Park Wood, Hellingly
Park Wood, Hellingly, is situated 1.5m (2.5km) north of Hailsham in Wealden District. It consists of 60 hectares of ancient semi-natural woodland and is a designated Site of Nature Conservation Importance.
Woodland trail in Park Wood
What you will find
Signed woodland trails guide visitors on easy-to-follow circular walks. There is also a route permitted for horses indicated by blue arrows (although not a Public Right of Way).
Park Wood has:
- oak standards
- sweet chestnut, hazel and hornbeam coppices
- a giant beech tree
- a wild cherry tree
- a stream
- wood anemones, violets, orchids, bluebells
- ferns and mosses
- over 60 species of fungi in autumn
Getting there
- By train and/or bicycle – the nearest train station is Polegate, 4.5 miles away. From there take the Cuckoo Trail north towards Heathfield. At Hellingly turn right onto Station Road and then first left onto Grove Hill. The entrance to Park Wood is about one mile on the right.
- By bus – number 728 from Brighton to Tunbridge Wells runs every two hours from Monday to Saturday, and number 218 runs every two hours on Sundays.
- On foot - there are two entrances along a minor road between Hailsham and Cowbeech Hill off the A271, and another from the western side of the wood off Grove Hill.
- By car - there is a car park for eight cars off the Hailsham to Horam road at Grove Hill on the western side of the wood
History
Park Wood was originally part of the Forest of Anderida which covered most of south-east England in Saxon times. During the Second World War the Canadian Army occupied the wood, and it was a no-go area for civilians.
The East Sussex River Board bought the land in 1951 and made faggots from the native sweet chestnuts for riverbank protection work. After a few decades without woodland management, the Environment Agency took it over. East Sussex County Council has managed the wood since 1996.
Find out more
Read our leaflet on Park Wood, Hellingly,
Ordnance Survey Maps: Explorer 16 and Landranger 199 – national grid ref TQ 604123.
For more information contact the Park Wood Ranger:
Tel: 01273 482670.
Environment Agency hotline: 0800 807060.
Dozens of guided walks are described in our seasonal booklet Exploring East Sussex . For leaflets about other local walks please call us on 01273 481654.
