I'm still trying to work out the official route. Hopefully I will by the time I get to Battle.

Not expecting to write this report, I did not count exactly, but 13 or so on this walk - or at least at the start of it. But maybe five almost immediately disappeared, apparently to do one of the circular walks via Bodiam (was it something we said?)

The rest were taken on a slight shortcut by yours truly to the best corner of the first wood for wood anemones. But oh what a falling off was there, my friends! In the week or so since I was last there, the wooden ms had all gone over. Thereafter on this wood anemone walk of all wood anemone walks, which normally leaves one begging never to see another wood anemone ever again by its end, we saw only a few scattered ones that had not got the memo. It was like sailing the Atlantic after the Titanic had sunk. (Mixed metaphors, and this is all getting far too laboured - Ed)

But the sun shone and it was warm and springy, and who could be downhearted? There was lots else to see. Good showings of bluebells in places, a fair scattering of orange tip butterflies, celandines still at their best, the eye-aching bright green of the new foliage, nuthatches piping away. We were a friendly, chatty group, covering all sorts of interesting topics. (Hell, at times we even talked about the birdsong…)

Our walk poster drove us pitilessly forward to the later lunch stop. Five of us ate here in the garden in glorious warm sunshine, with our own personal blackbird fluting away overhead. The food was a bit of a boar. Wild boar stew, in fact, which four of us had, discussing whether it really counted as vegan. I asked the lass behind the bar if the boar was really wild and she assured me that she herself had had terrifying encounters with tuskers in the nearby wood. (Good sales patter, if nothing else…)

After lunch our walk poster took us on a variant ending, taking in said wood (no tuskers seen) and a very close pass of a sewage farm (what is that green stuff that grows on the poo tanks?). We rejoined the main route for its lovely approach to Battle. There we found a pub with a littie patio where we could squeeze in a little more of the sunshine. Tea was served in magnificent great pots.

On the way to the station we saw an even better pub with an even bigger patio which we vowed to remember next time (but almost certainly won’t). Absent friends with an astronomical bent might like to note that we did NOT get supplies for the train….

Those who went on to Bodiam did so because they thought the walk went via Bodiam, as I did. They have walked with SWC before.

There was a problem with the walk decription leaving Staplecross on the B2165. As the exit shown on GPS is not the exit required. This is about 50 yards or so further on where a stile is crossed. This was verified by others on the walk.

I didn't see any Wooden Enemies either. Everyone was quite friendly.

3 met at Robertsbridge station, and found we were following the downloaded gps route, as the instructions said. I was using my paper map.

It was a beautiful Weald walk, with good, although overcast weather, until the last hour when it rained a little. We walked the last hour in the dark, and was very slippery.

We had arrived at the Castle Inn, in Bodium for lunch at 2.31 and they could not serve us food as were busy. We went back to the National Trust cafe, and they stop serving food at 2.30,so we all had a cream tea

We arrived in Robertsbridge station at 17.15,so just missed the train.

I enjoyed two pints of Harveys best in the Ostrich.

We counted up the miles and it was 13 miles.

Note: The Ostrich, closes at 6pm on a Sunday, presumably in the winter. They serve a roast until 4pm.

We somehow missed the 8.7 mile version of the walk.

3 overcast with rain late

Intend going.

3 off the train. Quite a while since I last walked this route; sunny and calm all day. A few sheep grazing in a fenced off section of the cemetery at Holy Trinity Church Hurst Green; leisurely lunch at The Royal George PH; Salehurst Halt PH open and thriving and what looks like a fairly new and solidly built FB bridge soon after.

In summary -- a great success and perfect Sunday -- enjoyed by 9 walkers and 1 small dog in warm cloudy clearing to sunny conditions . This walk is accurately described as the best wood anemone walk in the SE and the little darlings did not disappoint. They popped up in large and small numbers throughout the walk in the woods, on the verges and in some fields! In many places, we they were mixed with a good showing of early bluebells already casting their blue haze and gently perfuming the woodland and some lingering daffs and celandines. A number of blossoming trees were added to the mix to make this a very enjoyable and relaxed outing! Group cohesion was good most of the day with 6 having lunch in the first pub and the 3 picnickers patiently waiting for us outside -- on reaching the second pub, three carried on direct to Battle, while 6 enjoyed tea or stronger stuff in the sunny garden of the Queen's Head before the final push into Battle where 5 of us headed direct to the 19:07 and one went to explore the town. A fine day out in good company!

The 9.25 train has been cancelled.

