Best walks in Sussex by train
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations in Sussex and plan your next day of green.
Fishbourne Circular via Chichester Harbour
1 hour from Brighton, with one change.
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.
Time: 3h–6h
4 lunch spots: Bosham (1h30–3h in) — the Anchor Bleu, Timberley's, the Berkeley Arms, or Marwick's
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).
Amberley to Arundel
45 minutes from Brighton, with one change.
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.
Time: 3h30–7h
1 lunch spot: the George (1h30–3h30 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.
East Grinstead Circular via Standen House
1 hour 30 minutes from Brighton, with one change.
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. Extensive woodland. Mostly secluded.
Time: 2h30–4h30
1 lunch spot: Standen House café (1h–2h in)
Source: Trains2Green.
Balcombe Circular via Nymans
30 minutes from Brighton, with one change.
Highly recommended: Fields, woods, stream valleys, grassy hillsides, estate parkland, a fine old village and stately home. Mostly secluded.
Woodland: half under tree cover.
Time: 4h30–8h30
3 lunch spots: Handcross (2h–3h30 in) — Nymans café, the Red Lion, or JO.CO cafe
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.
Wadhurst Circular via Bewl Water
1 hour 45 minutes from Brighton, with one change.
Highly recommended: Hidden valleys, ancient woods, quaint old farms, reservoir shoreline, hilltop village and gentle but rolling Wealden landscape.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Time: 5h–9h30
2 lunch spots: the Old Vine (1h30–3h in), or Waterfront Café (2h–3h30 in)
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 2.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Lewes to Southease
15 minutes direct from Brighton.
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.
Time: 4h30–9h
2 lunch spots: the Trevor Arms (1h30–3h30 in), or the Ram Inn, Firle (2h30–5h 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).
Glynde to Seaford
30 minutes direct from Brighton.
Highly recommended: South Downs ridge, chalk downland, Firle Park, river valley, ancient villages, forest, coastal cliffs, shingle beach and esplanade.
Time: 6h30–12h30
5 lunch spots: Alfriston (3h–6h30 in) — the Star Inn, the Old Smugglers Inn, or the Six Bells; plus the Ram Inn, Firle (30m–1h30 in), or the Plough & Harrow (3h30–7h30 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.
Berwick to Eastbourne
30 minutes direct from Brighton.
Highly recommended: Farmland, reservoir, chalk downland, ridge grassland, chalk figure, smugglers villages and seaside resort.
Time: 5h30–11h30
2 lunch spots: the Eight Bells (2h30–5h30 in), or Jevington Tea Garden (3h–5h30 in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Duke of Devonshire
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 2.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Pevensey and Westham to Battle
45 minutes from Brighton, with one change.
Highly recommended: Beautiful landscapes and multiple historic sights.
Time: 8h–15h30
2 lunch spots: Nuthatch Kitchen and Terrace (2h30–5h in), or the Ash Tree Inn (4h30–9h30 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).
Amberley to Shoreham-by-Sea
15 minutes direct from Brighton.
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: 8h–15h30
1 lunch spot: Columba's Kitchen (4h–8h 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.
Winchelsea to Hastings
1 hour 15 minutes from Brighton, with one change.
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
1 hour 30 minutes from Brighton, with one change.
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.