Short birdwatching visit · Sussex Wildlife Trust
Old Lodge
- Tier
- Worth a special trip
- Best season
- The Trust highlights spring and summer bird interest; species seasons remain unstated
- Headline birds
- Woodlark · Redstart · Raven
- Parking
- The small public car park beside the B2026 is owned by the Conservators of Ashdown Forest and has parking charges.
- Hides
- Not stated by the operator
- Step-free
- The Trust says the reserve is unsuitable for wheelchairs or buggies.
Ashdown Forest, near Maresfield
Old Lodge offers a heathland walk within Ashdown Forest, with grassland, scattered pine and birch, streams and small ponds. A Wildlife Trust account published in March 2026 records Woodlark, Stonechat and Raven during a guided reserve walk, while its current reserve page also highlights Redstart. The path network crosses hills and valleys, so this is a place to explore on foot rather than watch from a roadside viewpoint. Conservation grazing helps maintain the open habitats. Visitors should use the public car park and reserve trail, keeping clear of the separate private road.
When to go and where to look
Spring is a useful starting point for Old Lodge’s heathland birds: a Trust walk account published in March 2026 records Woodlark already singing, alongside Stonechat and Raven. That dated observation supports the reserve’s speciality interest without promising the same birds on every later visit. Follow the public trail across the mixture of open heath, grassland and scattered trees, pausing where views open up rather than entering ground-nesting habitat. Some slopes are steep and unsurfaced paths become muddy in winter. Use the public B2026 car park rather than the separate private road, and keep dogs on short leads throughout the year around birds and grazing animals.
Sources: Sussex Wildlife Trust: old lodge reserve information · Sussex Wildlife Trust: March 2026 Old Lodge walk account. Planning reviewed 2026-10-27.
Birds and seasons
- Woodlark · Headline bird — Season not stated by source Source for Woodlark
- Redstart · Headline bird — Season not stated Source for Redstart
- Raven · Headline bird — Season not stated by source Source for Raven
- Stonechat — Season not stated by source Source for Stonechat
Plan your visit
- Hides and viewpoints
- Not stated by the operator – check before travelling
- Paths
- Wide, unsurfaced paths cross the reserve, with some steep slopes and entrance steps. They can become very muddy in winter.
- Toilets
- The nearest toilets listed by the Trust are at the Ashdown Forest Centre.
- Parking
- The small public car park beside the B2026 is owned by the Conservators of Ashdown Forest and has parking charges.
- Dogs
- Dogs must be on short leads throughout the year; livestock graze the reserve.
- Access notes
- The Trust says the reserve is unsuitable for wheelchairs or buggies.
- Step-free access
- The Trust says the reserve is unsuitable for wheelchairs or buggies.
Getting there: The public car park is just north of the Old Lodge private road on the west side of the B2026, north of Kings Standing. The pin decodes the current operator page’s published map location; it is a representative reserve point.
Sources
Social preview: original typographic artwork by Does Your Duck Quack.
Nearby special trips
- Broadwater Warren · 6.6 straight-line miles
- Arlington Reservoir · 14.8 straight-line miles
- Woods Mill · 18.8 straight-line miles
Continue birding nearby
Nearest full guide: RSPB Pulborough Brooks, 26.7 miles away in a straight line.
- Broadwater Warren · 6.6 miles in a straight line
- Mount Caburn · 13.5 miles in a straight line
- Arlington Reservoir · 14.8 miles in a straight line