The 10:25 is running - I'll meet it at Robertsbridge at 11:36

Hi Brian

See you Robertsbridge 1136

Bob

As per last message it seems there is a 0955 from London Bridge arriving Robertsbridge 1059.dep Tonbridge 1032,so if all goes well will be at Robertsbridge 1059

OK, 10:59 it is. Bob?

Yes now on train

Anyone on the 10:25?

Due to the cancelled train, 5

decided to catch the 09:38 to Sevenoaks

do the Sevenoaks Circular instead.

cloudy ,brisk_wind,occasional_rain-showers

Thanks to the cancelled 09:25, the London cohort opted for Sevenoaks, although, at the last minute, SouthEastern trains arranged for the fast 09:55 to stop at Robertsbridge, where one alighted to meet one waiting , so2 on this very muddy but rewarding walk under overcast but occasionally blue skies . We had to divert south just past the abbey due to flooding (there was a lot of it about) so my GPS recorded 7.2 miles when we arrived at the warm and welcoming National Trust tearoom at Bodiam. We bought a pot of tea and ate our sandwiches. On the return leg, we went off on a frolic of our own, slightly shortening the approach to Salehurst via Higham House. Dusk was falling (as well as some rain) as we arrived back at Robertsbridge and we felt we'd earned our pints of Harvey's Sussex Best at The Ostrich. Recorded distance was 12.2 miles, which, even allowing for our diversions, makes me wonder whether 8.7 miles is really accurate? Anyway, as always with the SWC, a good walk in good company.

5+2= 7

Intend going

Don't know about wood anemones, but to whet Walker's appetite I spotted my first bluebells of the year this morning on a sheltered bank alongside a bridleway just outside of Chorleywood. A taste of things to come ...

Despite today’s cold wind, a good number of wood anemones are open in my local woods, so cross fingers for tomorrow….

18 on this walk (Robertsbridge to Battle) on a mostly sunny day. OK, there was a nippy north breeze at times and some “envious cloud”, but layers came off and out of the wind it felt very springlike.

I burble on about the wood anemones on this walk, but they really do live up to all the hype. Today they were at their absolute best (note to future walk posters: but often that is not true until mid April). Early in the walk they were still closed up into little bells, but they relaxed as the day went on and by the time we got to Killingan Wood just before Seddlescombe they were literally a star attraction. The wood was absolutely carpeted with them, so it almost looked like it had been snowing (see Facebook for photos…).

I saw my first speckled wood butterfly early in the walk and was Johnny-no-mates for a good while thereafter, as everyone else streaked off. But that left me time to notice all the signs of spring: primroses, some early stitchwort, a green fuzz starting to appear on some of the trees, carolling chiffchaffs.

Luckily a few had decided to stop at the early pub in Staplecross, so I caught up with them there. We ate in the garden, a bit chilly until we moved a table into the shelter of the fence. Food OK, service reasonably swift: a bit of a locals place, but friendly enough.

Stopping there turned out to be a good decision, as those who went on to lunch at the Rose & Crown in Sedlescombe found it shut for a function. My bad. Clearly as walk poster I should have checked this. I will set up an enquiry to find out whose fault it was that I didn’t do this and report back on its results in six months time. Luckily Sedlescombe has a shop where those affected could buy provisions.

After Staplecross, we early lunchers split into two parties for a while, one group doing the normal route and surviving the frisky horses and snappy locals. The other group (me) checking the alternative route and finding it fine, though possibly now superfluous. We then took a slight shortcut to avoid the now unnecessary descent into Seddlescombe village.

The rest of the walk into Battle was pretty and uneventful. We met some of the late (non) lunchers at the Bull Inn, and the last of us got the 18.45 train, armed with suitable supplies. Really a very nice day out. If there is a heaven, I hope it is something like this.

We saw an orchid! An early purple orchid (orchis mascula) in a wood at what is now a secret location. Looked like a purple hyacinth. @Stargazer spotted it. And some common spotted orchids later, but not in flower. A beautiful walk.

Sorry but I'm struggling with the map view of this walk - the main walk shown appears to go to Battle. Is that option 2.20b? Or a combination of that and the main walk? Is the start of the short walk the red line that goes straight to Bodlam? Sorry if I'm being obtuse

Thanks

Sandy

going to be doing the short walk option

The map is a bit complicated isn’t it. Reckon you take the red line to Bodiam and the green line back through Salehurst

OK, thanks

2 of us Intend going but have no printing facilities currently so will be relying upon others to lead the way. Hopefully route sorted now.

