Woodland, pasture, a stream and a web of permissive paths — all yours to wander from the moment you arrive. No car, no plan, no other people required.
Walking at Hawksfold
Boots on, gate shut, go
Staying guests are free to walk the estate's permissive paths at any hour — that's rather the point of the place. The routes thread through the oak wood and along the field edges and cross the stream — each round trip somewhere between one and two miles, enough to earn breakfast without making an expedition of it. At dawn and dusk they belong to the wildlife as much as to you. Walk quietly and you'll meet it.
The map below shows how it fits together. The orange routes are yours; the red line is the estate boundary; the blue line is the stream. The purple square around the house, cottage and barn is the one part of the estate we keep private — everything else is open to guests.
The map
One estate, three good ways round
WalksEstate boundaryStreamPrivate — house, cottage and barn
Drawn by us, not to survey standard — distances are honest but approximate. A laminated copy lives in every stay.
The big circuit through the oak wood — coppice stools, standing deadwood and, in spring, the loudest birdsong on the estate. Muddy in the dips all year.
Round the pasture on wide, uncut margins — the short, easy leg-stretch. At dusk this is barn owl country; stand still at the corners and let it come to you.
The Barn Owl Hide →
Before you set out
The practical bits
Underfoot. Proper countryside: mud, roots, rabbit holes. Boots or wellies from autumn to late spring; stout trainers will do in a dry summer.
Dogs. Welcome on the paths, on a lead please — there is livestock in some fields and ground-nesting birds in the rough margins.
Gates. Leave every gate as you find it — open ones are open on purpose.
The stream. Shallow, but the banks are steep in places — children paddled here happily last summer, supervised. Cross at the marked crossing, not wherever looks driest.
Private areas. The purple square on the map — the main house, cottage and barn yard — is our home; please walk round it, not through it.
After dark. Guests are welcome out at night — that's when the estate is at its best — but take a torch, tell someone where you're heading, and keep to the orange routes.
The welcome committee. Eggs sometimes make it to the honesty store.
