Winter Walks in the High Weald

Now is a great time to enjoy a winter walk. With the trees bare, views of the High Weald’s medieval character open up, its special features are revealed, and some wildlife is easier to spot. Whether you are wandering along a sunken lane, tracing a trail through ancient heath or woodland or following a footpath through one of the Weald’s characteristic small fields, here are some of the wildlife signs to look out for this time of year.

Birds

Winter is an excellent time for birdwatching. Our woodlands are alive with long-tailed tits, coal tits and goldcrests, while nuthatches and treecreepers creep around our older or ‘veteran’ trees exploring their holes, cavities and crevices. In the fields and hedges, look for winter thrushes—fieldfares and redwings—fresh in from Scandinavia. On heathlands, keep an eye out for stonechats perched on top of the gorse and, the rare and elusive Dartford warbler bobbing around at the bottom.

On the High Weald Sussex coastline, winter walkers may spot red-throated divers, guillemots, kittiwakes and other seabirds feeding and flying close inshore.

Mammals and tracks

You may spot fallow deer or the smaller roe deer moving quietly along woodland edges. Even if you don’t see the animals themselves, winter mud (we have lots of it with our clays soils…) reveals plenty of clues: neat, straight-line fox tracks, deer slots, and squirrel-chewed cones beneath conifers

Fungi and other winter wonders

In winter, the small things take centre stage. Bright scarlet elf cups glow on decaying wood; velvet shank fungus can be found on old stumps; and mosses in the gills (steep, rainforest-like ravines with small flowing streams) are at their greenest. Look closely at branches for the many different lichens which thrive in the High Weald’s clean woodland air. As early as January, hazel catkins begin to appear—one of the first signs that spring isn’t too far away.

To make the most of your winter walk, pause and listen: many birds reveal themselves long before you can see them. Wear wellies (the mud!) and bring binoculars to scan hedgerows and open heath, and check patches of deadwood for fungi and other tiny delights.

We have lots of excellent walking routes on our website so why not get out and enjoy the stunning High Weald winter landscape. Wrap up warm, take your time, and you’ll discover a landscape that’s every bit as interesting in the colder months as it is in high summer.

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