10 walkers all did the very pretty short walk and enjoyed Sunday lunches and drinks at the Castle Inn on the terrace as inside tables were fully occupied by a party of 24 and hoards of children all sitting in the black painted interior. 5 of us went in a walk around Bodiam castle and visited the tiny exhibition before heading for Robertsbridge station via the large church. Quite a bit of tarmac walking but the orchards were nice some with ridiculously red apples tasting really sweet. Sadly we were too late to have tea in the lovely tropical garden of the Ostrich hotel and pub opposite the station but the earlier group did and it’s highly recommended. All of caught the 5.14 train home but once again my bus home from Richmond was diverted away from Kew Bridge due to an accident so I arrived home at 8pm after a ridiculously lengthy detour lasting an extra 45mins via the A316 and A4. Whew 3 hours in transit for a walk is just unbearable. Hoping for shorter journeys in our winter program.

10

The train down was rammed. All apart from the last carriage which was empty. An earlier train cancellation might have been the reason, or perhaps a fool was giving fifty pound notes away in Tunbridge Wells High Street. Whatever, I think the days of near empty trains are over.

13 on this walk, plus a whippet-spaniel cross, who walked (or ran) six times further than the rest of us. At last we could walk in a big happy group and not have to split into groups of six! Except we all fragmented into subgroups anyway: this is the SWC after all.

Partly this was because three decided to do the short walk. Partly it was because a sizeable portion of the rest of us went the wrong way after the railway line and ended up doing the Hurst Green alternative. In the said village one newbie on our walks detected on Google Maps a possible pub not previously known to science, but we avoided that and carried on. On the next section there was a mass revolt and everyone sat down in the fields to eat their sandwiches. My stomach was now rumbling and so I joined them, even though I had promised the newcomer (who did not have a packed lunch with him) that I would go with him to the Waterside Cafe. I then promised I would pass by the cafe later to pick him up. But the getting to the cafe proved to involve a 220 metres diversion up a busy road, so I did not do that either. What can I say, except that I am a moral degenerate?

Going the Hurst Green route meant we didn’t do the X Factor bit. The X Factor was supposed to be some wild garlic woods. I didn’t want to say this in the walk post so as not to encourage foragers. But most of the wild garlic we did see was over anyway.

The weather was showery . But the showers were fairly short and there was some sun in between. In one shower most of the group I was with failed to make a right turn or to hear our shouts and whistles, so just two of us carried on alone to Bodiam, where we had tea in the tea room and then went to see the steam train arrive. Bodiam station was closed, but they let us into the platform to see the train arrive. They had set up a tea stall purely to cater for the train passengers, who only spent ten minutes on the station while the train turned around. It seemed rude not to have another tea, so we did. I carefully positioned myself to take a great video of the train departing in clouds of steam - except I forgot to press the record button, so my smooth camera panning went for nothing.

Approaching Salehurst we ran into the short walkers and also the newcomer, who took his earlier desertion cheerfully, and we learned that some had lunched in the Castle Inn in Bodiam, which I had completely forgotten to check when passing it. I forgot to mention that in Bodiam we also saw the party that had got lost, so they obviously recovered from their mistake. They took the river ending: we went to see the steam train and then took the main route.

In Robertsbridge we went to the cosy Ostrich, which was busier than I have ever seen it. We met one other walker. Several got the 7.14 train and two of us got the 8.14 - I was surprised it was so late. Presumably other walkers got the 6.14.

It felt very strange going in to the Ostrich without a face mask. Generally not the most photogenic of walks, apart from the picture postcard Bodiam Castle that I'd never seen before.

23 on this walk in very mild bright sunshine . Very muddy, even the high grasslands were so sodden we sank inches into the soil. Some fallers. Some who did the alternative riverside return from Bodiam reported a collapsed bridge, necessitating a scramble down into a ravine (mysteriously dry) and up again the other side. On the outward leg, the river had formed a lake which covered the riverside path. We skirted it by going up the avenue of the Bruderhof community, who raised no objection. Most lunched at The Castle Inn, Bodiam which seems to have met with general approval.. A lovely walk which felt like a good 15 miles, though in reality it was only 8.7!

It was a bright spring day with lots of sunshine. Well, somewhere it was. On this walk there was a lot of cold grey murk which eventually broke up to white sky sunny intervals in the afternoon , by which time it was almost warm. So not a bad day in the end.

It was warm enough for the wood anemones to open up, and there were certainly enough of them to satisfy any enthusiasm. There must be more of them on this walk than on all other SWC walks put together. Killingan Wood, the star attraction (if you will forgive the pun) certainly did not disappoint, with acres of the little blighters, plus a definite blue fuzz of bluebell shoots that augurs well for next week. Nuthatch song filled the air there, and if anyone noticed there was also an abundance of hornbeam, covered in golden catkins and fresh green leaf, throughout this walk. It is a tree only really found in the south east in this country, so it was interesting to see such a concentration of it.

