Day Trip to Historic Battle

Photo courtesy of Bob Mazzer

Visit one of the most famous battlefields in history – the site of the 1066 Battle of Hastings – an event so significant it changed the course of English history, and the many other attractions in the picturesque town of Battle.

Battle can be reached by train from either Stonegate (18 minutes journey time) or Etchingham (12 minutes).  Trains depart hourly throughout the day, including Sundays.  If you are on foot or bicycle, use Stonegate.  If you prefer to travel by bus, the service goes to Etchingham.  However, check the times of your return bus trip as services tend to stop early.

Once in Battle, visit the tourism information centre by the Abbey to collect information about the town.  In particular, be sure to pick up the Battle Town Trail, which is a self-guided tour providing an interesting snapshot into the town’s history.  The town trail includes the key sites (including The Almonry and St. Mary’s Church), and commences at Battle Abbey.  Be sure to take the interactive audio tour of the Abbey and Battlefield to get a good feel for what really happened in 1066.

If you visit on a Friday or Saturday morning, you will find the market in full swing. And on the third Saturday of every month there is a local produce farmers’ market.

Finally, for a nostalgic trip that will appeal to all the family, visit Yesterday’s World, where the Victorian and Edwardian eras have been recreated.

The Jack Fuller Folly Trail

As you approach Burwash in almost any direction, you are likely to see the 646 ft Brightling Needle, which is located on the highest point in the area.  Brightling Needle is one of the many follies built by John “Mad Jack” Fuller, who lived at Rose Hill (now Brightling Park) during the latter part of the 18th Century and early part of the 19th Century.  For more information visit http://johnmadjackfuller.homestead.com.

Visiting the many follies of “Mad Jack” Fuller make this a fascinating day out from Burwash.  You’ll need a good map (ideally Ordnance Survey Explorer Map 124 - available from Maps and Books) to plan your route. 

The village you are heading to is Brightling, and there are many ways of getting there, combining footpaths, bridleways and country lanes.  The walk to Brightling is almost all uphill, and strenuous in places, however the reward for this are some spectacular views in all directions, and in particular back to Burwash.

A good place to start the Folly Trail is Thomas a Becket church in Brightling.  Fuller’s 25ft pyramid is in the churchyard, under which he was interred in 1834.  In the church itself there is a bust of Fuller, and you should be able to buy a copy of a publication about him and his follies at the back of the church by the door.

From the church, explore his other follies: the Needle (marked “Obelisk” on OS maps), the Rotunda Temple (marked “Temple”), the Tower (marked “Twr”), the Sugar Loaf (marked “Mon”) and the Observatory.  All five sites lie in or just outside of the roughly circular road that is bounded by Brightling, Darwell Hole, Woods Corner, and Mill House Farm.  There is no public access to the Needle or Rotunda Temple – although footpaths pass close by to provide good views, and the Observatory is now a private residence.  However, you can climb the tower for spectacular views of the surrounding countryside, and go into the conical shaped Sugar Loaf.

Head to The Swan at Woods Corner for lunch before continuing your tour, or heading back (downhill!) to Burwash.