The Egrets Way
From Lewes station
- distance
- 11 km
- the stile score
- No stiles
- about
- 3 hours walking (1 hour cycling)
Cleo & Bonnie haven't walked this one yet. Everything here is from its publisher, with the date it shows.
By train
Up to two dogs travel free with each passenger. Dogs stay on a lead on the train and at the station, and never on the seats.
Southease has no staff to help.
National Rail Conditions of Travel, condition 24 (valid from 30 July 2026); National Rail's station pages.
The stiles
The leaflet says: no stiles but some gates.
Livestock
General advice only: keep dogs on a lead around livestock and wildlife.
The ground
A surfaced, mostly flat and wide shared path beside the Ouse, used by cyclists, pushchairs and mobility scooters. One unsurfaced section is unsuitable for pushchairs and mobility scooters in wet weather. Take care crossing the C7 road near Piddinghoe.
For dogs
'Take the lead': keep dogs on a lead around livestock and wildlife, and bag and bin dog poo. Separately, the Railway Land Wildlife Trust's dog page (undated) asks walkers to keep dogs out of the reserve's water, and says there is a poo bin on the main path from the Linklater Pavilion to the Heart of Reeds.
Pubs and cafés on the way
- Lansdown pubLewes (on the walkers' way from the station to the start) · at the start
- YHA cafeSouthease · on the way
Named by the route's publisher. Whether each one welcomes dogs is on its own page, once checked.
The route
The directions and the map are on the publisher's own site.
southdowns.gov.ukSouth Downs National Park Authority (route by the Ouse Valley Cycle Network) · January 2026 (leaflet imprint)
On the Downs
Between 1 March and 31 July, dogs must be on a short lead (2 metres or less) on open access land, and near livestock at any time of year. Since 18 March 2026, a dog that worries livestock on a road or path, not just on farmland, is an offence.
The CROW Act 2000, Schedule 2; the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 as amended, in force 18 March 2026 (legislation.gov.uk).