Lewes via West Firle Circular
From Lewes station
- distance
- 23.3 km
- the stile score
- 5 stiles
- circular, about
- 6 hours walking timeallow 11 hours for the whole outing
Seen farm animals on this walk? Tell us, and we'll check it for the next walker. If cattle come towards you.
Hello from the sticker at Lewes via West Firle Circular. Here's what we know, for you and your dog. More dog-friendly places nearby
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.
Glynde and Southease have no staff to help.
National Rail Conditions of Travel, condition 24 (valid from 30 July 2026); National Rail's station pages.
Parking
Lewes station's car park (APCOA, Station Street, BN7 2UP): £4.00 for an hour, £9.40 all day on weekdays, £8.30 all day at weekends, Sundays included, and £2.50 from 5pm, each plus a 15p fee. Pay with the APCOA Connect app (code 1207) or the QR code on the signs. The entrance takes vehicles up to 2 m high. From APCOA, Lewes station, undated, read 2 Oct 2026.
The council has car parks across the town too. We couldn't read their prices, so check the council's own list before you go. From Lewes District Council, 2026 car park charges (PDF), 2026, read 2 Oct 2026.
The stiles
The 2010 directions cross 5 stiles, 4 on the Mount Caburn stretch between Lewes and Glynde and 1 beside field gates near Preston on the way to Firle, but the same publisher's 2023 and 2026 checks of the path down into Glynde found kissing gates where these directions put 2 of them. Counted from Saturday Walkers' Club (Time Out Country Walks 2, walk 25)'s directions (walk last checked 15 October 2010; document last updated 12 September 2023).
Livestock
No livestock warnings. The directions mention cattle grids at Firle Place and on the South Downs Way.
The ground
Rated 7 out of 10: three steepish hills with long, mainly level stretches between. Road walking out of Lewes up Chapel Hill and through Glynde; a tunnel under the busy main road after Glynde; a bridge over the A26 near Southease. The last 6.5 km from Southease is completely flat, mostly on the bank of the Ouse.
Pubs and cafés on the way
Named by the route's publisher. The ones on our list link to their page, with what we know about dogs there.
Walked it with your dog? Tell us how it was
Mud, animals, how busy: a few taps. The answers (never your words or name) show here for three weeks, to help the next walker.
The route
Start Lewes station
The directions, the map and the GPX file are on the publisher's own site.
Saturday Walkers' Club (Time Out Country Walks 2, walk 25) · Page version Sep-23; PDF last updated 12 September 2023; walk last checked 15 October 2010
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).
If something goes wrong out there, an adder bite, a lost dog, a vet at night: help and emergencies.