Forest Way Country Park

A lovely, long rural walk along the path of a former railway. Most of it resembles a tree-lined avenue with glimpses of beautiful scenery to either side. Along the path you will come across the occasional bridge festooned with ivy and other greenery giving them a mystical air their builders could never have invisaged. For less active visitors, there are a variety of wooden benches and picnic tables along the route to ensure you can rest your weary legs as often as you desire. For dog owners, there are enough bins to ensure nobody has an excuse to leave waste behind. A perfect haven of peace away from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

A pleasant walk through the forest today. Google map location is pretty accurate which takes you straight to off road free parking. A great forest for cycling and running, too. There is no toilet available. There are picnic tables around which you could have a picnic. We had a nice afternoon there.

Great bike trail especially for smaller ones… peaceful, safe and straight…. Just perfect.

Still one of my most favourite places to walk out. Especially in the winter months when the air is crisp, the crowds few and the wildlife plentiful to be seen if you sit still. Take binoculars, a flask of coffee, and relax. Enjoy the nature near to and part of Ashdown Forest these days. Looked after by the great Ashdown Forest Rangers. It is still a path I like to walk along. But can be quite crowded with leisure users. There's many good sights to see along the way to Forest Row and far beyond including an old Roman road. Or just good fun even for a shorter country walk out perhaps. If say one were only thinking of a quicker shorter duration walking out. As someone with Asperger's walking Outdoors is essential.The trail going on is following the lie of the old Beeching cuts railway line throughout. That once until the mid sixties used to travel as branch line far out beyond. It was taken out in a short sighted cost cutting measure that sacrificed thousands of miles of less used railway track across the UK. Nowhere was spared, and that's greatly illustrated here with the axe falling to remove branch lines running either way from East Grinstead Station. In the town where Mr Beeching actually lived.The very lovely Julia Bradbury of television presenting fame once covered our area here for her excellent TV railways walks programmes. Covering both the local disused railway lines of Worth Way and Forest Way starting off as great walk routes from our town of East Grinstead in West Sussex. UK. (Love Julia. I once used to run a Julia Bradbury fan thread I had originated, of pictures of her out walking. It was on the old now sadly gone excellent Outdoors Magic forum online. Her team knew of it somehow, and even posted appreciation for the thread on there! Which surprised us all! We were more surprised to find out that it had really become the premier top fan thread for Julia Bradbury online anywhere. I think it was very much a popular guy's thread mostly of fans of Julia, with wonderful Julia in her Outdoors kit. We had literally a few of us collected together in one place every outdoorsy picture of her we could find online anywhere, over very many months adding to it. We all liked Julia. I still do many years later on! Thanks dear Julia, for all the great Outdoors stories, walks, and TV programmes. No one like our Julia! Beautiful and highly intelligent girl, like the character Trillian in the cult bestseller book Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy only in real life.)Sights plentiful and enthralling to be seen all along the Forest Way where you join the walking path down from the A22 main road. Or nearer opposite and down from Sacville School. Watch out for some stunning sights along the route. Great views out over beautiful Sussex countryside. Nearby were always traditionally farm animals to be seen upon the farms there. Lots of pheasants and bird life to be enjoyed and seen in the quieter spots of the walk route, if youre lucky.I've known this path very well indeed for over forty years really now.We ran here in the late Seventies/early Eighties our Cross Country for school PE at Sackville school. Come summer sun or deep winter rain and snow. Like Worth Way nearby they had labourer crews out here years ago before the Covid pandemic times opening up the then somewhat overgrown pathway all. That had needed repair in a few sections. There's good wood picnic benches and views to enjoy here, Steps still there in places to to get you up above the lower old railway line areas to take in better views up beyond to the old castle folly and Weir Wood Reservoir area just between EG and Ashurst Wood. And they've done a good job here really it has to be said, on the mended paths and added extra drainage. Taking down a lot of the surrounding overhanging trees branches, and that kind of a thing. To make it all more universally accessible for all. Even in wheel chair possible access in some areas. Some of those changes have though sadly changed the landscape look of the places. I miss the more natural close in feeling of the trees.

Great cycling trail for the whole family. Very flat.

The old railway line that runs through Hartfield and beyond to east grinstead, it’s wonderful for a flat run or cycle, fields and woodland to view and many bench’s along the way to take a rest. limited Parking available at various points along the route so we choose our times carefully for visiting

The Forest Way lies within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the heart of the picturesque East Sussex countryside with the Ashdown Forest lying to the south. It takes the route of a disused railway line and now provides an important habitat for wildlife forming a ‘green corridor’ through the upper valley of the River Medway. The route runs from East Grinstead, via Forest Row, Hartfield, and Withyham to Groombridge.

A lovely walk along this flat, easy walk path with views of lovely countryside all around. Lots of sign posts for footpaths off the main path if you want to explore the surrounding area. Lovely for walking or cycling.

It's a great route for a casual get away from it all ride . Family friendly flat hard packed road which is pretty wide most if the time so good from a social distancing perspective. The route is truncated by a few roads which can be used as round trip markers for those who don't feel up to the full route.