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Wivelsfield to Haywards Heath walk

Fine views from the High Weald, the picturesque Sussex village of Cuckfield, and Borde Hill Garden.

West Sussex

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
Sat, 16-Mar-24 Wivelsfield to Haywards Heath - Little white things, four years on.... 28 Sunny in the morning
Sat, 18-Feb-23 Wivelsfield to Haywards Heath 12
Sat, 29-Jan-22 Saturday walk - Wivelsfield to Haywards Heath 20 warm sunny and calm
Sat, 13-Apr-19 Saturday walk - Wivelsfield to Haywards Heath - Wooden Ms, possible early bluebells and a nice tea place 30 overcast and chilly but slowly improving and culminating in warm sunshine
Sat, 14-Apr-18 Saturday walk - Wivelsfield to Haywards Heath - Flower-filled woods of the Weald 16 warm and sunny
Sat, 15-Apr-17 Saturday Walk - Weald, bluebells, a garden tea room
Sat, 26-Mar-16 Saturday Second Walk - Fine views and a nice tea room 11 cloudy with some wind
Sun, 03-May-15 Sunday Walk 2 – Borde Hill Garden in the Sussex Weald
Sat, 06-Sep-14 Wivelsfield to Haywards Heath 20
Walker
Length: 18.7km (11.6 miles), or 14.8km (9.2 miles) with short cuts.

9.35 Thameslink train from London Bridge (9.20 St Pancras, 9.24 Farringdon, 9.29 Blackfriars, 9.49 East Croydon) to Wivelsfield, arriving 10.26. Tip: sit at very back of the train in the (declassified) first class section: nice seats, tables, charging points...
You could also get the 9.24 from Victoria (9.31 Clapham Junction, 9.40 East Croydon), arriving at Wivelsfield at 10.12. T=swc.225
Buy a day return to Wivelsfield. Cheaper "Thameslink only" tickets may be available at London Bridge, St Pancras etc
For walk directions and more details about the walk click here, for GPX click here, for a map of the route click here.
Today happens to be the fourth anniversary of that doleful day when we were first told to "stay at home, save lives" at the start of the Covid pandemic. The walk I had posted for the following Saturday was this one. It obviously did not take place, but better late than never, eh?
My reason for picking the walk then and now is illustrated in the photo - wood anemones, which grow in a number of woods on the route, especially at the start. It is early in the season, so they are unlikely to be out to anything like the extent illustrated - but we did see a surprising number on last week's Ashurst to Eridge outing. One caveat is that they only open up in fine weather: if it is grey, cold or rainy, you may only see tightly closed bells.
Otherwise this is a Wealden walk, which skirts round to the west of Haywards Heath (though you never suspect its proximity), and comes to the substantial village of Cuckfield (pronounced Cookfield) for lunch. There is a pub here, which got good reviews on the last outing, and (at the last check) several cafes. I can't guarantee a convenience store, but there probably is one
Two short cuts, one just before lunch and one just after, reduce the walk length to 9.2 miles, if you wish.
There was once a nice tea room at the entrance to Borde Hill Gardens, mid afternoon, but it is long gone, alas. There is a cafe in the gardens themselves, but only if you pay to go in to them. That leaves the main tea option as the Waitrose next to Haywards Heath station. Bear with me here: it has a nice cafe, with a good range of cakes, and is open till late (the store closes at 9pm at all events). There is a pub nearby.
There is a positive embarassment of trains back to London, the Thameslink ones being at 01, 19, 31 and 49 past, with others in between going to Victoria, and connections on all of them at East Croydon to all other places in the known universe.
  • 15-Mar-24

    The train seems to get in at 10.26 is that right?

  • 15-Mar-24

    Yes. Corrected!

  • 16-Mar-24

    It was me!! I am the guilty party - the one who inveigled 28 other walkers onto this gloop-fest. Reader, it was muddy. Slipping, sliding, slithering and sinking. Leg muscles getting a double workout.

