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Burgess Hill to Hassocks walk

A long almost circular walk via the Sussex Border Path, Sussex Villages, and the South Downs Way ridge from Ditchling Beacon to Wolstonbury Hill

East Sussex Long South Downs National Park Tough

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Sun, 07-Apr-24 b Sunday Walk – Burgess Hill to Hassocks (short walk) 15 sunny
Sat, 02-Apr-22 Burgess Hill to Hassocks 6 sunny with some wind
Sat, 18-May-19 Saturday walk - Burgess Hill to Hassocks - Buttercup fields and the South Downs 15 hot sun in the afternoon
Sat, 19-May-18 Saturday walk - Burgess Hill to Hassocks - Buttercups and the South Downs 30 warm sunshine and gentle breezes
Sat, 11-Mar-17 Saturday Walk - Burgess Hill to Hassocks 20 warm and sunny
Sun, 12-Jun-16 Sunday First Walk - Sussex villages and the South Downs 9 rain to start then dry and humid
Sat, 23-May-15 Downland and lowlands 20
Sat, 28-Feb-15 a Hassocks to Hurstpierpoint
Sat, 28-Feb-15 Burgess Hill to Hassocks 15
Sat, 01-Feb-14 a Hassocks to Hurstpierpoint 20
Sun, 10-Feb-13 b Burgess Hill to Hassocks (short walk) 0
Tue, 27-Dec-11 b Burgess Hill to Hassocks (short walk)
Sat, 09-Apr-11 a Hassocks Circular
Sun, 30-Jan-11 b Burgess Hill to Hassocks (short walk)
Sat, 06-Oct-07 Burgess Hill to Hassocks
Wed, 16-May-07 Burgess Hill to Hassocks
Sean
Extra Walk 108 (variation) – Burgess Hill to Hassocks

Length: 13.7 km (8.5 miles). Toughness: 4/10

09:54 Brighton train from St Pancras (Blackfriars 10:03, London Bridge 10:09, East Croydon 10:27), arriving Burgess Hill at 11:10. Buy a return to Hassocks. You can get a Super Off-Peak Day Return from London on this route – which is even cheaper than a Boundary Zone 6 extension – but it's marked “Thameslink only” so isn't valid on Southern services to/from Victoria.

If it's more convenient and you don't mind paying the higher fare, you can take the 10:02 Brighton train from Victoria (Clapham Jct 10:11, East Croydon 10:24), arriving Burgess Hill a few minutes earlier at 11:04.

Thameslink trains back from Hassocks are at xx:28 & xx:54; Southern trains to Victoria are at xx:07, xx:17 & xx:47.

After my recent experience with flooded watermeadows I've decided to postpone yet again a planned new walk on the North Kent marshes. This rarely-posted Sussex walk starts with what looks like an undemanding four-mile stretch to Ditchling where the walk notes recommend the Bull Inn (01273-843147) for lunch, although if this popular pub is full you could try the nearby White Horse (01273-842006) in West Street.

After lunch you climb up onto the downs to join the South Downs Way (SDW) at point [5] in the directions. If you're training for an arduous walking trip you might want to stay on the GPS track and complete the (much longer) main walk, but lesser mortals should switch to the directions in Walk Option 6. This is essentially the reverse of the Hassocks – Lewes walk in Book 1: past Jack & Jill windmills, then down past Clayton church onto a footpath heading north alongside the railway to Hassocks station. There's a pub and a café nearby, although the café will probably have closed by the time you get there.

You'll need to bring the directions from the L=swc.108.b page. Unless you want to do the full walk, be sure to switch to Walk Option 6 when you reach the top of the downs.

  • 06-Apr-24

    There's been a landslip on the line near Hassocks. It looks as if most of Southern and Thameslink's Brighton-line trains are still running but check on Sunday morning before committing to this walk.

    If you get to Victoria or Blackfriars 20-30 minutes earlier than necessary you'd be able to switch to the Shoreham walk (09:55 from Victoria; 09:43 from Blackfriars). See the other walk post for details.

