Unless it has reopened since March, the nice tea room at Borde Hill is long gone. There is apparently one inside the gardens, but you have to pay for entry to the gardens to get to that.

The cafe of the Haywards Heath Waitrose, which nearly everyone last time ignored in their mad dash to get the train, is very nice however: lovely cakes, lots of seating, and back in March it was open till 6pm.

I updated the walk document in May after visiting Borde Hill Garden. The big tearoom in the courtyard is indeed long gone but there is now a small coffee shop with half a dozen tables inside the entrance building, open to non-visitors. Last orders at 4pm.

Thanks Walker and Sean. I've updated the post to make the Borde Hill cafe info clearer.

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

Yes. Corrected!

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).

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!

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.

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

(5 were new to SWC)

Full walk is 11.7 miles.

Sorry: corrected

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.

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.

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.

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

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.