The Cuckoo Trail

The Cuckoo Trail is owned by Wealden District Council & East Sussex County Council but this ‘cycle/pathway’ was not originally built for this purpose. Opened in 1880, the Cuckoo Line was the Polegate to Eridge railway, carrying milk, livestock and animal feed as well as passengers. It was named the Cuckoo Line after the tradition that the first cuckoo of spring was heard at Heathfield Fair. Although it was a busy line it eventually closed due to the cuts made by Dr Beeching in 1968.

The Cuckoo Trail is 11 miles long joining three of the district’s towns, Heathfield, Hailsham and Polegate. It also passes through the villages of Horam and Hellingly. The Trail has an extension to the south of Polegate which joins to Hampden Park in Eastbourne forming part of the
National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 21