Route: Northiam
Area: East Sussex
Date of walk: 12th June 2025
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 3.2 miles
Ascent: 200 feet
Weather: Sunny at first, gradually clouding over
We planned this walk to coincide with a visit to the famous garden at Great Dixter, a place we’ve wanted to visit for many years. The garden lies along the route of today’s walk, although it’s not open until 11am, so we intended to complete the walk and then drive over to Great Dixter
The village of Northiam is rich in history and lined with old cottages and fine houses. We parked in a free public car park and walked along Fullers Lane to St Mary’s Church dating from 1090. We joined a path signposed to Goddens Gill which took us through a golden field of barley with fine views of the surrounding High Weald landscape
We then followed a quiet country lane into Northiam and then over to Great Dixter, which we’d visit after the walk. From here we walked through the fields and eventually joined the long distance Sussex Border Path which brought us back to the start of the walk in Northiam. It had been a very pleasant walk through rolling countryside, which whetted our appetite for the main course – the Grade I listed garden of Great Dixter, follow the link for details of our visit
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The start of the walk as we pass by St Mary's Church in the village of Northiam
We follow the sign for Goddens Gill
We head north through the fields...
Looking back to an oast house, once used for drying hops
At the end of the field we turn left
Wildings Farm on Beales Lane
We follow Beales Lane
We pass through Northiam
We follow Dixter Lane out of Northiam
We pass by Great Dixter and its garden, but will return there after the walk
Views acrosss the High Weald
We follow the sign marked Quentin's Way...
We pass by a small pond...
Striding out across the fields
We pass through the stile
The path gently descends...
We join the Sussex Border Path, which is 150 miles long and stays close to Sussex's borders with Hampshire, Surrey and Kent
We battle through a field of rapeseed
We continue along the Sussex Border Path, crossing a small stream
We turn right beyond the stile...
Approaching Northiam
St Mary's Church comes into view again
We turn left to follow the sign, and the path brings us back to the start of a lovely countryside ramble