    One walker sprained an ankle in the morning (not sure if mud was a factor, but it probably didn’t help). We hope she suffered no long-lasting effects. She managed to continue to Cuckfield where one of our number kindly drove her to Haywards Heath.

    All this apart, a fine day out. Sunny in the morning , which was a real tonic. And spring is really springing. Blackbirds singing all over, pussy willow catkins out, banks of primroses, and half a dozen chiffchaffs (our first spring migrant bird arrival), making the start of the season official.

    The promised wood anemones were out in reasonable numbers too - the best displays being just after lunch on the main route and on the approach to Haywards Heath. Lots more to come, though.

    For lunch the picknickers had nice benches in the churchyard, with fine views of the South Downs. A number of us squeezed into Tom’s Food (the lucky early arrivals getting tables outside in the sun): very tasty food. I am not sure if any ate at the Talbot, but some certainly had drinks there.

    After lunch eight or nine of us set off to do the short cut, but one persuaded three others of us to revert to the main walk through the woods, which was a good choice as there were many interesting nature things to see there.

    No tea at Borde Hill anymore, alas, and the last bridleway into Haywards Heath was as muddy as ever (though with diversionary side paths). Once in the latter place some went to the pub to watch rugby, while two of us went to the Waitrose cafe, meeting another walker there. This is a very nice place and we sat there happily talking of this and that until booted out at closing time (6pm: 4.30pm Sunday).

Sat, 18-Feb-23 : Wivelsfield to Haywards Heath 12
Dirk
Dirk
t=swc.225

Length: 19km / 12m
Toughness: 4 / 10
Transport: Take the 9:27 from London Bridge, arriving in Wivelsfield at 10:14. There are plenty of return trains from Haywards Heath.

This is a pleasant walk through the countryside to the west of Haywards Heath visiting the charming village of Cuckfield for lunch. The morning leads you through a park north of Wivelsfield and then along quirky footpaths following and crossing streams. In the afternoon the walk passes Borde Hill, a private estate, which has just opened for visitors after its winter break. If you are interested in visiting it you would need to get there by 16:00. There is also a wonderful cafe at its entrance. There are two pub options for lunch in Cuckfield: The Talbot and the White Harte Inn. I haven't eaten in the latter but it looked nice, although small. I would recommend to make a reservation if you want to eat in the White Harte Inn.

  • 19-Feb-23

    I believe 9 off the train, one local and her dog met us on the platform and 2 on a later train made for 12 in total. We set off into the gloom on a grey_overcast_and_somewhat_dark_day_with_occasional_drizzle . The wooded sections were pleasantly dry underfoot and there were signs of spring everywhere, with many clumps of snowdrops, crocuses and birdsong aplenty. It was most enjoyable and far less muddy than one would expect for this time of year. There were some muddier bridleways but most skirted around these. The groups agility skills were tested by a large tree blocking the route, and each had to find their way under, over or around it, which was an interesting challenge and sadly one person toppled over, I hope she is feeling better. The lunch options provided a second challenge, the groups split and those going to the two cafés’ in Cuckfield ended up waiting a long time for their orders, some giving up. Four lunched in the Talbot which was fine and the food came quickly, Sandwicher’s also joined us for drinks there.

    The afternoon sections had many descents to footbridges over streams then a climb back up, which, considering the soft ground made for a tough workout, and I was pretty tired by the time we reached Borde Hill gardens and tearooms. Alas the tearooms are no more; the couple having run it for 30 years now retired. Thus, we continued hungry and tired towards walks end and the cheerful prospect of Haywards Heath (not). Most dashed for the train, but four enjoyed a leisurely tea and cake in the lovely Waitrose café next to the station, taking the 17:35 back to London. Great day out!

