Barcombe Mills - Easy Walk, Picnic, Wild Swim, Go Boating - and info on other places to wild swim
Walk by the River Ouse near Barcombe Mills north of Lewes
This is an easy two and a half mile walk by a river to a pub, the Anchor Inn which offers boating in summer. There are opportunities for picnicking on the way and wild swimming. The walk passes through peaceful, unspoilt meadows with an abundance of birdlife.
I’ve included details of books and websites that tell you more about wild swimming and wild swimming opportunities around the UK.
Start the walk at the car park. It’s a substantial car park but fills up at peak times.
Interactive map
There’s a map below which will allow you to zoom in for more detail to see additional paths you might use to extend the walk. You can also switch to see satellite view.
You can return by the indicated route of the dismantled railway, simply reverse your journey, or venture onto other connected routes to extend your walk.
Don’t miss the remains of the mill area with its weirs and rushing water.
Start at the car park. The weirs are close to this point so you can see them before you start your walk or save them for the end. Picnicking is possible quite close to this point.
A meadow close to the river.
The Anchor Inn on the Ouse near Barcombe Mills
Picture and information from the pub’s website, June 2021:
BOATS ARE OPEN
For hundreds of years The Anchor Inn has enjoyed boating rights over one of the most beautiful parts of the River Ouse, stretching from the Anchor Inn to the attractive Fish Ladder Falls extending below Sutton Hall.
The river scenery is quite unspoilt and is home to many wild birds including Herons, Kingfishers, Swans, Cormorants and Moorhens. The river is also home to a variety of species of fish, which can usually be seen basking on the rivers surface.
The round trip to the falls and back, made in our 5 seater paddle boats.
BOAT HIRE COST
The following prices are per person per hour:
£7.00 per adult
£4.00 per under 14
Life jackets are available for minors.
Boats are open everyday from 10:00am until 5:30pm
Please note that we do not take bookings for boat hire.
Interactive map, Barcombe Mills to the Anchor Inn
Route map for Barcombe Mills River Walk, Swim, Boat Anchor Inn by David Roberts on plotaroute.com
TO MAKE THE MAP WORK click on “plotaroute” at the bottom right. Then you can
- zoom in to see other paths, for example to extend or vary the routes
- view full screen by clicking the four headed arrow,
- view satellite or cyclable route etc views by clicking the down arrow next to the route type label (top right)
- show down-hill sections in green, uphill in orange and steeper uphill in red by clicking DISPLAY, then “Hilliness”
- show current weather and for next days by clicking Menu, “Weather”
- print the map by clicking Menu, “Print”
- download the map by clicking Menu, “Download”
Happy walking,
David Roberts,
www.davidrobertsblog.com
Please share my posts.
More wild swimming opportunities
To find out where you can swim outdoors around the UK there are some useful websites you can visit.
Here you can also find advice about how to cope with the cold in winter! (My method is to stay out of the water.)
Further down there are some products which may be of interest to wild swimmers. For more information click on the Amazon links.
Useful Wild Swimming Websites
http://www.wildswimming.co.uk/
https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/uk-wild-swimming-groups/
https://www.muchbetteradventures.com/magazine/wild-swimming-guide/
Wild swimming books – places to swim, the spirit of wild swimming and experiences of wild swimming
Click on the Amazon links for more information.
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- Wild Guide London and South East England: Norfolk to New Forest, Cotswold to Kent & Sussex (Wild Guides)
- by Wild Things Publishing Ltd
- £13.29
- Wild Guide Central England: Adventures in the Peak District, Cotswolds, Midlands, Welsh Marches, Wye Valley and Lincolnshire Coast (Wild Guides)
- by Wild Things Publishing Ltd
- £10.70
- The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Potential, Transcend Your Limits
- by Ebury Digital
- £9.99
- Wild Swimming Hidden Beaches: Explore the Secret Coast of Britain
- by Wild Things Publishing Ltd
- £11.99
- Taking the Plunge: The Healing Power of Wild Swimming for Mind, Body and Soul: The Healing Power of Wild Swimming for Mind, Body & Soul
- by Black & White Publishing
- £14.95
- Waterlog: A Swimmer’s Journey Through Britain
- by Vintage
- £9.99
- Swimming Wild in the Lake District: The most beautiful wild swimming spots in the larger lakes
- by Vertebrate Publishing
- £13.40
- Wild Swimming Walks: 28 River, Lake and Seaside Days Out by Train from London (Wild Walks)
- by Wild Things Publishing Ltd
- £10.85
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- Wild Swimming Walks Dartmoor and South Devon: 28 Lake, River and Beach Days Out in South West England
- by Wild Things Publishing Ltd
- £9.99
- Leap In: A Woman, Some Waves, and the Will to Swim
- by Windmill Books
- £6.95
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Some useful accessories for swimmers
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