South Downs Walks: Berwick to Willingdon, via Arlington,

This is a comfortable day’s walk of about 9 miles, with about 1,000ft of total climb and with a wide variety of countryside and Downland scenery, much of it in the new South Downs National Park. It takes in a reservoir and nature reserve, four ancient churches, some Neolithic and Bronze-​Age archaeology, with three decent pubs to offer refreshment along the way, and some stunning views.
Berwick to Arlington (20 minutes)
Start at Berwick station on the Lewes– Eastbourne line. Turn left (north) out of the station and cross the road, and the footpath to Arlington Reservoir is sign-​posted from the little car park between Berwick Service Station and Berwick Stores. This path splits almost immediately after the first stile: take the left fork, which rises over the small hillock in front of you. Over the next stile, the path follows the right hand field boundary down to another stile onto a small lane; turn left and in a few minutes you reach the dam of Arlington reservoir.
Climb up onto the path on the right, that follows the top of the dam; to your right and behind are wonderful views of the South Downs in the distance, on your left the reservoir. At the end of the dam, take the signed footpath on the right towards Arlington church; the steeple is visible in the distance, and the path descends first to a small bridge over a drainage channel and then crosses the beautiful Cuckmere River on a large metal girder footbridge. The path passes through the hedge to the left, crosses another stream, and heads through a field. The gate to the left enters the churchyard of Arlington’s Saxon church. After visiting the church, follow the lane straight ahead through the church’s main gate and in a few minutes you arrive at the Yew Tree Inn.
Arlington to Wilmington (60 minutes)
This is the trickiest part of the walk, as the footpath can be indistinct and stiles or gates hidden, although the path goes more or less in a straight line as far as the railway line.
From the Yew Tree Inn, follow the lane straight ahead (heading south-​west) for a few minutes, until some cottages appear on the left. Immediately before them is a gate leading to a path, which almost immediately forms a junction, with a path leading to the left. Instead, take the path on the right, leading across a small paddock, with a stile visible about 25m away. Past this stile, the path strikes out diagonally across a field, which on my walk was bright green with maize. On the other side, it becomes a wide green path through a small copse, crossing another field diagonally with a stile in the hedge ahead.
The path continues more or less straight ahead through several fields: if in doubt, look for the stiles or footpath gates, though the path can usually be made out through the grass or crops. After about 15 minutes, the path descends and heads towards the corner of the field. This stile can be hard to find (don’t turn left across the small stream into the next field) as it is obscured by trees and undergrowth; it is just to the right of the corner. The next field is large and you’ll be able to see the railway line and the ‘Long Man’ of Wilmington carved into the hillside ahead. Cross the railway line using the foot crossing, taking care to look both ways trains approach fast! The other side has a small field, full of ponies on my walk, and the stile is straight ahead under some trees. Past the stile the path rather overgrown at this point — turns sharp left and follows the field edge, reaching a lane after a minute or so. Turn right, and after 100m there’s a tall metal footpath gate on your left. Go through this; the path now has fences either side. Another gate is reached soon; go straight ahead through the next gate onto another pathway with fences either side, which will bring you to a hedge. Go straight on across this and the next field, and you come to the main A27 road; cross with care!
You can now either follow the road verge left to the lane into Wilmington village, or follow the footpath straight ahead through the roadside hedge; this turns left through another hedge, and heads diagonally for the opposite corner of the field, where a narrow, overgrown pathway between a house and the ‘Giants’ Rest’ pub brings you to Wilmington Village. The ‘Giant’s Rest’ is a lovely pub (in CAMRA’s 2010 Good Beer Guide) and does food. Walk past the pub and in just over five minutes you reach Wilmington Church, atop a high bank on the right; the remains of the small Benedictine Priory lie behind it. The great Yew tree in front is said to be 1,600 years old.
Wilmington to Folkington (30 minutes)
Leave the churchyard by the main gate, and immediately take the small, chalky lane ahead of you. This provides an easy 15 minute walk to Folkington, although the surface is very uneven in places, so watch your step. To the right are the Downs, with an excellent view of the ‘Long Man’; to the left, as you climb about 200ft, there are excellent views