PeteG
Wivelsfield to Haywards Heath T=swc.225
Length: 18¾ km (11.6 miles). Short Walk 14¾ km (9.2 miles). 4 out of 10
You start with a rural stretch through the woods and meadows of Bedelands Farm Local Nature Reserve to the picturesque Valebridge Pond. An undulating section through woods and farmland crossed by numerous streams takes you up to the large churchyard of Holy Trinity Church and into the lunchtime village of Cuckfield
Much of the afternoon section is on the High Weald Landscape Trail, a long-distance path through this undulating countryside. A section through a wood managed as a nature reserve takes you up to the neighbouring village of Whitemans Green, where some of the first dinosaur fossils were discovered in its sandstone quarries.
After fine views across the Ouse Valley as you approach Borde Hill Garden, a set of formal gardens and parkland containing a nationally important collection of trees and shrubs, overlooked by an Elizabethan mansion; admission is £9 (2021).
Trains: Get the Thameslink 0935 Brighton train from London Bridge (East Croydon 0949 amongst many joining points) arriving 1025. Get a return to Wivelsfield. Note, that there are no Southern trains running from Victoria this weekend.
Haywards Heath has a frequent service back to London.
Lunch Cuckfiled after 5.6 miles (8.75km) Picnic in the Church or The Talbot (01444-455898) bar/restaurant, which has a small patio area just off the High Street and "does good bar meals"
Tea: Borde Hill Gardens, where Café Elvira open to 5pm. "This large tearoom has a nice back garden and serves a good range of cakes and desserts."

  • 01-Feb-22

    I'm probably not the best person to report the numbers for this walk as I was one of 3 who arrived on later trains and caught up with the others at lunchtime, but I think we were about 14 . It was a warm sunny and calm day, perfect for this scenic walk, which probably deserves to be posted more often. Desite the recently dry weather, there was one notably deep muddy stretch along the morning route so I'd say boots (rather than trainers) are a must for this walk.

  • 01-Feb-22

    15 off the train plus 2 by car plus 3 off later train, so 20

    (5 were new to SWC)

Walker
Length: 14.8km (9.2 miles) to 18.8km (11.6 miles)
Toughness: 5 out of 10. T=3.225

10.11 train from London Bridge (10.31 East Croydon) to Wivelsfield, arriving 11.11.

 You can also get the 10.05 Thameslink train from London Bridge (9.50 St Pancras, 10.19 East Croydon), arriving Wivelsfield at 10.58: if you do this you can buy cheaper "Thameslink-only" tickets, so long as you come back on a Thameslink train from Haywards Heath (see below). What stops me making this the specified train is that it is a Bedford to Brighton service and I don't trust it to run on time. The 10.11 train above is a Southern service which originates at London Bridge.

Buy a day return to Wivelsfield

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

Confession time. I posted this very same walk on the same weekend last year. This is not because I am running out of ideas, but because all my other ideas this week were blocked by engineering works. And this walk was well-received last year, so why am I apologising?

The route gets you straight out into woodland, where there is a good display of wood anemones (I can vouch for this, having been there a week ago). Later in the walk there are some bluebell woods and though they are likely to be at an early stage, you may get a bit of a "blue fuzz" effect.

Otherwise the walk takes you over varied territory to the pretty town of Cuckfield ("Cook-field" apparently) where there are various lunch options. I moaned last year about the White Hart being a bit of a 1970s timewarp, but the walk report spoke favourably of it, so don't listen to me.

The shorter 9.2 mile version of the walk consists of short cuts to both the morning route and the route immediately after lunch, which should allow more relaxed walkers to catch up with their fellows.

In the afternoon you pass the entrance to Borde Hill Gardens, which you could pay to visit, but an even nicer attraction is Elvira's Cafe by the garden gates, a wonderful tea stop.

The last bit of the walk goes through woods into Haywards Heath and cunningly avoids that town's suburban sprawl for as long as possible. I used to say that the environs of Haywards Heath station had nothing to detain anyone, but there is in fact now a rather attractive cafe in the Waitrose next to the station. I don't know its opening hours but the store is open till 9pm.

Trains back from Haywards Heath all go to London Bridge today, due to engineering works on the line into Victoria. The 14 and 44 past are Southern services, taking 45 minutes and the 01 and 32 past are also Southern but take 55 minutes. The Thameslink trains are at 16 and 47 past and take 50 minutes.
  • Anonymous
    10-Apr-19

    Full walk is 11.7 miles.

