Forge Wood to Gatwick

On a recent trip, I took an early-morning flight from Gatwick Airport (LGW), South of London. Instead of arranging transport at an unsociable hour, I visited an old friend who lives in one of the new Forge Wood housing estates in Crawley, and left for the airport at dawn. On foot.

The following sequence of photos shows the 40 minute 3.3 km route walk from Forge Wood to the airport (omitting the first few hundred metres from my friend’s house). It’s probably possible to shorten this 40 minute 3.3 km route, perhaps by keeping left/West of the reservoirs, on one side of the sewage works or the other. Maybe next time.

I enjoyed a pleasant walk, through some pretty flower-decked woodland that has survived the encroachment of those outlying airport car parks that you don’t see when you arrive at an airport by train. I didn’t really have to walk to the airport, but I did appreciate arriving and feeling exceptionally stress-free.

Directions

Cross the B2036 Balcome Road, and continue straight ahead along Steers Lane:

Continue along Steers Lane past the new estate on the left, and the building site on the right:

Shortly before the end of Steers Lane, stop to say hi to the donkeys on the right:

Turn right on Radford Road:

After 200 metres, turn left (no photo) up the road to the sewage works:

After 200 metres, bear right past the information board into the woods:

Bear right:

Continue into Upper Pickett’s Wood:

Continue on the boardwalk:

At the public footpath sign, continue on the boardwalk:

Continue along the path:

Continue on the boardwalk:

Bear left off the boardwalk, then bear towards the right:

Arrive at the raised boardwalk from the opposite direction to this photo, and follow the path out of the wood:

Go through the gate to the reservoir, and bear right:

Follow the edge of the reservoir around to the left:

Watch the rabbits ahead run into the bushes:

Bear right and through the gate, into the wood:

At the footpath signs, continue ahead into the wood:

At the fork, bear right:

At the footpath arrow, continue straight ahead:

As you approach the car park fence, you may see trains or even the red Gatwick Express:

Follow the path to the right, along the fence:

At the footpath sign, continue along the path, past the bus stop on the other side of the fence where you could get a bus to the terminal if you could get past the fence:

Go over the first caged footbridge:

Continue to the second caged footbridge, and go over it too:

Continue along the caged path:

Continue along the caged path:

Emerge from the caged path, and follow the footpath diagonally left across the road:

Cross the diagonal zebra crossing:

Follow the next footpath sign, with the trees on your left:

Continue straight ahead, then turn left on the tarmac footpath:

Continue on the tarmac footpath under the car ramp, towards the terminals:

Continue straight ahead:

Continue straight ahead, past the car rentals on your left:

Arrive at the South Terminal entrance:

At this point, after my early-morning 40-minute walk, I checked in my heavy rucksack, washed and changed into a clean shirt for the flight, and dumped the old t-shirt I wore for the walk. And now I don’t have a Scala t-shirt any more.