Cooksbridge Rail to Ramble circular
10.7 km (6.6 miles) · Circular
- Starts
- Cooksbridge station
- Stations on the way
- Cooksbridge
- Time
- 3.5 hours (the SDNPA web page for the walk says 3-4 hours)
- Stiles
- 9 stiles
A loop from Cooksbridge station over fields to the foot of the Downs, a steep climb to the National Trust's Black Cap, along the ridge past Mount Harry beacon to the Offham chalk pits viewpoint, down to Offham and back along the Ouse embankment and through Hamsey. It joins the Lewes Rail to Ramble loop for a walk of about 10 miles (15-16 km). The leaflet gives miles, with km in brackets.
The ground
Uneven, sometimes muddy. A steep climb to Black Cap and one fairly steep descent to Offham. Take care crossing roads (the B2116 and A275) and the railway line on foot. Ouse embankment on the way back.
Livestock
General advice only: keep dogs on a lead around livestock and wildlife.
Pubs and cafés on the way
- unnamed pub (map symbol only)Offhammidway
The line on the map
The line meets the ridge just east of the Black Cap summit rather than climbing to the trig point itself.
The route is from South Downs National Park Authority: read it at the source before you go (August 2024 (leaflet imprint)). The line on the map is drawn by Lewes Dogs on OpenStreetMap data (ODbL). With a dog? Lewes Dogs has this walk, with the rules and the livestock.