He wrote the Jungle Book and so many more. He lived in India and the US, but British author Rudyard Kipling’s family home is here. Let’s go for a walk in Burwash, East Sussex, through Kipling’s countryside, which inspired many of his works. Whether you just want to visit his family house, Bateman’s, or you are looking for a more challenging walk passing by his home, let me be your guide through Kipling’s beloved High Weald.
The problem with Burwash is that there is no train station. So you either have a car and you can drive there, or you don’t (like me) and you need to walk to Bateman’s House.
Therefore, in this article, I go through 2 walks: one covering Burwash & the National Trust Bateman’s House and one covering a walk from Stonegate to Robertsbridge as both towns have a train station.
Disclaimer: HIking groups may organise the same or similar walks to Bateman’s House. Find out more about these groups here.
Logistics for the Burwash & Bateman’s House Walk 1
- Distance: 2.4 miles ( 3.9 km)
- Total Ascent: 262 ft (79.8 m)
- Walking Estimate: 1 hour and 5 minutes
- Difficulty: Easy
- How to get there: By car
- What to bring with you:
- Comfortable clothing and footwear
- Backpack
- Water
Logistics for the Burwash & Bateman’s House Walk 2
- Distance: 10.3 miles (16.6 km)
- Total Ascent: 1122 ft (342 m)
- Walking Estimate: 3 hours and 45 minutes (Excluding the time spent visiting Bateman’s House)
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- How to get there:
- Direct train from London Charing Cross to Stonegate. The train also stops at Waterloo East and London Bridge stations. The journey from Charing Cross takes 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- For the return, take a train from Robertsbridge to Charing Cross. The journey takes 1 hour and 25 minutes
- As Stonegate and Robertsbridge are on the same line, you can take a day-return ticket to Robertsbridge and get off at Stonegate on the outbound journey.
- What to bring with you:
- Comfortable clothing and footwear
- Backpack
- Water
- Snacks and a packed lunch (unless you plan to eat in Burwash)
- You will be walking on exposed paths, so wear the appropriate gear for the weather on the day you are doing this walk
Important Information
- Address: Bateman’s Lane, Burwash, East Sussex, TN19 7DS
- Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk
- Opening Hours:
- Monday to Sunday, 10.00 am to 5.00 pm
- Pricing:
- Adult: £12
- Child (5 to 17): £6
- Child under 5 years old: Free
- Family: £30
- Facilities:
- Visitors Toilets
- Baby Changing Room
- Dogs are allowed on lead
- Picnic allowed
So now let’s get to the walks!
Burwash and Bateman’s House Walk 1
This is an easy walk but it requires a car. Once you arrive at Burwash, follow my walking guide below.
Burwash
The village of Burwash in East Sussex is located in the High Weald, an Area of Outstanding Beauty. During medieval times, the economy of the village was based on trading thanks to its market and fairs. During the eighteenth century, the village was known for smuggling. An interesting fact is that the smugglers were buried with a skull on their grave and no name. Their tombs can still be seen in the cemetery by St Bartholomew’s Church.
The village has two public houses, one of which has a “Kipling’s Room“. Rudyard Kipling’s son, John, was killed during WWI and his name is on the memorial in front of the village’s Church.
When walking down the High Street towards the Church, you pass by a bronze statue of Kipling sitting on a bench with a free spot next to him. Perfect for pictures!
Video: Watch the trailer of the 2007 movie My Boy Jack, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Rudyard Kipling’s son. The movie was shot in Burwash.
Bateman’s House
If you are driving to Bateman’s House, there is a car park at the mansion. If you are coming from the village, you need to go down the hill towards Bateman’s House. There is a footpath going downhill by the post office leading straight to the place.
Bateman’s is a Jacobean-style mansion built in 1634. By 1900, the house was in a poor state and needed repair. In 1902, as Kipling and his family came back to England, he bought the mansion and 33 acres of land around the house. In the study of the house he wrote some of his most acclaimed works such as the poem “If –” and his fictional book “Puck of Pook’s Hill” named after the hill visible from the house.
Kipling described the house as “a good and peaceable place“. He died in 1936, followed three years later by his wife Carrie. After her death, the house was passed onto the National Trust.
The mansion is opened to the public. For more information regarding pricing and opening times, please check the Important Information section above in this article.
Burwash & Bateman’s House Walk 1 Map
Do you want to do the Burwash walk 1? Download the map by clicking on the button below. If you don’t know how to upload it on your navigation app, check my step-by-step guide here.
Burwash and Bateman’s House Walk 2
For the second walk, no need to drive but you should be prepared to walk a lot!
