Burwash, Bateman's, Oxley's Green and Old Brick Farm

Walking Through the Sussex Weald that Inspired Rudyard Kipling

Burwash, where the walk begins, is a peaceful village of Georgian houses and even older cottages. The warm red of their tile-hung frontages combines wonderfully with the green of the verges and trees lining the High Street. Slightly south-west of the village is Bateman's, home of Rudyard Kipling from 1902 until his death in 1936. This lovely Jacobean house was later left to the nation by his widow; Kipling wrote some of his best-known works here and used the surrounding area as the setting for his tale Puck of Pook's Hill.

Google Maps View OpenStreetMap View

Start Point

Burwash

Grid Ref: TQ 67375 24626

Total Distance

6.3 miles (10.1 km)

Total Climbing

256 metres

Estimated Time

3 hours

Difficulty Grade

Moderate

Trail Navigation Files:

💾 Download GPX Route Google Earth (KMZ) 📖 About Burwash

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (1:25,000)

Essential paper map for exploring Hastings, Bexhill, Battle, Robertsbridge, High Weald and Bewl Water:

124 Hastings & Battle → 136 High Weald & Tunbridge Wells →

The Walk Report

Leaving Burwash, a shady beech-grove path descends gently sloping fields toward the valley of the River Dudwell. Field paths lead to a little lane described by Kipling as "an enlarged rabbit hole of a lane", at the end of which lies Bateman's. Built of mellow local sandstone blocks with the date 1634 carved above the front porch, it is surrounded by gardens designed by Kipling himself.

Crossing the River Dudwell, the route passes the mill where Kipling generated his own electricity. Park Farm slopes upward toward the extensive woods of Pook's Hill. Passing through Mill Wood, you reach Socknersh Manor with its Tudor geometric brickwork, before returning via Old Brick Farm and across the River Dudwell toward Burwash Church.

The former Jack Fuller's pub at Oxley's Green

Beside the church stands a tall war memorial inscribed with the name of Lieutenant John Kipling, Rudyard Kipling's only son, who was posted missing in France in 1915 at the age of 18.

Acknowledgment: Text derived from the Out and Out Series; Discovering the Countryside on Foot. Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.

← Return to Out and About Walks View on Interactive Map 🗺️

Burwash, Bateman's, Oxley's Green and Old Brick Farm

Ordnance Survey Explorer Map (1:25,000)

The Walk Report

Join The Walking Englishman Community