TWO WALKS FROM OUR DOOR
No car, no drama — both of these start and finish at the pub, and we’re under an hour from London Bridge by train. Boots by the fire and a table waiting when you get back.
The half-hour leg stretch — Eridge Rocks
About 1.5 miles there and back · Roughly 30–40 minutes · Easy going
A short wander to one of Sussex’s best-kept secrets: the towering sandstone outcrops of Eridge Rocks, hidden in the woods less than a mile from our door.
From the pub, take the lane opposite that passes under the A26, then pick up the signed bridleway (Cycle Route 21) climbing gently beside the main road. Where the trees open at a lay-by, look for the metal fieldgate on the left and follow the woodland path away from the road. In about ten minutes it brings you to the nature reserve’s little car park — and from there the path runs right along the base of the rocks, level and shaded, for as far as you fancy before turning for home.
The reserve is cared for by the Sussex Wildlife Trust — please keep dogs close around the rocks, as rare ferns and mosses grow on them.
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The rambler — Forge Valley & Harrison’s Rocks
About 3.5 miles there and back · A little over an hour · Moderate, muddy in winter
A longer, flatter-than-you’d-think ramble to Harrison’s Rocks, the sandstone crags where generations of British climbers learned their craft.
Walk the 100 yards to the station, turn right, then right again into Forge Road, and simply follow the lane north with the railway for company — past the ponds, with the station platforms behind you. After about a mile the lane ends at Forge Farm: turn towards the oast house, cross the level crossing (two lines — the steam railway, then the main line), and pick up the footpath ahead through Birchden Forge. Keep going with the railway embankment on your right and you’ll reach the signed gate for Harrison’s Rocks. Watch the climbers at work for a while, then turn for home and the well-earned bit.
Keep dogs on leads near the crags — the drops are real and unfenced. Take care on the level crossing, and expect mud in the valley after rain.
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Want a full day of it? The Saturday Walkers Club’s Eridge Circular (10 miles) starts and finishes at the station next door, taking in Groombridge, Harrison’s Rocks, Broadwater Warren and Eridge Rocks in one glorious loop.
Muddy boots and dogs are always welcome. Walk first, eat well after, doze on the train home.