  • 09-Apr-24

    7 regular to occasional Saturday walkers gathered at the station, along with a younger group of 8 who semi-joined us. So I thijnk we can say 15 although I'm afraid three of us got fed up waiting for the others to assemble and started walking. Although the youngsters duly overtook us, we didn't really regroup.

    It was sunny but until we got up onto the south downs ridge, very wet underfoot with numerous fields transformed into water meadows and other waterlogged paths. Just before the climb my boots got a nice wash in a path with a stream down it which had washed away most of the mud. My companions climbed a fence into a field to avoid the resulting river.

    The three of us picknicked by the church in Ditchling and, after a nice and contrastingly dry short walk walk along the south downs ridge, we had a refreshing tea and cake from a kiosk at the Jack and Jill windmills. Good views of the other windmill from he ridge btw, with its sails going like the clappers. Down to Hassocks and we got various trains around 4.30.

Sat, 02-Apr-22 : Burgess Hill to Hassocks 6
DAC
DAC
SWC Walk 108 – Burgess Hill to Hassocks
Length: 26.7km (16.8 miles), toughness 7/10.
Catch the 9:45 train from London Victoria arriving at Burgess Hill 10:39.
Buy a day return to Hassocks. Direct return trains xx:02 xx:32 until 23:21
A slightly later start than recommended in the directions(8:45), the clocks have gone forward and there's a good choice of pubs en-route, passing through Ditchling, Pyecombe and Hurstpierpoint. The author (currently MIA) of this walk put a fair amount of time into researching this walk resulting in a worthy addition #108.*
*Seemed incredible at the time that we'd broken through 100 additional SWC walks.
T=swc.108
  • 31-Mar-22

    Why the late start?

    Austen

  • 31-Mar-22

    Intend going.

    Austen: Just fancied a later start, one of the benefits of BST - hope to see you!

  • 01-Apr-22

    9.45 a late start?!🤨

    10.45 would be better for some of us pls..

  • 02-Apr-22

    6 sunny with some wind Starting from the lunch pub in Pyecombe we walked back along the morning route to meet the main group. It was stunning on the downs with very clear air out to sea and inland towards Blackdown and the North Downs with skylarks high in the sky. I got almost to Ditchling before meeting the first of the group and the two us climbed back over the Downs back to Pyecombe. One of our number left her stick in a gorse bush and had to go back for it, meeting another of the original group who was heading on to Brighton. In the event there were only two of us for lunch at the Plough where the food and ale were much improved from our last visit. Not sure what happened to the others but they probably had a packed lunch in the churchyard. One of those perfect walking days when it turned out much better than forecast

  • 03-Apr-22

    Sorry I missed you John. 5 of us set off from the station, 2 deciding on various options. 2 of us stopped for lunch at The Bull, Ditchling, so we missed you at some point. A great walk.

Walker
Length: 27.8km (16.8 miles) for the whole walk, but shorter options from 13.4km (8.4 miles) to 20.2km (12.6 miles)

Toughness: 8 out of 10 T=3.108

9.55 train from Victoria (10.02 Clapham Junction, 10.11 East Croydon) to Burgess Hill, arriving 10.46.

You could also get the 9.20 Thameslink service from St Pancras International (9.35 London Bridge, 9.49 East Croydon) to Burgess Hill, arriving 10.30, If you take this train and return on the 36 past train from Hassocks you could buy a cheaper Thameslink-only ticket.

Buy a day return to Hassocks

For walk directions click here. For a GPX file click here. For a map of the route click here.

Unlike most South Downs walks this one starts some way to the north of them, so you spend the first four miles gradually approaching the escarpment you are to climb. In the past this section of the walk has been one long series of butterfly meadows, so let's hope they are still there.