  • 11-Apr-19

    Sorry: corrected

  • David
    13-Apr-19

    Thirteen walkers caught the overcrowded Thameslink service from London Bridge, to be joined by another fourteen on the later, but quieter, Southern service, so 27 in all. The weather was initially overcast and chilly but slowly improving and culminating in warm sunshine . The walk itself is quite undulating, but with no steep gradients. It probably merits a 5 rating because of its relatively high number of stiles, one of which was completely broken. The sight of walkers crawling under the fence on all fours or trying to straddle it would have been a hit on You've Been Framed, but no-one was enterprising enough to film it. Four sandwich eaters chose the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church to have lunch and then joined others at the White Harte where, we were informed, a number of walkers had come and gone (presumably to The Talbot). Early bluebells and wood anemones were spotted en route in several locations, as well as some daffodils near the tea stop. Three of us stopped at Café Elvira, while others pressed on to Haywards Heath. If anyone knows the exact location of the broken stile, please post on the website and I'll report it to Mid Sussex District Council.

  • Anonymous
    15-Apr-19

    Just to add to the previous walk report, 30 , in fact, 27 on 'official trains' plus 1 on an earlier train (who met the group at the Talbot) and two on a later train (they met the group at Cafe Elvira). 8 ate at The Talbot - quite nice ambience, but food were basic, several sandwichers also joined for drinks at Talbot. 5 ate at the cafe. At least 12 others had tea in Cafe Elvira. People were catching different trains back from Haywards Heath but the last group just after 6pm.

Walker
Length: 18km (11.2 miles) T=3.225
Toughness: 5 out of 10

9.42 train from St Pancras International Thameslink platforms (9.52 Blackfriars, 10.19 East Croydon) to Wivelsfield, arriving 10.53

OR

9.50 Brighton-bound train from Victoria (9.56 Clapham Junction, 10.06 East Croydon) to Burgess Hill, changing there (arriving 10.35, departing 10.49) to Wivelsfield, arriving 10.53. The sharp-eyed will have spotted that you can change to the Thameslink train at either East Croydon or Burgess Hill, but the Burgess Hill change is probably slightly easier.

 OR

9.50 (Tattenham Corner train) from London Bridge to East Croydon, arriving 10.06, changing there for the 10.19 Thameslink train to Wivelsfield as above

 Buy a day return to Wivelsfield. For those travelling from St Pancras or Blackfriars there may still be bargain cheap Thameslink-only fares available, so long as you stick to Thameslink trains on your return. Make the most of these as they will likely not survive the introduction of the exciting new Thameslink timetable in May **

For walk directions click here, for GPX click here.

I have chosen this walk because in the past I have recorded it as good for wood anemones and also bluebells: the latter will only just be starting, if at all: the former should be at their height. The best effect is if the weather is warm when the "wooden ms" open up fully.

Otherwise this is a pleasant Wealden walk. Lunch is in Cuckfield, one of those towns that was bypassed by the railway and hence now has olde world charm. Last time I did this walk I found the "unprepossessing" White Harte a positive 1970s timewarp (note to younger walkers: not a compliment!): I would not be surprised to learn that it has since been moved in its entirety to a museum. But to be fair it did feed us. There is also a posher pub, the Talbot, and several tea rooms as an alternative.

In the afternoon you are on the High Weald Landscape Trail, with some nice views at times, and you pass Borde Hill Garden, which you can visit for a fee: perhaps more to the point, there is a very nice tea place, Elvira's, by its entrance. Otherwise the walk ending is in suburban Haywards Heath, about which one would formerly have had to say that it had no nice tea options. But now there is a whopping big Waitrose by the station with a really very attractive cafe at the front. I am not sure of cafe opening hours, but the store is open till 9pm.

Trains back from Haywards Heath are very frequent: 14 and 44 past to Victoria, 26 and 56 past to Blackfriars and St Pancras, and 17 and 48 past to London Bridge. The Blackfriars (and London Bridge?) trains are the Thameslink ones.

