The Ouse and the Brooks
From Southease station
- distance
- 8.8 km
- the stile score
- Not yet
- circular, about
- up to 4 hours (shorter route 2.5 hours)
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
No stiles mentioned. The directions go through kissing gates on the riverbank and several gates on the South Downs Way.
Livestock
The leaflet mentions no livestock.
The ground
Mostly flat, with one steep hill up onto the Downs. Riverbank path along the Ouse and a bridleway track across the Brooks; a road with a grass verge near Northease Manor ('please use caution!') and a main road to cross before Southease ('take care!').
For dogs
Countryside Code panel: leave gates as you find them and keep dogs under close control or on a lead.
Pubs and cafés on the way
- unnamed pub (map symbol only)Rodmell · 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 ('Walks near Lewes and Southease' leaflet) · undated (the PDF is stored under a 2015/03 upload path)
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).