Walk no: 17
Length: 10 miles
A 10 mile linear walk from Heathfield to Uckfield rail station, forming the 17th stretch of the Sussex Hospices Trail. The route encompasses sections of the Cuckoo Trail, the Vanguard Way and the Weald Way and includes broad-leaf woodlands, grazing pastures, streams, meadows and river banks with two short stretches of country lane, mainly within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The final section of this walk is through the Hempstead Meadow Nature Reserve following the banks of the river Uck. A boardwalk crosses the wet grassland that hosts an abundance of marshland plants and wildlife.
Difficulty
The terrain is mainly flat with gentle inclines and one slightly steeper incline just before section 9. There are several gates and steps to negotiate plus a variety of stiles to cross (suitable throughout for medium sized dogs, but larger dogs may need a hand over some of them). You are likely to come across sheep and cattle in a few of the fields. (There is one field where the farmer has suffered a savage attack on his sheep and insists that all dogs must be on a lead or they could be shot. This field is well-signposted on the route). Some of the paths are little used and there are one or two muddy sections. You will need to cross a rail line at an unsignalled crossing so look and listen carefully for trains before you cross. Allow 5 hours.
Map
Accessing the Trail
There are several ways to follow the Trail!
On paper
You can download and print the PDF leaflet for your walk at the top of this page. These include turn-by-turn directions, photos and a simplified map. For extra safety, we recommend that you carry an Ordnance Survey map of the area too.
On an app
The walks can be found on the free AllTrails App. They are already downloaded and the directions are in the section called Waypoints.
This version of AllTrails will work as long as there is an internet (3G/4G) signal.
Note: within the AllTrails App you have the option to pay a subscription to upgrade to AllTrails Pro. This gives you the ability to follow the guides without using any internet data in areas where there is no 3G/4G coverage.
On a GPS device
If you have a Garmin or another GPS-based App e.g. the Ordnance Survey App, you can download the GPX File for your chosen walk from our website to use on these devices. (Please note that the GPX Files are for personal use only and must not be published on any other platform)
