Crowhurst & Catsfield Intro
Crowhurst and Catsfield are two small villages quite close to where I live and are both located a couple of miles South of Battle (OS Landranger 199, TQ 745162), which you've probably heard of due to William the Conqueror and his antics in 1066.
Crowhurst (OS Landranger 199, TQ 757123) is the more rural of the two villages, being accessible by vehicle only, through some pretty narrow country lanes. It boasts an excellent primary school, a church, a ruined manor house, a good pub, playing fields and, despite a very small number of commuters to London, the longest railway platform on the Hastings to London line (I need to get out more...).
There used to be a branch line running from Crowhurst station to Bexhill (where the old station is now being used as an auction room) but Mr Beeching closed this down many years ago. The branch line used to run over the Crowhurst marshes across a huge viaduct which was blown up, courtesy of the Army, back in the 1970s. Shame. Unfortunately the old rail bed is so overgrown that you can't ride it.
Catsfield (OS Landranger 199, TQ 724137) has the A269 running through it's centre which is a shame but it's got it's rural bits too. It too boasts a brilliant primary school (I'm biased) a good pub, a church, playing fields, a village hall and a yew tree which is recorded in the Domesday Book.
I worked out this ride when I was looking for somewhere locally to give my new bike a shakedown ride.
Click on the bike to get the ride details.................
Animated cyclist image Copyright Microsoft Design Gallery
Page last updated 26/04/2002