BOAT: Green Lane

Location: Coltstaple Ln, Horsham RH13 9DG, UK
  • Overall Rating: 3
  • Location: Horsham, West Sussex.
  • OS Explorer Map 134, 'Crawley & Horsham'.
  • Starting OS Grid Reference: TQ166279
  • Starting GPS Co-ordinates: N51 03' 93" W000 33' 81"
  • Finishing OS Grid Reference: TQ162282
  • Finishing GPS Co-ordinates: N51 04' 18" W000 34' 32"
  • To see: the market town of Horsham, Horsham Museum, The Malt Shovel pub.
  • ALWAYS follow the Greenlane Code!
Glorious ancient woodland
 This byway starts where it heads northward from a ninety-degree right-hand bend in Coltstaple Lane, just south of Horsham. Travelling due north through pleasant ancient woodland, the surface of this wide track is never anything other than perfectly maintained loose gravel. We barely saw a pot-hole, which is better than can be said for many of the metalled roads in Sussex...

 That is the 'hard' part; the 'easy' part (it's all relative, naturally) is found on turning almost due west and leaving the woodland to erupt onto the 'Horsham Gold & Fitness' golf course. Here, the byway is used by golf carts and those six-wheel John Deere buggies (other brands available) that the golf course uses to maintain itself, and as such it is nothing short of immaculate. The only puddle I saw was in some light ruts in a small spinney towards the end of the track, which is clearly never frequented by the buggies.

Take care not to just drive straight through the golf course; if someone is teeing off you could end up with a 'bullet-hole' in the side of your car. Stop and look, and be courteous to (and patient with) the golfers as you pass, no matter how hideous their clothing!

The byway soon ends on the dualed A24, but you have got to take it easy here. It's not quite a blind bend but it is a dual carriageway, and therefore southbound vehicles will be approaching at quite some speed. It's a nasty junction, so take care.

Other than the ancient woodland at the start, there really isn't a great amount to see on this byway, exacerbated by the fact that what was once lovely fields has now been turned into a green desert otherwise known as a golf course (at least it's not a housing estate...), and so there isn't much to recommend a visit. That said, the pleasant town of Horsham is just to the north, with plenty to see and do. We recommend a compulsory apres-lane tipple in The Malt Shovel nearby, a CAMRA pub of the year.

The best way to ruin a good walk...

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