The Egrets Way (Lewes to Newhaven)
11 km (6.8 miles) · Linear with a train back
- Starts
- Lewes Railway Land nature reserve, by the Linklater Pavilion (a short walk from Lewes station)
- Ends
- Newhaven (Riverside Park, near Newhaven Town station)
- Stations on the way
- Lewes, Southease, Newhaven Town
- Time
- 3 hours walking (1 hour cycling)
- Stiles
- No stiles
A surfaced riverside path that starts at the Railway Land nature reserve in Lewes and follows the Ouse south past Southease and Piddinghoe to Newhaven, with trains back from Southease or Newhaven Town. It is the only route found that starts at the Railway Land, and the only one whose source says it has no stiles. The leaflet gives approximately 7 miles (11 km).
The ground
A surfaced, mostly flat and wide shared path beside the Ouse, used by cyclists, pushchairs and mobility scooters. One unsurfaced section is unsuitable for pushchairs and mobility scooters in wet weather. Take care crossing the C7 road near Piddinghoe.
Livestock
General advice only: keep dogs on a lead around livestock and wildlife.
Pubs and cafés on the way
- Lansdown pubLewes (on the walkers' way from the station to the start)start
- YHA cafeSoutheasemidway
The line on the map
Pinned to the named Egrets Way path segments in OpenStreetMap, with the walkers' link at Piddinghoe drawn by the Harping Hill road.
The route is from South Downs National Park Authority (route by the Ouse Valley Cycle Network): read it at the source before you go (January 2026 (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.