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Walk of the month:Brightling Circular |
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To tie-in with our feature on Mad Jack Fuller (p20) we take a tour of his famous follies around the village of Brightling. There are three follies en route, so leave extra time to explore. Quite a lot of the way is wooded but there are also open fields and quiet country lanes. You might even get to watch a game of cricket along the way, or meet a friendly sheep as we did! Easy walking mostly following routes marked on the 1:25,000 OS Explorer Map Sheet 124 (Bexhill & Hastings). |
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| 1. You can’t miss the first folly in the churchyard – Jack’s Pyramid Mausoleum - beneath which he is buried. Walk downhill away from the church, leaving it and the pyramid behind on your right, towards Brightling Park. At the junction signposted to Robertsbridge, pass through galvanised kissing gate on the left of the road ahead and into a field. Cross the field at the left fence and at other end, pass through small gate. Follow path across the field ahead. Don’t pass through wooden gate at waymarker - turn right to follow the field edge. Turn left through first gate you come to and head towards the second folly - The Tower - in a copse of trees. You can climb to the top for a novel view of the countryside. 2. With the folly behind you and gate you entered field through now on your right, head down slope towards the gate onto road. Over stile and turn right onto the road for a few steps, then turn left at the entrance to Ox Lodge, down a stony bridleway. Continue along this unmade road, between lake on left and pond on right. Pass the cricket ground on the right. If you want to take a detour to the third folly – the Rotunda Temple – turn right at the farm buildings you come to on right. You’ll see it ahead on a small hill. Rumour has it Fuller held some rather wild parties here. Retrace your steps back to the stony path. Continue ahead until the path forks. 3. Stay right at the fork. As you come to an opening in the trees on right, turn back to glance the temple. Ignore turnings and side paths and continue along the main route through the woods. Path was muddy even after a dry-spell. As you exit woods, head for the fjord and footbridge on the left. Cross it and turn left, up the hill alongside the woods. Follow the path as it leaves edge of wood and past a house and other buildings on the right. When the path forks, stay right. Pass through opening in hedgerow and don’t miss the next bit: half-way across the field, change direction to head right towards the stone cottage. There is a footpath sign on the other side of the field by a fence, but when we were walking it was hidden by long grass. 4. Climb over the fence and follow the path to the road. Turn right downhill along country lane. Pass parking area beneath row of cottages on left and at the second parking area, turn left off the road. Take left fork of the bridleway into Darwell Wood. At first fork, stay right. Soon after this fork, turn left at a marker for a bridleway. |
There’s a fallen tree a way in, across the path. As the path bends back on itself, there are two paths on the left. Take the first, which is drier – the second is a bridleway. Follow the path through the wood. Ignore the blue bridleway arrow on the left. As you come out of the trees, cross the bridge over the pipe – this is a conveyorbelt linking Mountfield and Brightling Gypsum Mines. 5. Take note: have a careful look at your map – it’s easy to go wrong here! Once you’ve crossed bridge onto unmade road, IGNORE the blue sign ahead and right marking a path through trees. Stay on the unmade road, and take the obvious right fork of main route (the other follows the conveyorbelt). Cross Darwell Stream and immediately after, at a blue marker, turn right. The path takes you right through the wood, over a footbridge, up a slope. Continue on this main path. You’ll reach a road – Kent Lane. Turn left to continue the walk, or take a detour to the right if you want to glimpse the reservoir. 6. Continue on this quiet country lane until you reach the hamlet of Hollingrove. Stay left at the road junction following the sign towards Netherfield. Walk through the pretty hamlet. Another tricky turning: turn right into a stony driveway just before Reading Room Cottage. It is the entrance to
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