FAQs

• How difficult is the 1066 Country Walk?  This is a pretty easy, generally low level walk with only one tough climb at Tent Hill in Stage 3 (Ashburnham to Battle Abbey), and three lesser climbs in Stage 5 (Westfield to Icklesham). So you can safely leave your oxygen cylinders, crampons and distress flares at home!
• How busy can the Walk get?  Although a popular walk with visitors, especially during the spring and summer, this is relatively quiet when compared to say Alfred Wainwright's famous Coast to Coast walk. So walkers are unlikely to be forming orderly queues behind one another!
• Which is the most scenic stage? Being a Westfield resident, I must admit to an element of bias naturally - but for me it's definitely Stage 5 (Westfield to Icklesham). You have superb views heading out from Westfield towards Doleham, and then passing through Snaylham before dropping down into the Brede Valley.
• Where are the most spectacular views?  Three views stand out for me,  the most breathtaking being the view on the front cover of the book/website home page from the beacon at Winchelsea down into the Brede Valley in Stage 6 (Icklesham to Rye). Then there are superb panoramic views looking back from Steven's Crouch towards Ashburnham in Stage 3 (Ashburnham to Battle Abbey), and from the top of the track at Snaylham in Stage 5 (Westfield to Icklesham).
• Other highlights on the 1066 route?  These are numerous and include Pevensey Castle, one of the oldest fortresses in Britain; the Pevensey Levels, a haven of tranquility and an SSSI; Herstmonceux Castle, a magnificent building embodying the history of medieval England; iconic Battle Abbey which is famous worldwide and where you can walk round the original battlefield and actually stand on the spot where King Harold was slain; Battle Great Wood with its wealth of heathland, ponds and wildlife; the glorious Brede Valley; the windmill at Icklesham, a well known local landmark with great panoramic views; the charming medieval town of Winchelsea; and finally Rye itself, a historic town crammed with hostelries, restaurants, tea rooms, antique shops and art galleries on its cobbled streets.
• Is the route well marked?  Yes, the 1066 Country Walk has both small marker posts and signposts all along the route with red circular waymark discs on them and on the stiles. The Bexhill and Hastings links have white waymarkers to distinguish them from the main 1066 route.
• Is it possible to do any of the 6 stages as a linear walk, and then use public transport to get back to the starting point?  Yes, this is perfectly feasible for Stages 1 and 6 .....please refer to the Public Transport link for more detailed information.