We set out at 8:45, a little later than intended, for our last day of the holidays bike ride to Worth Forest and Worth Abbey and made quick work of reaching Worth Way, taking our normal route through town, past Paymasters and under the railway in Furnace Green.

We followed the former railway line as far as Compasses Corner on the Turners Hill Road where we turned right and headed up the hill on Standinghall Lane, a private drive and public footpath, into Worth Forest. Shortly before Worth Abbey we turned right onto a wide footpath which ultimately leads to the roundabout of the M23 southbound Maidenbower junction, but we didn't go that far. The purpose of our detour was to find some medieval pillow mounds. A pillow mound is described by the Pastscape website as 'A pillow-shaped, flat topped rectangular mound often surrounded by a shallow ditch used to farm rabbits.' Whilst we did find what we were looking for, our view was obscured by dense fern growth. This might be one to revisit in the spring! The three photos I did take are below (click here to go straight to them) and the bank, along with a rabbit hole, can just be made out.

Retracing our steps back to Standinghall Lane we were soon on Paddockhurst Road opposite Worth Abbey, so we had a little look around there before rejoining the road - part an ancient ridgeway linking East Grinstead with Horsham. Following the ridgeway we left the road and joined the bridleway that is Whitely Hill, staying on the track by crossing the Balcombe Road and heading downhill towards the railway bridge at the end of Parish Lane.

After a rest at the bridge to brace ourselves for the climb up Parish Lane to Pease Pottage we tackled that and then used the Old Brighton Road to get to Broadfield, coasting down Tollgate Hill and Woodmans Hill to the Broadfield Stadium in order to collect our tickets for the Stoke City match before a leisurely pedal alongside Broadfield Brook all the way back to the Mill Pond at Ifield.

Pillow Mound 

End of Pillow Mound