The Crowborough Boundary Walk

The Crowborough Boundary Walk is open to everyone and takes approximately three hours to complete, after which walkers will have beaten the bounds. A map of the route will be provided. The start is on Eridge Field at Goldsmiths Recreation Ground, (next to the car park). This year, to allow walkers to spread out, there will be a staggered start between 9am and 10.30am. At the 3-mile point, all walkers will receive a chocolate bar to keep them energised to the end!

In line with Crowborough Town Council’s aspiration to minimise its impact on the environment, it will no longer be supplying water in plastic bottles to walkers for this event, so walkers are encouraged to bring along their own filled, reusable water bottle.

Beating the bounds is an ancient custom. When maps were rare, it was usual for members of the community to walk the boundaries of the parish. On Rogation Day, the parish priest, together with church wardens, would lead a procession of walkers. Armed with birch or willow boughs, the processional walkers would beat the parish boundary markers and Priests would pray for the protection of the harvest to come. Sometimes young boys of the parish would be bumped onto the boundary stones to help them remember where the parish boundary ran!