Circular walk: Plumpton station to Artelium Wine Estate

On the map

Plumpton train station

This walk begins from the charming Plumpton railway station, which is on the main line from London Victoria (55 minutes) or Eastbourne (29 minutes). Leave the station via the Plumpton Racecourse exit next to the footbridge on Platform 1, and walk for 10 minutes or so alongside the Victorian racecourse and past the stable yard, until the racecourse buildings fall away behind you and you reach a flint wall on your right. Follow the curve of the wall and turn right onto the quiet lane that is Streat Forge.

Streat Forge

Follow this country lane – thought to be part of a Roman Road known as the Greensand Way – past cottages and meadows, keeping the glorious view towards the South Downs to your left. The gritty lane will give way to a mud track: follow this track for a mile as it skips along parallel to the sleeping backbone of the South Downs. The highest point of the ridge you can see from here is Blackcap – formerly Mount Harry – where Henry III was defeated by the troops of Simon de Montfort in 1264. Look out too for a large V-shaped woodland high up on the hillside, planted for Queen Victoria’s Royal Golden Jubilee in 1897.

Streat

At the end of the track, you’ll arrive at a T junction and red letterbox. This is the village of Streat. Turn left here and walk towards the mediæval church, passing the gates to the impressive Elizabethan Manor House of Streat Place, and up the gravelly lane past the churchyard and phone box. 

Follow this (slightly muddy and uneven) lane for five minutes, until you’re faced with a handsome farmhouse on a T-junction. Turn right here, and then stick to this path for around 1.5 miles, first as it takes you alongside open fields and then as it narrows into woodlands, where the twisted branches of ancient Oaks line the way.

You’ll eventually arrive at a wooden gate with a sign for Meadowsweet Cottage. It’s a public right of way, so walk through the gate (remember to close it behind you) and past the enchanting cottage in its woodland clearing, that seems plucked from a storybook. Take the wooden footbridge over the little ford, and head through the brick arch under the railway.

Artelium

Once through the arch, you’ll be greeted by rows of vines. This is the edge of Artelium Wine Estate. Walk straight on, following the grassy footpath between two vineyards. Around 100m along this path, a gate with a signpost points the way into the estate. 

Now it’s time to relax and recharge. Take a seat on the terrace or in the cosy tasting room, and enjoy some wine and sharing platters at this laid-back, artisanal wine estate. Don’t forget to buy a bottle of wine to take home with you before you leave.

The return

Ready to set off again? Let’s go. It’s a shorter – but equally beautiful – walk back to Plumpton Station, across fields and stiles. Leave the estate through the front entrance, between the farm buildings, and turn right onto Streat Lane. Then, turn left onto the path to Shergolds Farm. Don’t be dissuaded by the ‘no throughway’ sign – the public footpath doesn’t become private until further along. 

Follow the footpath until you approach the farmhouse, and take the wooden gate to your right, just before the entrance to the driveway. Follow a wide, grassy avenue between two rows of hedges. In 50 metres, there’s a metal gate on your left. Clamber over the stile, and then walk straight across three fields, crossing three more (extremely well maintained) stiles. 

As you leave the third field, you’ll come out onto Riddens Lane. Walk straight ahead: this lane will take you all the way to Station Road, where it’s a right turn and a five minute walk through the village back to the train station. 

Alternatively, to take an adventurous shortcut back to the station, look out for another wooden stile on your right-hand side (next to a red bin). Climb over the stile, onto a narrow footpath that runs behind cottage gardens. Stick to the path as it leads you through a wooden gate, over another stile, across a small corner of field and another (metal) gate into a patch of woodland. In here the path leads to a series of raised wooden walkways over Bevern Stream, and following this path will bring you back into Plumpton via the suburban housing estate that backs onto the train line. Look out for the footpath on the right between two bungalows, which leads to the railway bridge to Plumpton Station.