After the pretty village of Ditchling, with possible early lunch stops, there is the climb onto the downs, the best place in the world to be on a fine day..... (The dots are meant to indicate the vagaries of the English weather.) The downland section culminates on the fine summit of Wolstonbury Hill, with magnificent views, and there is then a descent to Hurstpierpoint (another pretty village and a possible tea stop), with a further loop to finish.

There are various ways to shorten the walk:

- Have an early lunch in one of the pubs or tea rooms in Ditchling, four miles onto the walk, and then once on the downs depart from the walk route and follow the South Downs Way to the Jack and Jill windmills. Descend the downs from there to the village of Clayton and follow a path alongside the railway line to Hassocks. This is a 13.4km (8.3 mile) walk from Burgess Hill. Once up on the downs you are off the walk route but you could probably follow this route pretty easily even without a map.

- Alternatively, continuing on the walk to the Plough in Pyecombe (the recommended lunch stop for the main walk, or a possible tea stop for those who have lunched in Ditchling), and then carrying on to Wolstonbury Hill, you could reverse the start of the Hassocks to Upper Beeding walk to Hassocks. This makes a total walk of 18.8km (11.7 miles).

- Or continue with the walk route to the pleasant village of Hurstpierpoint, 20.2km (12.6 miles) from the start of the walk. From the war memorial in this village you can get bus no 273 at 3.56pm or 6.06pm to Hassocks station. It is otherwise a 2.7km (1.7 mile) walk down the road from Hurstpierpoint to Hassocks (40 minutes or so) and there are some paths that would take you off the road if you have a map. Hurstpierpoint has pubs.

Trains back from Hassocks are at 11 and 41 past the hour to Victoria or 36 past to London Bridge or St Pancras (1 hr to London Bridge, versus 54 minutes for the Victoria train, so not a huge difference).
  • 18-May-19

    15 on this walk including two newcomers who we hope enjoyed their day. The weather was disappointingly cloudy at first but cleared from the coast at lunchtime to hot sun in the afternoon . We had a pleasant walk at this loveliest time of the year - what walk does not look beautiful in mid May? - but in truth I was a bit disappointed with the buttercups, which, though by no means lacking, were more intense in previous years. A large free-range chicken farm, whose inhabitants truly get to peck around in the long grass and bushes, and who serenaded us as we walked by, made up for the disappointment, as did a posse of swifts screeching over Ditchling.

    No one opted for an early lunch in Ditchling as far as I know and we stayed together as a group on the very lovely climb up onto the downs. (Yellowhammers were singing at the top). We arrived after 2pm at the Plough in Pyecombe but had no trouble getting served. Nice food and generous portions, with a big and varied menu.

    During lunch a sandwich contingent left us: what they did later, I do not know. Two more parted from us before the climb up to Wolstonbury Hill to take a direct route to Hassocks and social lives.

    That left six (?) of us to carry on to Hurstpierpoint. Three baulked at the very steep descent from Wolstonbury Hill chosen by the walk author and tried to find a gentler way. This proved promising at first but later involved an awkward descent through a wood - a maze of paths indicating the increasing desperation of others who had attempted the same route. But we gained the flatlands at last and did a little short cut to catch up with the rest of the group.

    After a lovely garden tea/drink at the New Inn in Hurstpierpoint, house martins swooping overheard, we set off sometime after six for the last loop up past Hurstpierpoint College and back to Hassocks. After one more drink at the pub by the station, we caught 20.11 and 20.36 trains home, satisfied we had made good use of the daylight hours.

Walker
Length: 27.8km (16.8 miles) for the whole walk, but shorter options from 13.4km (8.4 miles) to 20.2km (12.6 miles)
Toughness: 8 out of 10 T=3.108

 9.50 train from Victoria (9.56 Clapham Junction, 10.06 East Croydon) to Burgess Hill, arriving 10.35.

Buy a day return to Hassocks

 For walk directions click here. For GPX click here

 I have the happiest memories of doing this walk at this time of year in 2015, when the early part across the fields to Ditchling were awash with buttercups. The central part of this walk is then a climb up onto the South Downs, before descending over Wolstonbury Hill to the lowlands again for the final section.

