In Burgess Hill, you’ll find a variety of ways to enjoy the outdoors: walks with specific distances, routes through the town and surrounding countryside, as well as nature and leisure activities. When choosing, it’s worth distinguishing between their respective focuses. Some routes centre on history and points of interest, while others offer several walking options; there are also dedicated destinations for nature lovers and cycling enthusiasts.
Walks with different focuses
The Burgess Hill History Trail offers two routes through Burgess Hill: one is one mile long, the other two miles long. The options are intended for walkers and cyclists. Along the route, you’ll find descriptions of local history and points of interest. Both distances are specified, so you can choose between two different route options. If you’d rather compare several walks, you can consult the booklet on the Twitten paths.
The booklet contains information on nine walks through the town and surrounding countryside. Some sections of the Twitten paths can also be cycled. This is an option for some routes, not all of them. The two offers therefore differ mainly in their selection: the History Trail specifies two route lengths and links the route to local history, while the Twitten booklet brings together information on nine walks.
The Green Circle project offers another way to experience Burgess Hill while out and about. The information boards cover birds, butterflies, wildlife, plants, trees and local history in the area around each board. The project also includes a free identification guide for children and younger walkers and cyclists. For younger visitors, this connection with nature can be a reason in itself to look out for the topics covered by a board during a walk. The guide supplements the information on site with help identifying what you see.
Nature areas and views
Bedelands Farm Local Nature Reserve covers 33 hectares of old meadows, woodland, hedgerows and ponds. It is designated a Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI). This combination of open and wooded landscape features gives the reserve a different focus from the history trails described above. Access is via the playing fields next to Burgess Hill Town Football Club on Maple Drive, and via Coopers Close.
Batchelors Farm offers views across open countryside to the South Downs. It can be reached via a bridleway and footpath from London Road, south of the roundabout at Chanctonbury Road. If you’re choosing a stay based in part on its scenery, you might consider this viewpoint as a destination in its own right. The access route and views described here relate to Batchelors Farm; they are not details about the paths at Bedelands Farm Local Nature Reserve.
More leisure activities
Leylands Park is home to Burgess Hill’s BMX track, which opened in 2014 and is the only one of its kind in Mid Sussex. Its W-shaped layout includes long straights and jumps; there is also a separate pump track. This is quite different from walking trails and nature areas: BMX and pump track riding are the focus here. Cycling enthusiasts will find a specific alternative to the routes described above.
St Johns Park has a large children’s playground with equipment for children of all ages, as well as a skatepark with various jumps, ramps and grind rails. Families with children can consider these play and skate facilities alongside the walking and nature options. The playground and skatepark are distinct offerings: one has equipment for children of all ages, while the other features skate elements such as ramps and grind rails.
Discover more destinations: Yapton, Billingshurst, West Wittering, Angmering, Merston, Pagham, Selsey, Southwick.
For the wider travel guide: West Sussex.