Stonegate
Our walk starts at the village of Stonegate in East Sussex. It is one of these small British villages with no shops and no pub (yes that’s possible). When you leave Stonegate, you pass by farmlands and sheep grazing, golden corn fields and an impressive sunflower field.
Fun fact: Stonegate is at the heart of the biggest travel fare scam of history, with a man commuting 5 times per week from Stonegate to London for work and avoiding paying for a train ticket each time. Over the years, this man managed to save £42,550 in travel fares!
War Memorial
Continue on the footpath and you shortly arrive at the beautiful Franchise Manor, Burwash. It is on the land behind this property, that Flight Lieutenant Reginald Frank Rimmer’s plane was shot down and exploded on 27th September 1940. He was 21 years old.
A little further down the footpath, you arrive at the War Memorial of Fl. Lt. Rimmer in remembrance of the crash. Whilst the initial memorial was really simple, the owners of Franchise Manor ordered an engraved stone in 2013. A ceremony was held where Rimmer’s nephew and niece were present.
Burwash & Bateman’s House
After the War Memorial, it is time to walk uphill to Burwash village. On your way up there, you pass by apple orchards and oast houses.
You arrive at the village High Street. A little further down, there is a narrow passage by the Post Office building leading to a footpath down the hill. Take this passage and follow the path to the bottom.
You arrive at Bateman’s House. Constructed in 1634, the mansion was purchased by British author Rudyard Kipling and his family in 1902. The house was then in a very poor state and needed repairs. They also purchased 33 acres of land around the house. The mansion and the surrounding countryside inspired Kipling’s works, such as the poem “If –” or the fantasy book “Puck of Pook’s Hill“, named after the hill in front of the house.
The house was passed to the National Trust in 1939 after the death of Kipling’s wife. The house is now open to the public to visit and left the same way as it was when the Kipling family was leaving there.
After visiting Bateman’s House, go back uphill to Burwash village. Take right onto High Street and you arrive at the memorial where you can read the name of Kipling’s son, John, who was killed in the Battle of Loos in 1915.
Behind the memorial, you can see St Bartholomew’s Church. Built in the twelfth century, the churchyard is worth taking a look at (no I am not gloom) for tombs with no names and a skull engraved. Those are the tombs of the smugglers who operated in the area in the eighteenth century.
The Folly & Tom Jones
Leave Burwash village following the footpath across the Churchyard. You are then back on the fields, walking across corn fields and farmlands.
After passing over the Dudwell River, walk up a hill and you can see a Greek-style temple afar in the middle of the grass. There are many Follies from the eccentric John “Mad Jack” Fuller in the area, but it seems that this Rotunda is not one of them.
What is Tom Jones doing in a blog post about a walk in Kipling’s countryside and the High Weald? Well, as you walk down the road you arrive at an impressive mansion called Socknersh Manor.
The manor became somewhat (in)famous when it was acquired by Sir Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck who used it as their weekend (wild) party house. When the two lads fell apart, the house was sold. It went through a few different owners until 2017 when it was bought for £4 Million by a Euromillion-winning couple.
There are no two ways about it! A footpath bordered by fences has been put in place on the estate so that you cannot get too close to the mansion. You would need to follow the well-marked footpath to the lake and then out of the estate onto a forested area.
Darvell
Continue walking up and down the High Weald countryside, across golden straw fields and forested areas. You then arrive at Darvell Bruderhof Community. Established in 1971, this Christian community is the oldest Bruderhof community in the UK. They are completely autonomous, cultivating farmlands and raising live stocks. They also have a factory where they build toys.
Walk across the community lands, passing by the farm animals in their enclosure. You can see the members in front of their houses or sitting in the sun in a communal garden.
When you leave the grounds of the Darvell community, it is only a short walk until you reach Robertsbridge
Robertsbridge
You arrive at the village of Robertsbridge, East Sussex, our final destination. Before taking the train back to London, we stop at one of the village’s public houses, The Ostrich. This quirky pub welcomes you for refreshments and food, inside or in the rear beer garden. I strongly recommend it.
Bon appetit!
Burwash & Bateman’s House Walk 2 Map
Do you want to do the Burwash walk 2? Download the map by clicking on the button below. If you don’t know how to upload it on your navigation app, check my step-by-step guide here.
Final Thoughts on the Burwash and Bateman’s House Walk
If you like the High Weald and want to discover more of this Area of Outstanding Beauty, why not check these walks?
And you, what is your favourite High Weald walk? Let me know in the comments below.
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