Ways to shorten the walk include:

- Have an early lunch at the Bull in Ditchling, four miles onto the walk, and then once on the downs depart from the walk route and follow the South Downs Way to the Jack and Jill windmills. Descend the downs from there to the village of Clayton and follow a path alongside the railway line to Hassocks. This is a 13.4km (8.3 mile) walk from Burgess Hill. Once up on the downs you are off the walk route but you could probably follow this route pretty easily even without a map.

- Alternatively, continuing on the walk to the Plough in Pyecombe (the recommended lunch stop for the main walk, or a possible tea stop for those who have lunched in Ditchling), and then carrying on beyond it, you find yourself on Wolstonbury Hill, which is on the Hassocks to Upper Beeding walk. Should you a) have a map or b) be familiar with the route of that walk you can reverse its start to Hassocks, making a total walk of 18.8km (11.7 miles).

- Alternatively, continue with the walk route to the pleasant village of Hurstpierpoint, 20.2km (12.6 miles) from the start of the walk. From the war memorial in this village you can get bus no 33 at 4.50pm to Hassocks station, or bus 273 at 4.54pm or 6.13pm. It is otherwise a 2.7km (1.7 mile) walk down the road from Hurstpierpoint to Hassocks and there are some paths that would take you off the road if you have a map. Hurstpierpoint has pubs.

Trains back from Hassocks are at 36 past to Victoria (48 minutes - the fastest option) and 15 and 45 past to St Pancras (the last day of the slow service between East Croydon and Blackfriars before the new Thameslink timetable kicks in tomorrow... but these trains are reasonably fast to East Croydon, taking 40 minutes)
  • Anonymous
    19-May-18

    30 or so walkers on this day of warm sunshine and gentle breezes and lots of buttercups in the fields as promised. Some did the short walk, some the 12 miles and others went for the full monty.

HollieB
HollieB
SWC Walk 108 - Burgess Hill to Hassocks (or Hurstpierpoint)
16.8 miles/26.7km - see below for shorter options

A long almost circular walk via the Sussex Border Path, Sussex Villages, and the South Downs Way ridge from Ditchling Beacon to Wolstonbury Hill.

There are numerous ways to shorten the walk - the simplest being to head straight back to Hassocks after lunch at Pyecombe, this reduces the distance by about a quarter. Or take a short bus journey from Hurstpierpoint to Hassocks to skip the last few miles, this service runs hourly til 16:47.

Trains: Take the 09:12 Brighton (Thameslink) train from London Bridge, arriving at Burgess Hill at 10:01. Return trains from Hassocks are at xx15 and xx45 to St Pancras/Blackfriars (Thameslink), xx36 to Victoria (Southern). Buy a day return to Hassocks - a Thameslink only ticket is the cheapest option.

Lunch: The Plough at Pyecombe, 01273 842796

Hurstpierpoint has several pubs, and by Hassocks station you will find The Hassocks pub and Carol's Café.

Click here for full walk details T=swc.108
  • Anonymous
    10-Mar-17

    Thinking of doing this walk tomorrow. Does anyone know if an off peak or super off peak return to Hassocks will be valid on the 09.12 to Burgess Hill? It seems to be on a different route. Not sure which ticket to get.

  • Anonymous
    13-Mar-17

    20 warm and sunny

    The sun quickly burned through the early morning mist and it continued to shine until evening when it gave way to the rising moon. This was a lovely walk with great views from the downs and varied lowland paths with daffodils, birdsong and regular stretches of very sloppy mud. Most did the full 16.8 miles. Some ate their sandwiches up on the downs while others sat around a tombstone in Pyecombe's churchyard. Some delicious brownies were bought from a table outside someone's house on the way up to the church. A few dined at the Plough. After lunch, three opted for the short route to Hassocks. The fast walkers set off apace and were not seen again. The rearguard of eight completed the route to Hassocks via Hurstpierpoint at a brisk enough pace to catch the 5.15 train to London, all very pleased to have covered the distance.