24 of us set off on this walk, including some newbies, who we hope enjoyed their day. Talk of early lunches was soon scotched and the Queen’s Head was set as our lunchtime target, which we reached about 1.30. They were very friendly and set aside a whole room for us.

After lunch the majority seemed happy to stick to the standard walk, with the promise of tea in Battle, which I hope was fulfilled. I know at least one got there early enough to visit Battle Abbey and the 1066 battle site. Five of us, in contrast, set off to do an extended route to a vineyard, passing through another immense wood of anemones. The vineyard turning out to be closed or not open to the public, we headed south to hook up with the normal walk route and enjoy a well-timed burst of sun as we descended through oilseed rape fields in near full flower, before the final climb to Battle. There we refuelled in the cosy Abbey Hotel, learned that a horse had won the Grand National and that its owner was thrilled, and then got the 7.07 train home, fortified by traditional refreshments of the grape variety.

28 on this walk, with an equally large Meet-Up group also on the platform at Robertsbridge. They were doing a similar but not identical walk and we only tangled up with them once mid-morning. Each member of that party, we calculated, had paid £10 on top of the train fare for the walk once you took into account group discounts. A nice little earner for someone.

It was a long while since I had done this walk and I was surprised by its variety and interest. Nice dry ground after the recent sun and pleasant views at times. Primroses were coming out in several places and wild garlic shoots were appearing in the woods. Over an arable field two larks were singing. The weather was pleasant, brightish cloud and some sun , enabling some to walk in shirtsleeves for a time, though with a cold wind and greyer skies towards the end.

With so large a group (and no “trained mountain leader”) we inevitably got a bit spread out, but many, I think, had lunch at the Waterside Cafe, leaving generous amounts of mud on their floor. The food choice was good but we quickly exhausted it, consuming first all the fish and chips and then all the vegan curry. Everything came very fast.

It was three miles after lunch to Bodiam, where lots of us had tea at outside tables at the (new?) cafe by the castle moat but some went to the pub. It was still only 3.30pm so nearly all pressed on to Robertsbridge, one getting the bus.

We let the 17.14 train go to have a drink in the Ostrich and then caught the 17.44, with the traditional wine, nachos and hummus to smooth our passage home.

This comment has been removed by the author.

A select few on this walk - 2 got off the train to be met by 1 at Robertsbridge station. All 3 set off eastwards under a damp and leaden sky towards Bodiam, along a mixture of tarred roads, muddy fields and forest tracks. Mostly mud.

We had a warm and friendly welcome at the National Trust tearooms at Bodiam Castle, (the toilets were warm, the staff were friendly) where the picnic lunchers were allowed to eat indoors on purchase of a hot drink (and a delicious coconut and fruit flapjack) before we set off on the return leg. The weather had cleared up with an afternoon which was mainly sunny with some cloud . Approaching Salehurst we looked back on impossibly green fields bathed in brilliant sunshine. A look round its large parish church allowed us to get back to Robertsbridge in a squally shower of rain and very muddy trousers. A good afternoon's walk, and thanks to Jo for navigating.

Sunday, 10 February 2019 at 18:44:00 GMT

10 on the scheduled train and 1 on a later train but caught up with the group at the lunch pub. 11. Weather held up for us, we had a complete dry morning till 2pm when we arrived at Queens Head at Sedlescombe. Whilst walkers on Aldermaston had a gourmet feast, only 3 ate in the pub, must be the record low for a saturday walk. Nevertheless, nearly all had a drink in the pub. Some drizzle in the afternoon but lasted only briefly. We got to the tea room in Battle about 4:30pm mostly dry, Hahaha.... Tea and cakes were consumed. One walker spotted an Ostrich earlier on the walk, two walkers were offered coke for refreshment by a farmer then a tour of his goats, cute! All agreed, the walk appeared longer and tougher than 'advertised'. One GPS registered 12 miles and the other 13 miles. The path in the afternoon was unrecognisable at the times, with high grass, high stalks left in the fields after harvest, making this walk more of 7/10 as oppose to 4/10.

About 14 on this walk on a warm and sunny day. Nice walk, and about 10 of us had lunch at Waterside Cafe and others picnic just outside the cafe and joined us for drinks. Unfortunately one walker with an extremely fit and well behaved dog was excluded from the cafe as 'No Dogs Allowed' signs sprinkled everywhere.

Tea at Bodiam Castle for some, and then 4 of us ran to catch train as it pulled into Robertsbridge station.

Hi

I have just checked the website for the trains out from Canon St and it looks like we need to change at Battle.