** If you take the Thameslink train back and ride on it from East Croydon to Blackfriars, look out the window and enjoy the experience as it dawdles along, seemingly outside spacetime altogether in some parallel universe of its own, because from May ALL OF THIS WILL BE JUST A MEMORY and there will be lots and lots and lots of fast trains from East Croydon to London Bridge and St Pancras and even Finsbury Park as the new "Thameslink 2000" service comes in, only a couple of decades behind schedule. London Bridge travellers, awake: the long night is (nearly) over!!!
  • 14-Apr-18

    16 plus one well behaved dog on this walk on a beautiful warm and sunny day. What a joy to be walking under blue rather than grey skies, though we still had to contend with the mud, of which there was plenty, of both the slippery and gloopy varieties - and the sticky version. Plenty of wood anemones, celandines and primroses, and some wild garlic, some of which was in bud. We even came across some bluebells which were just beginning to flower. And there were buzzards in the sky above which made a nice change from red kites.

    About half of our number visited the White Harte at lunchtime, either for food or a drink. It suspect that it has not much changes from Walker's visit, but it was friendly enough and the food that it served up, though unprepossessing was well received (the person in front of me at the bar ordered double egg and chips which immediately resolved any dilemma over what I was going to eat - I loved every dunked chip of it). And the Badger beer was very nice to.

    Two of our number reportedly decided that they had had enough of mud plugging and decided to bail out and explore Cuckfield instead. And those of us who set out as a group from the White Harte resolved to take both of the afternoon's short cuts for the same reason. I left them trailing behind after the first one so can't report on their progress, but I made it to Haywards Heath in time to visit the Waitrose café for supplies (which had a far better selection of cakes than the station kiosks) and catch the 15.56 back to St Pancras.

    Mud aside, it was a fine day out.

Walker
SWC walk 225 - Wivelsfield to Hayward's Heath
Length: 18km (11.2 miles) - or 14.8km (9.2 miles) with shortcuts
Toughness: 5 out of 10

9.40 (Brighton-bound) train from St Pancras Thameslink or 9.51 from Blackfriars (10.19 East Croydon) to Wivelsfield, arriving 10.53

OR catch the 9.53 (Hastings-bound) train from London Bridge and change at East Croydon (arrive 10.10, depart 10.19) for the above train

Buy a day return to Wivelsfield.

For walk directions click here.

Bluebells are definitely coming out. Whether they will be at their best this weekend I rather doubt, but there certainly is a chance of some good displays.

This walk has never previously been done as a bluebell walk, I think, but I noted several good potential sites for them when we did it in late March 2016, both near the start and just after lunch. There were also some wood anemone woods - starting to fade now but hopefully not yet gone entirely.

For lunch Cuckfield offers several options, but last year we found the "unprepossessing" White Harte a bit of a 1970s timewarp, with cuisine to match. The "relatively expensive" Talbot might therefore be worthing looking at, or one of the town's tea rooms

Otherwise this is a gentle and varied Wealden walk, with the added bonus of a nice tea stop - a cafe next to Borde Hill Gardens, which you may also care to visit and which are open till 6pm. The last section is through woods (which should have lovely fresh greenery) to the centre of Hayward's Heath. - disappointingly suburban, but with very frequent trains (every 10-15 minutes) up to London.
T=3.225

  • 13-Apr-17

    bluebells explained: http://theconversation.com/bloomageddon-seven-clever-ways-bluebells-win-the-woodland-turf-war-74086

Walker
SWC Walk 225 - Wivelsfield to Hayward's Heath
Length: 18km (11.2 miles)
Toughness: 5 out of 10

9.52 train from Blackfriars (9.40 St Pancras International, 9.45 Farringdon, 10.19 East Croydon) to Wivelsfield, arriving 10.53.

Alternatively get the 9.53 from London Bridge to East Croydon, changing there (arrive 10.10, depart 10.19) to the above service - but see ** below.

