Where to go · East Sussex
Forest bathing at Stanmer Park
Old woods, veteran trees and chalk grassland on the edge of Brighton, with a woodland trail and easy bus access.
Stanmer Park is a historic estate on the South Downs with 495 acres of woodland and chalk grassland around an 18th century Georgian house and a small village. The woods include Upper Lodge Wood, Highpark Wood and Great Wood, where Bronze Age barrows and an old earthwork boundary lie under the trees. A Woodland Trail marked with orange posts passes many ancient and veteran trees.
Most visitors arrive at the Lower Lodges car parks by the main entrance, or by bus to the stop on the main road, then walk up past the house. The woods lie further from the house and village, so they are the place to find quiet. In spring the wood floor fills with wood anemones and bluebells. Paths are a mix of tarmac lanes, uneven tracks and steep woodland paths, so wear proper shoes after rain.
Practical
- Managed by
- Brighton & Hove City Council
- Parking
- Paid parking at Lower Lodges East and Lower Lodges West car parks by the entrance
- Terrain
- Mixed woodland and chalk grassland; tarmac lanes, uneven tracks, steep in places
- Nearest station
- Falmer, about 15 minutes' walk
- Facilities
- Cafés in the park and in Stanmer village, including the Stanmer Tea Rooms; picnic area
- Opening and entry
- Open access park, free to walk
- Official page
- brighton-hove.gov.uk
Last updated 4 November 2026. Paths, parking and access can change, so check before you visit. Spotted something out of date? Please let us know.
Guides who run sessions here
One guide works Stanmer Park
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Mark Reeves
Mark Reeves Therapeutic Coaching
Brighton, East Sussex
UnclaimedTrained by Nature and Therapy UK
Private and one-to-onePublic group sessions
More woodlands in East Sussex
All venues in East Sussex
Abbot’s WoodAncient woodland and a medieval lake near Polegate, with two short waymarked walks
Ashdown ForestHeath, pine and birch on the High Weald, with quieter woodland away from the car parks
Brede High Woods647 acres of old High Weald woodland with sunken lanes, streams and few peoplePhotos: Abbot’s Wood, Ethan Doyle White (CC BY-SA 4.0); Ashdown Forest, Marathon (CC BY-SA 2.0); Brede High Woods, Patrick Roper (CC BY-SA 2.0).