 50 metres turn right with the hedge (ignoring the parallel path to the left through trees). In the far corner of the second field, under an electricity pole, go over a stile and ignore another stile and path from the left. Instead, continue along the left-hand boundary of a third field. Cross this narrower field diagonally towards a large house (the pub) and in 110 metres in the field corner, with the pub garden ahead, bear left along a grass path. In 10 metres the path turns right to go over a stile and through the pub car park to the road, with the Old Oak Inn on your right.
Abbot’s Wood (3.4 kms)
You have the option of visiting the pub now, but as there is well over half the walk ahead, you may wish to complete the Abbot’s Wood circuit first. Turn left on the road, and on the other side in 40 metres you will see the entrance to Abbot’s Wood, an extensive forest with open access. Follow the wide gravel track in to the Wood then in 170 metres at a cross paths turn right on the Abbot’s Amble (marked by black arrows on a yellow background), which you follow anti-clockwise. Commit this point to memory as you will be returning here! In 330 metres ignore the marked 'Oak Walk' on the left, in 50 metres cross a wide track (an unmarked public bridleway) and in 120 metres pass the car park (and a toilet block) on your right. In 90 metres follow an Abbot's Amble marker post to the left, gently descending in to the woods. You have a probably dry ditch on your right, cross a wide path in 400 metres and ignore a marked route to the left in 125 metres, an unmarked track to the left in 160 metres and an unmarked track to the right in 100 metres. In 190 metres ignore a track on the left and in and in 240 metres you pass to the left of the scenic Abbot's Wood Pond, with seats. In 230 metres turn left with a marker post at a four-way junction and in 160 metres cross a grassy track. In 125 metres turn right then left off the wide track, but still following the Abbot's Way markers. Just after a memorial seat on the right, you return to your starting point and turn right, back to the road, with the Old Oak now 40 metres to your left.
Old Oak Inn to Upper Dicker (2.8 kms)
Turn right from Abbot’s Wood (or left from the pub) on the road, then in 80 metres you reach Primrose Farm. The right of way at first is to the right of the main farm entrance, then in 40 metres you turn right on the concrete drive. At the end of the drive, turn right and left, then go through a metal gate at the corner of the field on your right. Cross the large field North-West, in the direction of a yellow arrow but probably with no clear path on the ground, heading for a metal gate in the far corner, to the right of a solitary oak tree. In the next (irregularly shaped) field, bear slightly right (325°) towards a field gate or a gap visible 160 metres ahead, probably with no obvious path, keeping well away from the ruined brick building in the left of the field. Note that the pylons marked on the map in this field are no longer there (also the paths to your left are opened up by the farm in the spring for fee-paying bluebell hunters, so you may find yourself surrounded by crowds). In the next small field ignore the stile visible ahead; instead bear slightly left and go through a field gate, then follow the field edge with woods to your right. You go through two large fields and then a small field. In the last field the path bears to the left and you go over a stile on to the road (there is a sign with a yellow arrow here).
Turn left along the road, crossing over the River Cuckmere. In 180 metres you pass the drive to Michelham Priory which you may wish to visit. The house and gardens charge admission, but it is worth walking up the drive for a quick look or for the Blue Door Cafe. 160 metres after the priory entrance, at the corner of a wooden fence, turn right on a path heading North and then North West (taking the left of two paths indicated on a post as you enter sports fields). Continue along the right edge of the sports fields and in 125 metres pass a wire fence corner on the left. In 40 metres bear left to continue along the right edge of some more sports fields (on the Wealdway and just after a marked path to the right, 320°). In 150 metres leave the grass by a gap in the fence and over a plank bridge (if you are unsure, follow the edge of the grass round to the left and you will find the plank bridge to your right). Continue ahead through shrubland to emerge in 160 metres to the left of Dicker stores and cafe (The Village Shop).
Strictly speaking the right of way and the Wealdway runs through a gap to the left, but it may be easier to pass to the right of the picnic tables and turn left on the main road (Coldharbour Road, later Wick Street), 50 metres after the stores. Go past Holy Trinity Church on your left, across the staggered cross roads and past the St Bedes school. Cross over to the pavement on your right, shortly passing The Plough pub with food and a garden.
Upper Dicker to Arlington Reservoir (3.5 kms)
70 metres after the pub, on the opposite side of the road, turn left down a tunnel of foliage. Once in the open in 80 metres, turn right with a new plantation then in 80 metres with more sports fields to your left and a rough hedgerow to your right, following the Wealdway signs.
In 160 metres go over a stile to the right of woods in to a large field, heading in the same direction as before (South-West), with Park Wood to your left and the road below to the right. In 250 metres turn left on a lane at Parkwood Farm, then almost immediately right in a large field. There are fine views of the South Downs throughout this section. Cross the field to a stile and (probably open) field gate 150 metres away, near the middle of the far side (220°). Cross the next field half left (200°) to a metal gate 200 metres ahead. In the next field in 60 metres take a wooden footbridge to your right into a very large arable field and turn left.