Chris L
Extra Walk 108 Burgess Hill to Hassocks
Length: 26.7km (16.8 miles) with shorter options. Toughness: 8/10 (less for shorter versions)

09:37 Thameslink Brighton train from London Bridge (East Croydon 09:56) arriving at Burgess Hill at 10:31.
Or 09:32 Southern Brighton train from Victoria arriving at Burgess Hill at 10:28.

A Super Off-Peak Day Return from London Bridge appears to be about half the price of an Off-Peak Day Return from Victoria, but the former is valid only on Thameslink trains.

Return trains from Hassocks to London Bridge are at xx:23 and xx:53 (journey time 57 minutes), and to Victoria at xx:09 (journey time 69 minutes).

This walk takes in a fine stretch of the South Downs with superb views to the north and south as well as some more gentle countryside to the north of the downs, and passes several Sussex landmarks and some delightful villages. There are several options for shortening the walk by between 2 and 4 miles, which are described on the Walk 108 page that also includes the Walk Directions.

The recommended lunch pub is The Plough (01273 842796) in Pyecombe after 8.4 miles. Or you could take an early lunch at The Bull (01273 843147) in Ditchling after 4.2 miles, especially if you’re doing one of the shorter options.
  • 11-Jun-16

    I intend to go.

  • Peter Gibson
    11-Jun-16

    I will be joining this walk

  • 13-Jun-16

    9 on this walk with the weather rain to start then dry and humid . At the start I think most of us were making plans for doing a shortcut as the weather looked to be rainy and the tops of the Downs shrouded in low cloud. However after lunch at the Bull - good portions of fish and chips- the weather brightened up but 5 of the group decided to take a short route back to Hassocks. 4 of us pressed on enjoying the now improving weather but at Wolstonbury Hill I had no real wish to visit Hurstpierpoint and do the big loop back to Hassocks so I descended the hill essentially doing the first part of the Hassocks to Upper Beeding walk in reverse. (How nice to descend this hill after toiling up it numerous times!) to get back to Hassocks for a quick cuppa and the 16.53 train.

    Within the last 4 months new signposts have been put up and the rights of way have been changed in one place making the gpx inaccurate - but not the instructions.

  • Karen
    14-Jun-16

    At least two of us completed the circular. The afternoon cleared up nicely and the very wet morning was a distant memory as we took had a refreshment (or two) in the sunshine outside the the pub next to the station in Hassocks. Took the very crowded 18:23 back to London.

  • Karen
    14-Jun-16

    Correction - obviously not a circular... we did the long walk from Burgess Hill to Hassocks.

Sat, 23-May-15 : Downland and lowlands 20
Walker
Walker
SWC walk 108 - Burgess Hill to Hassocks
Length: various options from 13.4km (8.3 miles) to 26.7km (16.8 miles): see below
Toughness: 6 to 8 out of 10 (mainly due to one big climb onto the downs)

9.12 train from London Bridge (9.25 East Croydon) to Burgess Hill, arriving 10.03

or

9.16 train from Victoria (9.22 Clapham Junction, 9.32 East Croydon) to Burgess Hill, arriving 10.08

London Bridge walkers please wait for the Victoria train before starting!

Buy a day return to Hassocks

 For walk directions click here.

This walk had a truly horrid outing in February due to some of the worst weather I have ever encountered on a Saturday walk. I thought it deserved an outing in better conditions and at a nicer time of year, so am crossing my fingers that the weather today is more clement…

The full walk in the walk document is a very long one, and in February some of us shortened it by starting it from Hassocks. But this time I have a different idea. With everyone starting from Burgess Hill, the normal start, you have a four mile walk across the lowlands to the village of Ditchling, where more relaxed types may like to try The Bull pub for lunch (there is also a nice deli, or there used to be).

