| 1. The footpath begins a couple of minutes along the B2244, uphill from the pub. On Just north of the centre of Sedlescombe, opposite Roselands carehome, turn right onto a track which leads past several houses on an unmade road. At the junction, turn right onto tarmac, stony road, with houses on the right and nature reserve on the other side of the field to your left. As the houses come to an end, take the footpath ahead through the gate marked ESCC. Follow the path ahead up left edge of the field. At the end, take the gate on left into another field, not the garden gate that leads into woods – it’s waymarked. Continue with wood on right, open fields left.
2. Ahead again, through the gap in hedge. IGNORE marked footpath to the right through the galvanised kissing gate. The hedge should still be on your right. Pass through another, small gate ahead and continue in same direction across the next field. The next kissing gate ahead take you into the woods. Footpath forks here – veer right towards the open track along the edge of the wood, with houses now on your right. Just past a house on right called ‘Woodstock’ veer left off the track to cross a stile at ESCC path. Continue along edge of wood. Pass large modern house on right as track slopes slightly uphill and then through the trees. Continue on same path with fence to the right, becoming closed in by arch of trees and then a taller fence.
3. Cross the country lane ahead and continue on path opposite marked Reservoir Walk, Powdermill Reservoir 11/4. Over the stile and into field. There isn’t an obvious path through the field, but head down and over with the hedgerow on your left. Enter into the wood down in the valley ahead with smaller valley on right. Walk left of 2 or 3 oaks and close to right of construction of upright logs and wires. Follow the slight, smooth dip in the field. Ahead you should see a gap in the hedgerow into the wood.
4. Follow track into woods (it got very muddy here). Continue ahead about 100m into wood and turn right at hidden yellow waymarker on a tree – there is also yellow tape on tree ahead, so look out carefully. Don’t continue into the pine trees ahead. Once you’ve veered right at the yellow marker, there should be a stream to your right. It’s a narrow, windy path, through bracken and brambles, staying by the stream. Cross a flat wooden footbridge, then go over another, then at the junction and waymarker turn right towards the edge of the wood, uphill. The footpath brings you to a stile and back into trees. Continue on path.
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Cross another footbridge over stream, waymarked path continues through wood for some distance – marked with yellow arrows now and then through a birch wood. After a distance, you’ll see the reservoir to your left, if you want to do a detour to the water. Cross a substantial wood footbridge and not long after, another. Then continue uphill as the path narrows through undergrowth.
5. Exit the woods at the stile and turn left onto country lane. Pass entrance to reservoir on left. Soon after the footpath continues through a big wooden gate on the right, into a field, but it’s not waymarked, so look out closely. Follow the direction of power lines towards left edge of Rafters Wood. Continue with field on right, wood left. Cross footbridge over ditch between fields and continue in the same direction.
6. Over another footbridge and stile and turn right onto the road – a quiet country lane. Follow for a distance. Pass Lower Jacob’s Farm. Just after turn left off the road, over a stile at gap in hedge and into a field. Pass farm buildings on the left and walk along the edge of woods to the right. Pass through galvanised gate, over a stile on the right, to continue along edge of wood in L-shape.
7. At the end of the woods turn right by a way marker, over a stile. Cross a footbridge and another stile and continue in same direction across right edge of field. Cross marked footbridge – Brede Farm is now on the right. Keep going, cross the stile in front of the track ahead, cross over, and over another stile ahead. Now continue uphill. There’s the sewage works on the left, houses right. As houses end, cross stile and take fenced path past basketball court. Pass through iron kissing gate and out into field.
8. Continue with hedges on right through wooden kissing gate. Cross this field planted with small oaks. Now pass through gap ahead in hedgerow, past some small birches and allotments. Over a footbridge, continue along narrow fenced path. Behind some garages turn right and immediately left (follow the path), which takes you back to the main road. Turn right and you’re back in the centre of Sedlescombe village, just a few steps from the pub!
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