Plaistow circular

One such community is Plaistow, with delightful period houses on its main street and a roadside church which, in the 19th century, replaced an earlier thatched chapel – such was the influence of a Victorian middle-class, which required neat and tidy rather than rustic simplicity.

The fact the flight path from a local international airport seems to go over the village can be conveniently overlooked, just for the purposes of retaining the idyllic rural credibility of this expedition.

1. At the northern end of the village street, at a road junction, take the drive to the left of the village church of Holy Trinity.

Follow the public footpath as it curves to the right.

The rising track climbs, for nearly half-a-mile, towards the prominent Plaistow Place, a distinctive Wealden-style house of brick and stonework.

As the track crests the hill, note the turning off left to Oakhurst. Take a few paces left towards the entrance to the residence, turn right, through a wooden gate, and descend the field along the right edge to the corner.

Follow the hedgeline to the left, from the corner, to a plank bridge and stile in less than 100 yards.

Cross into the next larger field, following a northerly direction for a quarter of a mile, to a metal gate and stile at the right field corner.

2. Enter Hog Wood on the obvious path and, in 200 yards, turn to the right. Continue on the path, which in nearly 50 yards veers to the left, following the twisting rise and fall to a path junction identified by marker posts of both West Sussex and Surrey.

Turn right, still on the woodland path, and on coming to a wider forest drive in 200 yards, turn left for 75 yards to a convergence of tracks. Enter the opposite woodland on the signed footpath.

In 100 yards, at a path junction, turn right on the bridleway, passing Lee House Farm. Keep to the bridleway drive for a little over half a mile, as the woodland merges into Hog Copse, with Barberry Furze on the left.

3. As the main track begins a slow turn to the right, note the kissing gate and footpath sign for the Sussex Border Path to the left of the drive and take this turning.

Follow the line of the path through the wood and, in less than 100 yards, take a right turn along a high fence, bordering a property development.

The path soon takes a sharp left turn beside the fencing and maintains a generally north-easterly direction, passing beside Oxencroft Copse.

After nearly half a mile on the Sussex Border Path, with intermediate plank bridges, the track comes to a narrow field section.

Cross the field to a stile, which leads over the brick built structure at Barberry Bridge. Climb out from the bridge to a four-way bridleway junction, a few yards ahead.

4. Turn right and follow the elevated, level track, known as the Wey South Path, which is to the right of a gully, down on the left. This is, however, no ordinary, field-draining gully but the line of the Wey and Arun Canal, which was constructed in the early years of the 19th century.

The canal linked the River Wey in Surrey to the River Arun and provided an inland route to Portsmouth during the Napoleonic Wars.

Further south, at Loxwood, the Wey & Arun Canal Trust has restored a stretch of the waterway, re-building lock gates, an aqueduct and a bridge. We have visited the canal on an earlier walk and will, no doubt, make a return visit at some stage in the future.

Continue south, on what would have been the canal towpath, for a little over a quarter of a mile and then take a bridleway off to the right, shortly after a bridle gate.

5. Follow the bridleway drive, in 100 yards branching slightly to the right, and then walking straight ahead for 250 yards.

Turn left at a sharp bend, going along the next section of bridleway for a further 300 yards to a track junction.

Turn right for a few yards and then go left along the bridleway known as The Lane.

Take the next sharp right turn in 200 yards and follow the track, with isolated dwellings at both sides, to a final bungalow and a path junction in 400 yards.

Turn left into the Forestry Commission woodland of Hog Copse and follow the partly made-up track.

In 350 yards, after Hogwood Farm, where the main track turns quarter-left, locate a three-way footpath sign on the right, amongst shrubbery.

6. Turn right, going between the high hedges, then pass beside an outbuilding for a few yards, turning left on the enclosed path to a stile.

Cross into the field and follow the line of the rising left field edge, passing through a midway row of trees, with an onward direction post pointing to the top of the hill ahead.

From the top of the hill, at a hedgerow corner and footpath sign, continue ahead, descending along the right hedgeline to cross a field corner stile. Take a few paces right to the next field corner and resume direction for 350 yards to pass through a hedge opening. Veer to the right, to the right field corner, pass between two oak trees at an opening and turn left.

At a field corner in 75 yards, turn right along the hedgerow, passing a midway left turning and continuing across the meadow. Walk through a narrower, enclosed section of path and climb the final yards to a stile.

Cross into the lane we used on the outward route and turn left. Follow the track we took earlier to arrive back at Plaistow, beside the church.

• Distance/time: Five miles taking two-and-a- half hours.
• By car: Plaistow is on a minor road, two miles west of Loxwood. Turn west off the B2133, half a mile south of Loxwood, signposted for Ifold and Plaistow. Plaistow is two-and-a-quarter miles from the turn-off. Roadside parking in the village. Start point Grid Ref. TQ004310.
• By public transport: Bus stop in the village. Details from www.traveline.org.uk or call 08712 002233.
• What's underfoot: Undulating Wealden walking with a couple of short climbs. Possible with a baby backpack. Not possible with a baby buggy.
• Thirsty work: Ye Olde Sun Inne at the start/finish point in Plaistow village.

For a full-scale version of the map, see 'related links' above.