Faster walkers can hammer on, climbing up onto the South Downs escarpment by a very scenic path to have lunch at the Plough in Pyecombe, a nice pub with a fine menu, but eight miles into the walk (nevertheless a good few got there in February in reasonable time).

Those who lunched in Ditchling will do the climb onto the South Downs after lunch. Once up there it is relatively easy to depart from the walk route and follow the South Downs Way to the Jack and Jill windmills. descend the downs from there to the village of Clayton and follow a path alongside the railway line to Hassocks. This is a 13.4km (8.3 mile) walk from Burgess Hill. Once up on the downs you are off the walk route but you could probably follow this route pretty easily even without a map, providing conditions are clear.

Alternatively, continuing on the walk 108 route to Pyecombe (a possible tea stop for those who have lunched in Ditchling), and then carrying on beyond it, you find yourself on Wolstonbury Hill, familiar from Book 2, walk 23 Hassocks to Upper Beeding. Should you a) have a map or b) be familiar with the route of that walk you can reverse its start to Hassocks, making a total walk of 18.8km (11.7 miles).

Alternatively, continue with the walk 108 route from Wolstonbury Hill brings you to the pleasant village of Hurstpierpoint, 20.2km (12.6 miles) from the start of the walk. From the war memorial in this village you can get bus no 33 at 4.54pm to Hassocks station. There is no later bus from Hurstpierpoint, but you can either walk another 2.7km (1.7 miles) down the road from Hurstpierpoint to Hassocks station, or walk 1km or so west along the main street of Hurstpierpoint to the village of Albourne and get a no 100 bus from there to Burgess Hill station at 17.45 or 18.43.

Or you can finish the walk as specified to Hassocks, 26.7km (16.8 miles).

 Trains back from Hassocks are at 06 and 38 past the hour to London Bridge and 34 past the hour to Victoria until 19.06, then at 19.40 and 20.12 to Blackfriars and St Pancras, 20.30 to Victoria, 20.40 to Blackfriars and St Pancras (after that check for yourself!): all trains go to East Croydon.




  • Pia Rainey
    18-May-15

    I was in Ditchling last Friday with the Friends of The Courtauld and visited The Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, finalist in Museum of the Year by the ArtFund in 2014. It is a delightful small local museum, next to the church, showing works by local crafts people such as sculptor Eric Gill (as on old BBC building), Edward Johnston (designed typeface for London Underground), printer Hilary Pepler and weaver Ethel Mairet; well worth 30 minutes if you have time to spare. Small cafe with best cakes in 20 miles (no need to pay entry for cafe). lovely shop.

  • 19-May-15

    Intend going (and maybe a little surreptitious walk checking?)

  • Anonymous
    23-May-15

    Saturday 23 May: Burgess Hill to Hassocks. 20 on this walk. Sadly cloudy all day apart from brief sun at lunch but a lovely day out otherwise. May suits this walk, especially the early part to Ditchling which was awash with buttercups and had nice distant views of the downs to start.

    The Bull in Ditchling was friendly and did lunch for about half of us. Menu a bit fancy but the food tasty. The lovely graded climb up onto the downs was sublime. Four peeled off here and went via the Jack and Jill Windmills to Hassocks. Six of us descended to Pyecombe for tea in the pub. Two then went to Hassocks direct, four via Wolstonbury Hill (and a dramatic steep descent down it front) to Hurstpierpoint for another pub stop, then a back path to Hassocks (14 mikes in all).

    This leaves ten unaccounted for who were presumably faster walkers. Did they complete the full 16.8 mike route?

  • cyber
    25-May-15

    In reply to Anonymous question:

    Did they complete the full 16.8 mike (sic) route?

    Indeed I did and it was a lovely walk, especially the 360° view from Wolstonbury hill in the wind and the steep descent afterwards. I missed the 15:38 train back to London Bridge but got the 4:06 one.