Burgess Hill Hurstpierpoint Hassocks Hickstead Ditchling Common West Sussex UK

Burgess Hill Tourist Guide

Ideally situated between the South Downs and the High Weald to the North, Mid-Sussex market town Burgess Hill is also just a few miles from the coast and Brighton. Burgess Hill Station is served by train services from both Southern Railway and First Capital Connect, with frequent services to London and Brighton. Countryliner Buses offer a comprehensive local bus service. A host of attractions are in the Burgess Hill area including the Downs Clayton Jack and Jill Windmills, local racecourse Plumpton and the home of show jumping at Hickstead. The acclaimed Burgess Hill Golf Centre and a selection of family farm parks are also in the area. Local nature reserves include Castle Hill and Ditchling Beacon.

The town centre is attractive and largely pedestrianised with a good mix of high street and independent shops. The large number of historic buildings in the town gives Burgess Hill great character alongside the large St John's Park plus the added feature of the Roman Road off the south eastern corner of St John's Park. Festivals are numerous in Burgess Hill with the annual week long Summer Festival and other events over November and the Christmas period including a Bonfire Procession. The central covered Market Place Shopping Centre, with ample adjacent parking, is home to a wide selection of high street shop names, restaurants and cafes. Martlets Hall in the centre houses a large theatre and cafe bar whilst the Olympos Leisure Centre contains a large leisure pool and competition swimming pool, badminton courts and floodlit tennis courts. Children will love the Aztec Fun Pools here at the leisure centre with water features like pirate ships and water sprays.

True to its market town roots, Burgess Hill holds an outdoor market at the Martlets Shopping Centre every Wednesday and Saturday from 9am to 4pm.

Martlets Hall, Civic Way, Burgess Hill, RH15 9NN. Tel. 01444 242888. Box Office open Mon to Fri 9.30am to 5pm, Sat 9.30am to 12 noon, plus half an hour before performances. See the Mid-Sussex Tourist Guide for what's on.

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Hassocks, Hurstpierpoint & the South Downs Heritage Centre

Hassocks sits a mere 7 miles north of Brighton (10 minutes by train!) and just south of Burgess Hill. Perfect as a base for exploring the South Downs which sits just a mile off, Hassocks is Sussex windmills territory boasting the nearby Jack and Jill Mills on the Clayton Downs and Oldland Mill. Pretty nearby Clayton Hamlet contains some stunning medieval wall paintings within the village church.

Hassocks has its own station with mainline links to Brighton and London. The railway saw the village grow when it arrived in the 1840s. Hassocks is perfectly placed for accessing a number of local walks into the Downs including to historic Ditchling, Ditchling Beacon, Pyecombe and to Devil's Dyke. Download details on a selection of Hassocks walks via Hassocks Parish Council's webguide.

Equally well situated as a rural holiday base is Hurstpierpoint (Hurst for short) just off the A23 London to Brighton Road and within easy reach of the Downs and Weald. Local Shops, restaurants, tea rooms and character pubs abound in both Hassocks and Hurstpierpoint. Fans of the architect Charles Barry (who designed the Houses of Parliament in London) will be interested in Hurstpierpoint's 19th century church also designed by Barry. Nearby famous Hurstpierpoint public school also boasts a spectacular historic chapel. Over 90 listed buildings dating upto and prior to the 18th century are in the Hurstpierpoint parish including the privately owned Elizabethan brick mansion Danny dating from 1595. Hassocks & Hurstpierpoint Tourist Information, Parish Council Office, Trinity Road, Hurstpierpoint, Hassocks, BN6 9UY. Tel. 01273 833264.

To discover the history of the Sussex South Downs head for the South Downs Heritage Centre and family run nurseries off the A23/A273 near Hassocks. The heritage centre has numerous exhibits including vintage ploughs and rural antiquities and recreates workplaces of the South Downs from bygone eras. One particular Sussex family - The Tate family, are given special attention. This family traded in Sussex for over 300 years and included famous wheelwrights. Other exhibits reflect on Magnus Volks from the Burgess Hill area who built the first public electric railway along Brighton beach. A heritage garden, working beehive, plough gallery, cafe, gift shop and nurseries/garden centre are all on-site.

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Hickstead Show Jumping & Plumpton Racing

The home of British show jumping is Hickstead situated just west of Burgess Hill off the A23 London to Brighton Road. World renowned, particularly for its annual June British Jumping Derby Meeting, the Derby Bank on the course is legendary.

Other highlights on the Hickstead show jumping calendar include The Longines Royal International Horse Show in July - the official horse show of the British Horse Society and the Hurstpierpoint College National Schools & Pony Club Championships in August. Hickstead has also played host to the European Dressage Championship and is essentially leading the way in the ever increasing popularity of dressage - the gymnastic training of horses. Hickstead has also been expanded and offers extensive polo facilities on-site as well as opportunities for both weddings and conferences.

Just over into East Sussex south of Burgess Hill sits the popular small jump racecourse Plumpton which hosts around 16 National Hunt meetings between September and May. Fixtures include the September Ladies Day and Easter Monday Meeting. Extensive hospitality, wedding and parties facilities are on-site.

The All England Jumping Course, Hickstead, West Sussex RH17 5NU. Tel. 0871 919 3583. Plumpton Racecourse, Plumpton, East Sussex, BN7 3AL Telephone: 01273 890383.

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Jack & Jill Windmills & Attractions Around Burgess Hill

The two famous windmills near Burgess Hill at Clayton - called the Jack and Jill Windmills are essential viewing. From the windmills see spectacular views of the surrounding Sussex South Downs and the Sussex Weald to the north. Jill Windmill is owned by Mid-Sussex County Council and maintained by volunteers whilst neighbouring Jack Windmill is in private hands. Jill is open to the public for visits between May and September from 2pm to 5pm on Sundays, with Christmas special openings - see the webguide right for details and a full history of both mills.

Windmills on this South Downs site were first referred to in 1765. The Jack and Jill windmills were most probably given their nicknames by daytrippers in the 1920s. The Oldland Windmill just east of Keymer (near Hassocks) is also open to visitors and dates from 1783. Oldland mill was in operation up until 1912 and the sweeps were re-installed as recently as 2007 and a special moment it was when they first turned to the wind. Read more and see opening times via the Oldland Windmill's webguide.

Top family farm parks are in the Burgess Hill area, including Washbrooks Family Farm at Hurstpierpoint (webguide right). With everything from indoor children's play areas to farm activities, an indoor sandpit, bouncy trampolene, maize maze in summer and a family farm yard, Washbrooks makes for a superb family day out. A farm shop and restaurant are on-site.

Washbrooks Family Farm, Brighton Road, Hurstpierpoint, East Sussex BN6 9EF. Tel. 01273 832201.

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Burgess Hill Golf Centre

There's a nice friendly atmosphere at Burgess Hill Golf Centre located to the north of Burgess Hill on the Cuckfield Road. The 9 hole Championship Golf Course and floodlit 28 Bay Golf Driving Range are perfect for improving golf skills.

Alongside extensive practice facilities, a 7 day a week Tuition Service is available from PGA Teaching Professionals. Corporate golf days and visitors are most welcome. The course is parkland style and home to the South Region Short Course Championships.

The Burgess Hill Golf Centre, Cuckfield Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 8RE. Pro Shop Tel.01444 258585.

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