The route now runs alongside or close to the banks of the Cuckmere river across two fields (the right of way takes a direct line some way from the river, but following the course of the river makes for more pleasant walking). At the end of the large field, a marked footpath joins from the right across the field, but you go over a stile to the left of a metal field gate and in 140 metres you leave the next grassy field over a stile. When you reach a substantial footbridge to your left over the river, ignore it. Instead, leave the Wealdway and take the wide path immediately to the right. Note though that this is a BOAT (byway open to all traffic) which can be very slippery in the winter or after heavy rain (map users will note that there is an alternative path – this involves crossing the small footbridge ahead of you, not turning right, then you can either cross two fields on a poorly defined path or follow the right edge until you reach the green sign as below).
In 250 metres turn left over a footbridge at a green footpath sign for Arlington Reservoir and follow the right edge of a field. In 180 metres go over another footbridge in to the next field. Ignore a path to the right in 50 metres and in 30 metres turn left in the field corner with a marker post. In 110 metres and in another 140 metres you go under electricity wires. In 120 metres go through a gate into a wooded belt on a gravel then grass path. In 100 metres ignore a path to the left and continue on the stony path ahead soon following the shore of Arlington Reservoir. Ignore a bridleway to the right in 175 metres. In 140 metres the trees on the left discontinue and you are rewarded with fine views of the South Downs across the water. In 300 metres you pass a memorial seat for David Tonkin and you leave the lake in 25 metres at a wooden signpost.
For refreshments or for the most direct route to Berwick station, continue to the cafe, toilets and picnic area visible ahead, then turn right and left on the main road, which will take you back to the station.
Arlington Reservoir to Berwick (3.6 kms)
For the main route, leave the lake at the signpost, cross a wider path in 30 metres, then in 40 metres carefully cross the main road and continue on the path opposite. The path goes through woods, over a plank bridge, then along the right side of a long field. Cross the next field in the same direction (310°), then in 120 metres turn left at a signpost, passing to the left of a wooden outbuilding. In 40 metres go over a stile and cross the next field to a field gate with no sign, then in 140 metres go over a stile in a hedge and turn right (250°), following the field boundary at first. The path then turns half left towards a signpost visible in front of the impressive buildings at May's Farm. Continue ahead at a 4 armed wooden signpost. Go over a stile in to the next field, then turn right alongside a low wooden fence, then cut half left to a 4 armed wooden signpost in front of the farm house.
[Mays Farm] For a good short cut, follow the directions in the next paragraph. For the main walk, go through the (often open) gate ahead and turn left in front of the house. Go through a field gate, ignoring a path to the right, in 70 metres. In 130 metres go through another field gate and continue along the right edge of a field. In 100 metres continue ahead and downhill at a 4 armed wooden signpost and in 330 metres cross the rail line with great care. In 150 metres follow the field boundary round to the right, then in 30 metres turn left through a gap in to the next field, continuing with the field boundary now on your left. In 115 metres at a 3 armed signpost turn left over a ditch and immediately right over a plank bridge and a second ditch in 50 metres. Continue to the left of the (probably dry) ditch. In 250 metres go over a stile in the corner of the field, entering woods, immediately turning left on a bridleway (turning right leads to Selmeston). Ignore a path to the right and in 110 metres continue on an enclosed bridleway (back on the CPP). In 250 metres go through a wooden gate into the next field and in 35 metres pass Stonery Farm to your left. Ignore a path to the right and continue with a hedge on your left. You are now following the Vanguard Way (a long distance path from Croydon to Newhaven). Follow the left edge of two large fields (85 degrees). In 520 metres go through a wooden gate connecting the two fields. The Long Man of Wilmington chalk figure can be seen on the face of the downs ahead. Cross a final field, slightly to the right (95 degrees) and in 230 metres descend through woods to the main road 80 metres away, directly opposite the Berwick Inn. The station is 40 metres to your left.
For the short cut from May’s Farm, do not cross the gate, but take the signed path half left, still within the field, on the Vanguard Way. Go through a gate and over a footbridge on to a muddy path with young trees on both sides. On reaching stone farm buildings to the right, turn left then right on a drive. Cross the garden, aiming for the main drive gateway, then follow the drive to the next gateway. After the end of the woods on your right, turn right, still along the Vanguard Way, at first along the right edge of a field, then through woods, soon with residential fences to your left. This path will take you back to the station. You turn right on the road to emerge on the northern side of the station.

Berwick via Upper Dicker Circular Walk

South Downs to the southeast, from near Mays Farm

Abbot's Wood Lake

Tudor Mansion at Michelham Priory

Arlington Reservoir from perimeter path, with South Downs beyond

South Downs above Wilmington from first fields

Walk Directions