Just south of Battle and north of Crowhurst in East Sussex, Fore Wood is a lovely place to pause or wander slowly. It is quiet and beautiful, and a really wonderful pocket of High Weald woodland.
Fore Wood is an RSPB nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest, where centuries of human management have created a mix of traditional coppice and grand high forest. Oak, hornbeam, sweet chestnut and beech shape its paths, while the wood itself includes gills, rare ferns and hints of the woodland’s history in old iron-ore workings and saw pits. It is especially beautiful in spring, when bluebells, wood anemones, wild garlic and early purple orchids appear, and in autumn, when the woods take on their seasonal colours as you dodge chestnuts and acorns.
The reserve is managed using traditional coppicing techniques, with trees thinned and cut in rotation and when we walked this way, work was clearly visible. Of course, as a RSPB Nature Reserve you should also look out for for woodpeckers, marsh tits and flycatchers, as well as plenty of other birds.
Walking at Fore Wood
The 1066 Country Trail Bexhill Link snakes along the edge of the wood and goes on to either the Combe Valley Countryside Park, through the tiny village of Crowhurst to the south or north and on to Battle. At the entrance to the wood, Crowhurst side, there is an information board and a red-arrow waymarked trail goes from there and loops around the paths. This walk is about 2 km although slightly different tracks may mean the distances vary. And when you add in the distance from Crowhurst village and back, it’s more like 3 km. Permissive paths also criss-cross the wood, giving you the chance to explore more freely.
Directions for a slightly longer Crowhurst circular walk
Head to Fore Wood across the fields from Crowhurst. At the information board at the entrance to the wood, turn right and follow the red waymarks. When you reach a T-junction, turn left to loop through the forest and turn left again when you reach the 1066 Trail and rejoin it. After a while, look out for a footpath on your right that almost doubles back. Take it, then turn left at the river and follow Powdermill Stream back towards Crowhurst. The route eventually brings you out at the southern end of the village, near the manor-house ruins and church. The loop is around 4 km.
The walk is quiet and undulating, with a small pond as you enter from Crowhurst and lovely stretches of woodland. There is no car park at the reserve, but RSPB members can park at Crowhurst Village Hall. The nearest toilets are in Battle. Dogs are welcome but should be kept under control. Some paths and tracks can become very muddy in wet weather, so check conditions before setting out, and please take your rubbish home.
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