In at 11.03 and out at 11.07 and one stop to Robertsbrige arriving at 11.14

Or have I misread something ?

Ivor Chessticoff

Apologies for the mistake. I've opted for the later direct train. Thanks for noticing!

Link to walk directions for those new to the group (and welcome). Robertsbridge to Battle is one of the options outlined in this link:

https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/walk/robertsbridge-circular/TOCW2_Walk_20_Robertsbridge_Circular.pdf

Simply Italian located in the George Hotel in Battle High Street does a pretty good tea/coffee and cake deal. There is a branch of Costa also.

Circle and District lines disrupted

18 (including one who did the Robertsbridge circular by mistake) sunny hot About 4 got the earlier train.

Chaos at Cannon Street with only one ticket window coping with a bank holiday queue - and only one working machine. People were waved through in the end.

It sure is a long strenuous jomp to the “lunch” pub. The fastest got there about 2:15 Me? 3:15 (Though, to be fair, had we wished, we could have stopped at the Cross Inn sooner.) People seemed to like what they got in the Queens Arms. My peanuts were fine.

Some minor obstructions and obfuscations en route. But nothing that couldn’t be climbed over or untied. And whover owns that "bull" we had to "beware of", you'd better have a look, mate, it ain't there! There were lot of blue butterflies flying in one of the wildflower meadows. (The same field as the alleged bull if I remember right). And so to Battle where some retired to the George. A quick half in the Senlac for me.

Forgot to mention. One of them gizmo people had the walk length at over 12 miles

SE replacement buses are usually very good. Also I may have my car and give a few people a lift back to Robertsbridge station at the end.

Intend going on the main walk.

There'll be at least 3 of us doing the longer version starting in Etchingham at 10:30am

I would really like to walk from Robertsbridge to Battle (getting a bus back from Battle to Robertsbridge)10.7 miles. I’m really sorry, but I am a bit confused as to which walk I should I print from the website. I cannot find a page 14 or 17 on the links provided.

as always, click on the walk number in the blue field in the subject line, '2.20', and on the page that appears: click on 'Download Walk (pdf)'

thank you.

3 walkers off the early train to do the long walk option from Etchingham, who managed to get to the War Memorial in Robertsbridge in time to await the masses off the later train: all 18 of them. The walk poster and author himself got outfoxed by a late platform change at Charing X, and was therefore half an hour behind everyone, therefore 22 in total on a dry mostly sunny day . Snow visible on many tops in many directions, but never quite where we walked, unfortunately. Several (about 9) soon forked off to walk a Robertsbridge Circular, the rest mostly lunched at the under-new-mgmt-for-a-year Cross Inn in Staplecross. Early arrivals hogged the table by the open fireplace and there was talk of staying there until last orders. Food was pub classics well executed, and staff were exceptionally nice. Quite a turnaround at this pub!

4 of us explored the rumoured to be impassable old route and found it brambles-infested but just about passable, at least in winter (memo to future walkers: next time bring secateurs). We then encountered a Met Walkers group that was doing "a variation of the SWC Robertsbridge Circular", all 17 of them, and re-united with the rest of our group a bit further along.

Plenty of views of rolling hills, many good examples of Kentish oast houses, thatched buildings and wooden cottages, some mud, nice woodland stretches, late on though a stretch of arable fields, producing mud agglomerations on boots.

We arrived in Battle for the 16.54 rail replacement bus, or the pub. 4 took the latter option, at The Abbey Hotel, to take a bus an hour later.

Very nice day out, and a good workout to counter the Xmas excess (aka the biscuit belly).

Intend going.

14 on a clear day

9 sun clouds some wind

A late start with the train cancelled because of a tree on the line. Sodden squelchy fields and flooded paths added to the adventure. But, by arriving late at the Castle we were able to get a table and quick service. Having just missed a train back, the Ostrich gave us a very warm welcome, despite us being quite muddy. Would recommend building a visit to this pub as part of your day out (they have a good choice of tea, but no cake).

I will coming up from Hastings! Best wishes, John

Does this section of The Weald tend to be soggy underfoot, like Stonebridge/Wadhurst?

I and my 'family' were on this walk and the weather was great in the morning with strong sunshine and little wind and no cloud but come the afternoon it was wet windy and grey.

9 of us made it too lunch at The Castle who were quiet but still took a while to serve us but the food seemed to be appreciated. Two joined us at the pub which is apparently acceptable.

After lunch not only did the ground feel muddier and the stiles even less accessible

but there were horses that growled.

A good day but lots of mud . Ideal terrain for gaiters

Thank you.   Ali