Walks you can reach from Ham Street by train
MapA day hike is just a simple train journey away — plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Ham Street.
Winchelsea to Hastings (Sussex)
15 minutes direct from Ham Street.
Highly recommended
Coastal: three quarters along the coast.
Time: 4h–8h30
2 lunch spots: the New Beach Club (1h30–3h in), or the Cove (2h–4h in)
8 end-of-walk rewards: the Jolly Fisherman, the Lord Nelson, the Royal Standard, the London Trader, the Hastings Arms, Ye Olde Pumphouse, the Cutter, or the Albion
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Hastings to Rye (Sussex)
45 minutes direct from Ham Street.
Highly recommended: Clifftop coastal path, steep climbs, remote naturist beach, flat marshland, ancient hilltop towns and panoramic viewpoints.
Coastal: three fifths along the coast.
Time: 5h30–11h30
Warnings: Crumbly cliff edges.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Reverse direction: Railwalks.
Rye Circular via St Mary the Virgin (Sussex)
15 minutes direct from Ham Street.
Medieval hilltop town, reclaimed marshland, shingle beach, saline lagoons, freshwater gravel pits, reedbeds, riverside embankments and coastal nature reserve.
Time: 3h30
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Hastings Circular via Fairlight Glen Beach (Sussex)
45 minutes direct from Ham Street.
Hilly clifftop path, steep glens, shingle and sandy beach, forested inland valleys, coastal headlands, bracken and eroding cliffs.
Warnings: Crumbly cliff edges.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Eastbourne to Hastings (Sussex)
45 minutes direct from Ham Street.
Flat coastal seafront promenades, shingle beach, sandy beach at low tide, sea wall paths, quiet coast roads and low cliffs.
Warnings: Shingle heavy going.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Ore Circular via Hastings Country Park (Sussex)
30 minutes direct from Ham Street.
Clifftop country park glens to a fishing-fleet beach, then up to a Norman castle ruin, a cliff railway and the Old Town; many steep sections and steps.
Hastings Country Park: A clifftop country park of glens and sea views between Hastings and Fairlight.
Warnings: Coastal path may be subject to landslip diversion.
Walk details: Travelog Lewes (tips, photos, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Pluckley to Ashford International (Kent)
8 minutes direct from Ham Street.
Pastures, orchards, woods, commons, bogs, parkland estate and riverside parks into a town centre.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Polegate to Bexhill (Sussex)
45 minutes direct from Ham Street.
Recommended: A long, mostly easy route using well-surfaced cycle paths out of Polegate, then field paths and country lanes across the Pevensey Levels and followed by a fine stretch of the 1066 Country Walk beside the Pevensey Haven. Finishes along the seashore over shingle or sand before the Bexhill promenade. Follows the 1066 Country Walk beside the Pevensey Haven. Bexhill promenade has the usual seaside facilities including cafes and public toilets.
Time: 5h30–11h30
Lunch: Pubs and cafes in Pevensey village, near the castle.
Warnings: Between Pevensey and Normans Bay the route uses an unclassified road that is not free of traffic, though there are verges to step onto. Expect cattle or sheep in the fields between Normans Bay and Cooden Beach.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Bexhill to Battle (Sussex)
45 minutes direct from Ham Street.
Nice view approaching the church; wonderful view across Powdermill Stream. Starts urban, then a varied mix of countryside trail, footpath and forest walking, following much of the Bexhill Link of the 1066 Country Walk and a disused railway line; passes through two nature reserves and ends along the edge of Battle's famous battlefield. Several stiles and kissing gates and footbridges; some sections get extremely boggy in winter. Follows the Bexhill Link of the 1066 Country Walk for about 90% of the way. Passes through the Combe Valley Country Park and the RSPB Fore Wood reserve (which now has an all-weather path). Crowhurst is a good half-way stop.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Battle Abbey: An abbey founded by William the Conqueror on the site of the 1066 battlefield.
Time: 3h–6h
1 lunch spot: the Plough
Warnings: Certain sections can get extremely boggy in winter, requiring heavy-duty boots or wellies; several stiles and gates; signs warn of livestock. The short road-walking section between the pub and church in Crowhurst can be avoided by sticking to the waymarked field path.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Battle to Hastings (Sussex)
45 minutes direct from Ham Street.
A walk in three contrasting sections, largely along the waymarked 1066 Country Trail: a paved seaside promenade, then green spaces and the Combe Haven wetlands and finally rural High Weald with small steep valleys and wooded farmland. Expect very slippery mud in Combe Haven and heavy going elsewhere; kissing gates en route. Largely follows the 1066 Country Trail; passes the Combe Haven SSSI and the RSPB reserve at Fore Wood. Crowhurst, Crowhurst station and West St Leonards station allow the route to be split.
Woodland: a fifth under tree cover.
Battle Abbey: An abbey founded by William the Conqueror on the site of the 1066 battlefield.
Time: 4h–8h
1 lunch spot: the Plough
End-of-walk reward: Numerous pubs, cafes and shops in Battle, though some are aimed at Abbey visitors so check times.
Warnings: Combe Haven has very slippery mud (a pole helps). Road walking up Chapel Hill in Crowhurst is on bends with poor visibility and limited room to stand aside, so use hi-vis. Crossing the fairly busy Powdermill Lane needs care, as visibility is poor heading north.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Ashford International to Chartham (Kent)
8 minutes direct from Ham Street.
Good views of the North Downs and Wye Crown. Flat, easy walking that largely follows the Stour Valley through the flood plain, on field paths and tracks through arable land, pasture and woodland, with some lane walking. A stile, several kissing gates and uneven woodland ground and a couple of steep paths restrict access for some. Can be very waterlogged in wet spells. Follows much of the Stour Valley Walk via Wye, Crundale, Godmersham and Chilham. Can be split at Wye, Chilham or Chartham, which all have stations with an hourly service.
Time: 6h30–12h30
Lunch: Pubs and toilets at Wye, Chilham and Chartham; food stores at Ashford and Wye.
Warnings: Navigation across the large, flat fields south of Wye can be difficult when a new crop has germinated and no path has been worn. A couple of fallen trees have required temporary diversions.
Walk details: Slow Ways.
Ashford International to Faversham (Kent)
8 minutes direct from Ham Street.
A long walk with about a mile less road walking than the alternative, mostly on quiet lanes and footpaths and climbing to King's Wood with its sculptures. Some field-edge alternatives avoid problem paths. A short 40m stretch of A251 road walking near Boughton Aluph looks uncomfortable. Five sculptures in King's Wood are on the route. Possible break-out points by bus, train or pub at Kennington, Wye, Challock, Badlesmere, Leaveland, Sheldwich or Selling.
Time: 6h30–13h
Lunch: Pubs on the route at Kennington, Boughton Lees and Molash.
Warnings: There are 40 metres of road walking on the A251 near Boughton Aluph that looks a little uncomfortable; regular runners keep off the road using the adjacent field edge instead.
Walk details: Slow Ways.