Bedelands Nature Reserve

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About
Gallery
Parking
Poo bins?
Self-guided walk

About

Rena and I visited Bedelands Nature Reserve for the first time in late May 2016, less than one month after I adopted her (with no idea of all the adventures that awaited us over the nearly-six years we had together and well before the creation of SSWG.) This visit was for a group walk organised by the West Sussex Greyhound Walking Group so we have them to thank for letting me know about this little oasis tucked away in Burgess Hill.

The nature reserve is a Site of Nature Conservation Importance and is made up of ancient meadows, woodland, hedgerows and ponds, covering 33 hectares (80 acres). Since 1994, in consultation with the District Council and the University of Sussex, the Friends of Burgess Hill have been surveying the wildlife on the site and keeping records so that a comprehensive management plan can conserve all the flora and fauna and the public’s enjoyment. There are signs all around the reserve, paid for by Burgess Hill District Lions club, that tell you more about the part of the reserve you’re in.

It is edged to the north-west by Valebridge Mill Pond, which is a private fishing lake, from which flow two impressive water cascades.

There are bluebells in the woods in the springtime.

The Gallery: What’s it like here?

Poo bins?

Poo bins around the sports pitches and by the car park

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Self-guided walk

Here is a Footpath app route for Bedelands Nature Reserve. Also on AllTrails. It takes you through woods, over streams and past ponds and the waterfall/cascade by the lake.

Length: approximately 2.1 miles/3.4 km
Terrain: Mainly woodland paths, some of which can be very muddy, and grassy fields. A number of stretches of boardwalk, which can be slippery.
Stiles/kissing gates? No stiles, two kissing gates

Pass through the hedge that runs along the edge of the car park and you’ll come out by sports pitches. Walk to the left around the edge of the grass and follow the perimeter of the field round to the right and straight ahead to the kissing gate. Go through this and head down over the bridge, then follow the path as it goes around to the right and then to the left.

At the fork, take the left-hand path up and over a flat bridge across a small stream with another flat bridge immediately behind it.

Continue straight ahead through this wood, which is called Watford Wood, ignoring the path off to the field to the right.

Follow the path through the trees and it’ll open out to a field known as the Wet Meadow. The path goes along the left-hand side of it and includes a short stretch of boardwalk.

At the end of the boardwalk, continue ahead with trees on your left and a fence on the right. At the end of the fence, bear left over another flat bridge into the wood, called Big Wood, ignoring the path to the right. Pass the pond.

At the next fork, by an information sign, take the smaller path to the left and wind through the woods to the viewpoint in front of the waterfalls, which flow down from Valebridge Mill Pond.

When you’re done admiring the impressive cascades, turn right and walk along with the fence on your left. At the next junction, turn left over a little flat bridge to walk in the direction of the thundering water cascade, which will shortly be visible on your left. Continue ahead ignoring the next cross paths (unless you want to detour left to go over the bridges that cross the waterfalls and then return to the route).

You’ll go over a short bit of boardwalk and come out at a big field, which is known as Valebridge Common Field. You can stay on the main path that goes around the perimeter of this field or you can cut off the corner by taking the path that goes diagonally right across the grass.

Either way, just keep going and you’ll come to some more boardwalk through trees with waterlogged ground on either side (in winter can look like ponds).

At the end of the boardwalk, emerging out into another field (this one called Furze Common Field), turn right and walk along the edge of the trees. At the post with the arrow, turn right into the trees, passing a fenced off pond to the right.

Enter the next field (Mill Pond Field) and walk along its right-hand edge, keeping the hedgerow to your right and ignoring the path that comes off to the right. Ahead in the distance over the other side of the field, you’ll see a tall finger post and a stile – head for that.

Pass through the gap to the left of the stile and turn left and over the little bit of boardwalk. You should recognise this spot from earlier. The waterfalls are on your right this time.

Back over the little flat bridge and continue straight ahead through Big Wood on the main path. At the fork, where there is an information sign on the right, bear left.

This path will take you past the pond from earlier (on your right) and then it will bear left past another pond (also on your right), followed by a third (look right again) and a fourth (yep, on the right).

Just keep going on this main path, which will be joined shortly by another from the left. You’ll exit the woods by a dilapidated overgrown five bar gate and bend round to the right into another field (called Big Field).

Keep left and walk along the left edge of the Big Field with the grass on your right. The path now passes into Long Wood with a barbed wire fence to the left before curving round to the right. Just stay on this path as it snakes through the wood. Through the trees to the left you can see houses.

Just after a bench (on the right), you come to a junction of paths. Turn right here to go around the tree and over a flat wooden plank bridge, then immediately bear left to walk alongside the ditch (to the left of the path).

Ignore a path off to the right, which goes into Big Field.

At the marker post with the yellow arrow, take the left-hand path down the slope and use the bridge to cross the stream.

If you have a small dog, you can go up the steps ahead and cross the stile and then alongside the football pitches back to the car park.

If you have a big dog that can’t do stiles, take the path to the left through the trees of Leylands Wood and at its end turn right and go through the kissing gate. Then turn left to head back to the car park.