Walks near London: Lewes Circular

The Lewes Circular is “probably my favourite walk! From a challenging hilly trail to breathtaking views, I cannot recommend this walk enough. I went there back in September with a friend of mine on an organised day hike. I sometimes do go on a hike with a group, it does save you the trouble of planning and finding routes. It is always a great way to meet new people who share the same interest as you.

As general advice for this walk is that you go on a good day. I know you will tell me that any walk is better on a good day and that there is no bad day, just bad gear. However, for this walk, it is a must. Most of the hike is uphill, in the open with no trees to protect us from the rain and wind. And trust me, it is windy up there. Also, the main purpose of this hike, as I mentioned at the start of this article, is the panoramic view. After all, why go up there if you cannot see anything?

Disclaimer: May London-based hiking groups offer the Lewes Circular Walk, often following the exact same trail. For more information on these groups, please check my post here.

Logistics for the Lewes Circular walk

Distance: 15 miles (24km)
Total Ascent: 630m
Highest Point: 597 ft (182 m)
Lowest Point: -6.5 ft (-2 m)
Duration: 6 hours and 35 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate

How to get there:
- Train from London Victoria to Lewes Station. The journey takes 1 hour.
- It is a circular walk so you can book a day return ticket.

What to pack:
- Comfortable footwear and clothing
- Sunscreen, sunglasses and head cover, if the sun is out as the path is quite exposed
- Rain gear if it is due to rain for the same reason as above
- Headcover as it gets windy on top of the hills
- Water (at least 2L recommended),
- Snacks & packed lunch as there is no pub on the way
- Hiking poles are advisable

Additional Information
- There are no public toilets on this walk

Highlights of the Lewes Circular walk

Lewes historical centre and Castle
Mount Caburn hill fort & burial site
Glynde Place and Parish Church
Monk’s House
Ashcombe Mill
Food at the Marquis of Westminster – London

Lewes Circular walk

Lewes

We start our circular walk in the well-preserved market town of Lewes, 1 hour by train from London Victoria. Its history dated back to the VI Century. You can roam around the high street and see the Castle built in the XI Century. We then leave the historic city centre and adventure onto the hills passing by the Lewes Golf Club.

The first hill

The landscape surrounding the town of Lewes was formed by glaciers during the last ice age. From the top of Cliff Hill, we can admire the river Ouse and its endless queue of houseboats. We can also clearly see the trail of this walk and the 3 hills we will be climbing.

View of the river Ouse and surrounding hills from Cliff Hill, Lewes — River Ouse and surrounding hills from Cliff Hill

The second hill

We then go down Cliff Hill to climb back up to Mount Carburn. This mount overlooked the city of Glynde. Nested at the top, we find the remains of an Iron Age hill fort. There are also 140 burial sites. The most recent studies show that they are not random but dug in an orderly manner.

View from Mount Caburn, Lewes circular — View from Mount Caburn

Glynde

Going down from Mount Carburn, we then cross the village of Glynde. If you have enough time to roam around the village, you can see Glynde Place and the Parish Church. Talking about walks near London, this reminds me of another great one: Glynde to Seaford. It’s challenging but worth the effort for the rewarding fish and chips at the end!

The last hill … finally

After leaving the village, we are going up the hill to Ilford Hill. When we arrive at the top, we can admire the panoramic view. We can see as far as the sea on a clear day. This is where I would recommend stopping for lunch. We then go down to Southsea and cross the train station to find cows in the pastures so happy to see us (they might not see a lot of people around here) that they followed us as long as they could.

The Channel view from Itford hill, Lewes circular — You can see as far as the sea on a good day

Ashcombe Mill

After Southease, we continue the walk towards the village of Rodmell. This is where Virginia Woolfe lived in a cottage called Monk’s House. From the village, we follow the trail all the way to Ashcombe Mill, built in 1828. Then, in 2007, permission was granted to turn the mill into residential accommodation. Today, James Tasker lives in the mill, or more accurately in an underground home beneath the mill. From the mill, we can easily get back to Lewes.

Back in Lewes … and back in London

Once we have completed the Circular route and we are back in Lewes. I would recommend that you eat when you get back to London. There are plenty of options near Victoria Station, from chains such as Nandos to local pubs. My recommendation is to eat at The Marquis of Westminster – they have tables outside and nice comfort food after a good walk. Bon appetit!