 Buy a day return to Wivelsfield. If you take the Blackfriars train and make sure to take a Thameslink train back from Haywards Heath (see below) you may be able to get a cheaper Thameslink-only ticket, but you will probably have to buy this from a Thameslink ticket machine or a ticket office. ** Note that the connecting train from London Bridge shown above is NOT a Thameslink service - but the 9.42 from London Bridge to East Croydon, arriving 9.55 is Thameslink.

 For walk directions click here.

 I have long had my eye on this walk which explores the pleasant southern end of the Weald, striking north to Cuckfield, a village with several possible lunch places.

In the afternoon it then follows the High Weald Landscape Trail, with fine views to Borde Hill Garden. This is is open, if anyone wants to pay the £9 entry, but its chief merit otherwise is that it has a nice tea room outside of it, open to non-visitors. The walk ends in the rather uninspiring commuter town of Haywards Heath, whose tea options are the station cafe or a Starbucks in a Sainsbury's.

Trains back from Hayward's Heath are numerous, but Thameslink services (if you are on a cheaper Thameslink only ticket) are at 26 and 56 to Blackfriars and St Pancras, and 17 past to London Bridge: all these trains go to East Croydon.
  • 28-Mar-16

    11 braved poor weather forecasts to do this walk. In fact it was just cloudy with some wind . Nice terrain, particularly just beyond Wivelsfield and near Borde Hill. Lots of bluebell-woods-to-be and lots of wood anemones to come too: a few of these out but most just peeping above the duvet. Two bemused pigs enjoyed our company at one point as we walked through their wooded enclosure (we later decided we had mistaken the path slightly and should have been on the other side of the fence).

    Most of us had lunch at the "unpreposessing" pub (the White Hart?). Two went to the other pub and I immediately wished I had joined them, as our pub was a 1970s time warp with transport cafe food. In the afternoon some did short cuts, but six of us finished the full walk. Discussion about whether to have tea at Borde Hill as the weather was worsening, but the five of us who did had nice nosh and despite kitting up in the expectation of heavy rain and gales on the 4km walk to Haywards Heath, we actually had neither. Having geared up to expect lots of suburbia I was also surprised how green this last bit of the walk was, albeit that the bridleway was very muddy.

Sean
Extra Walk 225 – Wivelsfield to Haywards Heath
Length: 18 km (11.2 miles), with shorter options. Toughness: 5/10

09:42 Brighton train (Thameslink) from London Bridge (East Croydon 09:56), changing at Haywards Heath (arr 10:28, dep 10:38) for Southern's service to Ore, arriving Wivelsfield at 10:42. Buy a day return to Wivelsfield.

Or you can take the Ore train direct from Victoria at 09:47 (Clapham Jct 09:53, East Croydon 10:03), but the advantage of the Thameslink train is that you can get a much cheaper "FCC only" ticket from London Bridge.

The Thameslink trains don't stop at Wivelsfield on Sundays which is why you have to change at Haywards Heath. If necessary, get a return to the next station (Burgess Hill), which is the same fare. Even if a hard-hearted Southern ticket inspector insists on an extra ticket for the four-minute hop to Wivelsfield, you'll still be better off.

Returning from Haywards Heath, "FCC only" ticket-holders have Thameslink services to London Bridge at 03 & 33 minutes past the hour, while others can also take Southern services to Victoria at 11, 27 & 41 minutes past.

This walk starts in the Low Weald and gradually works its way up to the attractive village of Cuckfield on the southern edge of the High Weald, where there are fine views back to the South Downs. After a lunch stop in one of the town's pubs or cafés much of the afternoon is on the High Weald Landscape Trail, this time with equally fine views to the north across the Ouse Valley. The tea stop is a pleasant café outside Borde Hill Garden; if you might want to visit the garden, download a 2-for-1 voucher from the train companies' Days Out Guide and pair up to get in for half price. The final leg into Haywards Heath is rather less appealing and you won't find much there to detain you before the journey back.

You'll need to print the directions from the Extra Walk 225 page. There are short cuts for both the morning and afternoon legs if you want to leave more time for visiting Borde Hill Garden.