Walks in Sussex by train

Beginner-friendly: Just follow the coast and come back along a straight walk. It’s almost too simple! Flat, short and plenty of choices for lunch. Chichester Harbour is a little-known National Landscape. Its protected saltmarsh landscape feeds an abundance of birdlife. It’s a major recreational harbour but somehow has a romantically melancholy and isolated air — you can imagine sea shanties being composed here.

Coastal: three fifths along the coast.

Chichester Harbour (1h15 in)

Bosham (1h30 in)

Fishbourne Roman Palace & Gardens (2h30 in)

Time: 4h30 (3h walking, 1h30 lunch)

4 lunch spots: Bosham (1h45 in) — the Anchor Bleu, Timberley's, Marwick's, or the Berkeley Arms

2 end-of-walk rewards: the Bull's Head Pub, or the Woolpack Inn

Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).

Beginner-friendly: A beautiful, varied walk with a number of sights along the way and the experience of seeing Arundel Castle gradually emerge on the horizon. Arundel itself is a romantic little town that’s worth exploring and appreciating if you have the time. Visiting the castle and its grounds would require a day in itself. Simply follow the river and cross over when you get to Arundel. You can’t go wrong! There’s only one place to have lunch en route (the George) and it can be busy on weekends, so reserve a table to avoid a wait — book for 2.5 hours after your arrival at Amberley to allow for a leisurely pace with time to dilly-dally and appreciate sights on the way. Book for 3 hours after your arrival for a slow pace or extra contingency! (or just pack lunch).

Waterway: nine tenths along the River Arun.

Arundel Castle (3h15 in)

Arundel (3h in)

Time: 5h (3h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

1 lunch spot: the George (1h45 in)

1 end-of-walk reward: the Eagle

Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Beginner-friendly: This short walk is nearly all National Trust territory and signposted. If you want to make it even shorter and simpler, just skip the detour through the woods. The lunch stop is a simple café, so no messing around with booking a table in advance. Mostly secluded.

Standen House (National Trust; 1h15 in)

Time: 4h (2h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

1 lunch spot: Standen House café (1h15 in)

Source: Trains2Green.

Highly recommended: Three distinct downland ridges, wide open chalk paths, panoramic views, historic town streets and gentle valleys.

Monk's House – Virginia Woolf's Home (National Trust; 4h in)

Time: 8h30 (6h30 walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)

5 lunch spots: Glynde (1h45 in) — Glynde Stores & Post, or the Trevor Arms; plus the YHA Southease Hostel & Campsite (3h30 in), the Abergavenny Arms (4h in), or the Juggs (5h45 in)

Warnings: Three steep climbs.

Source: Trains2Green.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Highly recommended: Quiet fields and country lanes running through rolling wooded hills. Mostly secluded.

Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.

Wadhurst: Quaint little village (1h45 in).

Bewl Water: An aqua park, and the largest body of water in South East England.

Time: 6h30 (5h walking, 1h30 lunch)

2 lunch spots: the Old Vine (1h30 in; excellent), or La Petite France (3h45 in)

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 2.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Highly recommended: South Downs ridge, chalk downland, Firle Park, river valley, ancient villages, forest, coastal cliffs, shingle beach and esplanade.

Alfriston Clergy House (National Trust; 3h15 in)

Time: 8h (6h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

5 lunch spots: Alfriston (3h15 in) — the Star Inn, the Old Smugglers Inn, or the Six Bells; plus the Ram Inn, Firle (45m in), or the Plough & Harrow (3h45 in)

2 end-of-walk rewards: the Cuckmere Inn, or the Old Boot Inn

Warnings: Crumbly cliff edges.

Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Highly recommended: Farmland, reservoir, chalk downland, ridge grassland, chalk figure, smugglers villages and seaside resort.

Eastbourne (5h30 in)

Time: 7h30 (5h30 walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)

2 lunch spots: the Eight Bells (2h45 in), or Jevington Tea Garden (2h45 in)

1 end-of-walk reward: the Duke of Devonshire

Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 2.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Highly recommended: Beautiful landscapes and multiple historic sights.

Pevensey Castle (15m in)

Herstmonceux Castle (2h30 in)

Battle Abbey and Battlefield (7h30 in)

Pevensey Levels

Battle (7h15 in)

Time: 10h (8h walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)

2 lunch spots: Nuthatch Kitchen and Terrace (2h30 in), or the Ash Tree Inn (4h45 in)

2 end-of-walk rewards: the White Hart Pub, or Battle Abbey and Battlefield

Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).

Highly recommended: Open chalk ridge, South Downs escarpment, wide well-marked paths, exposed hilltops, riverside estuary path and suburban road walking near finish.

Hilly: half on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.

Time: 10h (8h walking, 1h30 lunch, 30m break)

1 lunch spot: Columba's Kitchen (4h in)

2 end-of-walk rewards: the Buckingham Arms, or the Crabtree

Warnings: Very exposed in wind.

Source: Trains2Green.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.

Highly recommended: Escarpments, three distinct downland ridges, wide open chalk paths, panoramic views, historic town streets and gentle valleys.

Hilly: a third on high ground, rising above the surrounding land.

Lewes (15m in)

Time: 6h (4h30 walking, 1h30 lunch)

2 lunch spots: the Trevor Arms (1h45 in), or the Ram Inn, Firle (2h30 in)

1 end-of-walk reward: Courtyard Café at YHA Southease Hostel

Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).

Highly recommended

Coastal: three quarters along the coast.

Hastings (3h45 in)

Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)

2 lunch spots: the New Beach Club (1h30 in), or the Cove (2h 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.

Recommended: Many worthy historic sights along this route — Nymans itself, the village of Slaugham, and two beautiful medieval churches. The first half of the walk is through idyllic rolling woodland. The second half is marred by mostly following (very quiet) roads and lanes rather than footpaths. Mostly secluded.

Woodland: half under tree cover.

Footbridge and Lake Overflow at Nymans Woodland (National Trust; 1h15 in)

Bench With View of the Lake, High Weald National Landscape (National Trust; 1h15 in)

Nymans: "An extensive yet intimate garden set around a romantic house and ruins" (1h45 in).

St Mary's Church (2h15 in)

Slaugham: Very small, but picturesque (2h15 in).

The Ruins of Slaugham Place: The remains of a fine Tudor mansion (2h30 in).

St Mark's Church, Staplefield (3h in)

Time: 5h30 (4h walking, 1h30 lunch)

3 lunch spots: Handcross (1h45 in) — Nymans café, JO.CO cafe, or the Red Lion

1 end-of-walk reward: the Victory

Warnings: Can be muddy.

Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.

Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.