Routes for different time frames

Haywards Heath can be explored through its local history, buildings and specific routes. Haywards Heath Town Walk No. 1 is 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) long, takes about an hour and starts at Hazelgrove Road Car Park. A public footpath on Town Walk No. 1 leads to Ardingly Reservoir; the round trip is given as approximately six miles (9.6 kilometres). These distances help you gauge how long an outing might take: the roughly one-hour walk calls for a different time frame than the longer footpath to the reservoir. If you do not want to spend the whole day walking, you can use these figures as different points of reference when planning.

Local history and buildings

The arrival of the railway line from London to Brighton transformed Haywards Heath from a small, agricultural village into a thriving market town. The Haywards Heath War Memorial commemorates 167 local soldiers who died in the First World War. Together, these offer different perspectives on the town’s history: the change in its economic role and remembrance of those who fell.

The buildings also reflect different periods and architectural styles. The Church of St Wilfrid is a Grade II* listed building. G. F. Bodley had it built in the Decorated style from 1863 to 1865. Peter’s Cottage, by contrast, dates from the late 16th century and is timber-framed. Oat Hall House was built around 1840 in the Neoclassical style.

Sunte House was first built in 1700 as a large L-shaped building and was carefully extended in the 18th and 19th centuries. At Wickham Farmhouse, it is particularly useful to distinguish between the different dates: the building was first mentioned in 1279, but the existing structure dates from the late 16th century. Additions were made in the 17th and 20th centuries. Wickham Farmhouse is also listed as Grade II*. Together, these buildings show how architectural form, style and later alterations can each be placed in the context of local history.

Green spaces and landscape

Muster Green combines landscape features with local history. The area was designated a Conservation Area in 1979 and includes traditional flower beds and an avenue of impressive trees. During the English Civil War, Muster Green was the site of a minor battle between Royalists and Roundheads. Visitors interested in both can find a tangible connection here between the landscaped green space and a historical event.

Beech Hurst is a local historic park covering just under six hectares on the western edge of Haywards Heath. Scrase Valley Nature Reserve is associated with Haywards Heath and Lindfield and covers 15 acres of peaceful woodland, grassland, marsh and scrub. Blunts Wood and Paiges Meadow is associated with Haywards Heath and Cuckfield; the landscape features listed there include woodland, meadows, grassland, hedgerows, a pond and a wetland. The green spaces described therefore differ both in size and in the types of landscape they feature.

Walking or cycling

The details for Town Walk No. 1 offer a manageable time frame of around an hour; the footpath to Ardingly Reservoir, at approximately 9.6 kilometres for the round trip, is a considerably longer option. Another possibility is a 20-kilometre cycle route starting in Haywards Heath, following both paved and unpaved paths. Check route conditions before setting out. The different distances and ways of getting around give you concrete points of reference for planning an outing to suit the time available and the route you have in mind.

Discover more destinations: Westbourne, Trotton, Steyning, Lurgashall, Fernhurst, Wiston, Findon, Kirdford

Back to the regional travel guide: West Sussex.