This walk is perfect for family occasions or when you just need to get outside for some fresh air. At 3 km, it’s short and flat but you could combine it with other walks in the area to make it longer because it’s just to the side of Vanguard Way and Wealdway (both of which are long distance trails). Arlington Reservoir also forms a small part of the Cuckmere Pilgrim Path – an 11-mile walk that takes in seven ancient churches.
Accessibility
In terms of being accessible for wheelchair users or pushchairs, the footpath is a well-made up track with only a couple of slopes. However around the back of the farmhouses, it does get narrow and muddy for a short stretch, so if this is a concern, from the car park go right and walk around until you reach this point and then turn back.
Amenities
There is a car park just off the road that runs from Berwick to Upper Dicker (What3Words: flick.just.ignites). There is also a café here with toilets, bike racks and dog bowls.
Points of interest
You don’t need directions, just follow the footpath around this reservoir. The reservoir was built in 1971 and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a nature reserve with lots of bird life and a bird hide. When they were building the reservoir, they found the tusk of a mammoth, a bison horn and the skull of a woolly rhinoceros dating back 250,000 years. Although nowadays, you are more likely to find muddy ponies than mammoths!
There are information boards around the lake and there is an Osprey Nature Trail. Leaflets are available but you don’t need them as there are eight way makers around the reservoir, each with the symbol of what to look out for.
As you emerge from the woods (at about 1 km), you can just see Arlington Church in the distance. This is a Medieval church with a fascinating history and it sits not far from an abandoned Medieval village. There is a 13th-century storage jar on display in the church. A little further on, you can see the Long Man of Wilmington carved in the slopes of the South Downs.
This is a great short walk, suitable for multi-generational family walks. In spring, it must be fabulous.
If you’ve enjoyed this post about an East Sussex walk around Arlington Reservoir, or are in the area, you may also like:
