Pease Pottage to Steyning Walk

to do

History

Club walks since April 2015, and a summary which goes back to Jan 2010.

Date Option Post # Weather
Sat, 23-May-26 Map walk - Pease Pottage to Steyning 2 hot day
SWC Map walk #433 - Pease Pottage to Steyning
Length: 40.6 km (25.2 miles). Toughness: 3/10
    Various options to shorten the walk finishing:
  • At Crabtree after 15.5km.
  • At Cowfold after 20km.
  • At Partridge Green after 24.9km.
  • At Henfield after 28.5km
  • For the above endings. Catch the 17 bus to Horsham railway station (hourly service)
Catch the 9:00 from London Bridge (East Croydon 9:17) arrives Horley 9:47 to catch the #20 at 10:06 (from the bus stop outside the main station entrance) to Pease Pottage, Woodgate. arr. 10:43 (If walking on to Steyning buy a return to Burgess Hill and, if you end up taking bus to Shoreham-by-Sea, buy a single from Shoreham to Burgess Hill.)
This is a map based walk - it is preferable to have the gpx on your smartphone / gpx device. This is the 3rd stage (of 5) of a walk from Robertsbridge to South Harting, inspired by Hilaire Belloc's walk undertaken in 1902, and detailed in his book The Four Men: A Farrago. Sections of the route taken in 1902 were along "cart tracks" which are now roads. Consequently the route taken varies slightly from the 1902 route, but it does pass by sights and villages and pubs detailed in the book. The full third section is from Pease Pottage to Steyning, although there are convenient drop out points along the way (listed above).
Belloc took four days to complete the walk from Robertsbridge to South Harting, so we are already behind. Friday 30th October 1902: Having set off early for Ardingly stopped at ‘The (black) Swan Inn’ Pease Pottage for some ale. Then onto St. Leonards Forest and Shelley Plain, Leonards Lee, Crabtree Inn, Crabtree and arrived just after 3pm at Little Cowfold. South towards Henfield to stop at an inn for a meal. After which Ashurst Road to spend the night in a barn [Sent out to ‘Fountain Inn’, Ashurst for bread, cheese and Steyning ale]
  • May-26

    A hot day for the2 of us on this walk. After lunch at the Crabtree further on stopped at Partridge Green 16 miles into the walk for a refreshing drink, by which time I'd decided to quit due to the heat - no regrets as my fellow walker continued onto Steyning.