8 Railway path

On the south side of Betchworth Station level crossing, a delightful tree-lined path runs along the railway fence. Walking it on a hot summer's day is like stepping into a cool green tunnel — the canopy of trees and shrubs arcs overhead, casting deep shade broken only by occasional pools of dancing light.

The tallest trees are ash, oak and sycamore, many of them 70 to 100 years old, growing alongside coppiced hazel whose many-stemmed clusters hint at generations of traditional woodland management. Thick stems of ivy wrap around some of the ash trees. This is no ordinary hedgerow. The woodland of which this path is a remnant was already here before the railway arrived nearly 200 years ago, and the deep wooded cutting that slices through the Upper Greensand has preserved a little of that ancient character ever since.

Beneath the taller trees, a layered understorey of hawthorn, blackthorn, holly and elder creates a dense, wildlife-rich habitat. At ground level, dog's mercury, nettles, bramble and ivy weave together in a thick carpet, with wildflowers appearing in the gaps. Old Man's Beard and bramble clamber up the railway fence, and here and there bare roots snake across the path — worth watching your footing, especially if young children are with you.

Look out too for rabbit burrows along the bank; this stretch has a resident colony and you may catch a glimpse of them at quieter times of day.

The path rewards visitors who return through the seasons. In March, a small copse fills with the unmistakable scent of wild garlic, its white flowers forming a bright carpet beneath the still-bare branches. A few weeks later in April, small patches of bluebells appear, their soft blue haze a sure sign that this corner of the trail has a long and undisturbed woodland history.