Lewes via West Firle Circular
From Lewes station
- distance
- 23.3 km
- the stile score
- Not yet
- circular, about
- 6 hours walking time (allow 11 hours for the whole outing)
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.
The stiles
No count given. The directions cross several stiles on the Mount Caburn section between Lewes and Glynde (one by the nature reserve board, one near the crest, one in a fence and one in a field corner above Glynde) and one beside fieldgates on the way to Firle. They pass, but do not cross, a 'long abandoned decrepit stile' and a 'redundant stile'. Kissing gates through Firle Place and on the Ouse bank; the Northease Manor variant has a squeeze stile.
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.
For dogs
The source says nothing about dogs.
Pubs and cafés on the way
- Ram InnWest Firle · on the way
- White Hart HotelLewes High Street · at the end
Named by the route's publisher. Whether each one welcomes dogs is on its own page, once checked.
The route
The directions, the map and the GPX file are on the publisher's own site.
walkingclub.org.ukSaturday 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).