Burwash, Bateman's and the Dudwell valley

From the village car park in Burwash the walk leaves by the corner near the Scout hut and goes down the field edge, over a boardwalk and past a pond, to Bateman's Lane. The lane leads down to Bateman's, the Jacobean house that was Rudyard Kipling's home. The walk turns left in front of the house and right by Corner Cottage to the mill pond, then follows the paths of the National Trust's Puck's walk: out through the fields north of the River Dudwell, across the lane to Rye Green Farm, and back through old woodland beside the river to the mill. From Bateman's the lane leads east for about 600 m to a second field path, which climbs back to Burwash High Street.

It is 6.0 km with 104 m of ascent; allow about 2 hours. The grade is Easy: the only real climb is the one back up to the village.

Parts are very muddy in winter. Cattle graze the estate and there are several stiles; keep dogs on short leads. About a quarter of the walk is on quiet lanes. The paths are public: you pay only to go into the house and garden.

The village car park is free and has toilets. The nearest station is Stonegate, about 2.9 km away. The hill behind the house is the Pook's Hill of Kipling's stories.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.