Nutley: Walking Trails, Windmill and History

Nutley can be explored on a walking trip via several trails described in specific detail. The selection ranges from Walk 8, “A Walk Amongst Friends,” to routes with a stated distance; one of the routes also has an approximate time estimate. The history of buildings and remembrance are also among the topics. For your planning, you can therefore choose between a circular walk with named landmarks, a shorter route with a time estimate and a longer walking section.

Walking trails with different landmarks

The official Ashdown Forest walking trail, Walk 8, “A Walk Amongst Friends,” is a circular route from Friends Clump via Nutley Windmill and through Millbrook Valley. This gives the route several clearly named landmarks: Friends Clump is the starting point, while the windmill and valley are part of the described route. If you like to plan around place and building names, this circular walk can be distinguished from the routes where distance and time are the main focus. The mill also connects the walk with a historic building, while the valley adds a landscape landmark.

Distance and time planning

The Weald to Waves walking section between Nutley and Forest Row is 13.1 km long. After circling the outskirts of Nutley, the route heads onto Ashdown Forest. The ground is mostly sandy; wide views to the north and south depend on the weather and conditions. The route description was published in 2024. Check current route conditions before setting out.

The High Weald Welly Walk is 3.9 miles, or 6.2 km, long. Without stops, it takes about 2.5 hours, depending on conditions and the number of participants. The older route leaflet recommends checking path conditions and rights of way before setting out. The route runs mostly across Ashdown Forest and offers wide-open views. Vegetation and weather can affect how unobstructed the views are.

When comparing the two routes, distance is not the only relevant factor: the High Weald Welly Walk also has an approximate time estimate, while the distance is the specific planning guide for the section to Forest Row. This lets you weigh which information is more important when planning your day, and account for breaks separately.

Windmill and remembrance

Nutley Windmill is considered the oldest working windmill in Sussex; parts of it date from the 16th century. Together with its role along Walk 8, this gives the circular route a historical connection, without the walking description establishing that the mill is currently open.

Airman's Grave is a memorial to the crew of a Wellington bomber who died when it crashed in Misbourne Valley on 31 July 1941. Every year on Remembrance Sunday, a large number of people gather there to remember those killed in the war; the number of attendees may vary. The memorial commemorates a specific loss, while the windmill tells a story of building history and its recorded place in Sussex.

The history of ironmaking is also part of the regional background: the raw materials needed for it were abundant on Ashdown Forest and in Nutley. This connection adds a perspective on the resources available in both areas to the routes and historical topics described above.

Discover more destinations

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