A Tale of 2 Treasure Hunts. Cuckfield v Lindfield
Posted on: 22/03/2021Cuckfield to Lindfield is a driving time of 11 minutes. These two neighbouring West Sussex villages are actually classified as being in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex...although they are both definitely on the Eastern side of West Sussex! You still with me?! On the up side Black Cat Treasure Hunts have treasure hunt routes in both and, after Alfriston, are our smallest places to explore. At £1 each only they make it an ideal double for an afternoon exploring.
What can you expect on your trip and will Black Cat spill the beans as to which one is his favourite?!
Cuckfield has a circular route and heads first up its High St. Lindfield is not circular, but also heads uphill as well to start. In these early stages I would say Lindfield has the edge with a respectable number of historic, medieval timber framed houses. The church (dating back to 1098)in Lindfield is situated at the top of the village and behind it is a grandiose Elizabethan Manor House. The name for the village derives from `open land with lime trees` and you should look out for them lining the High St when you come back down the hill.
If Cuckfield gets off to a slightly more low key start, you will still pass the museum and get some Insta-worthy photos as you cut through the recreation ground. It starts to `up its game` as you take a path past interesting houses and an impressive hotel/restaurant called Ockenden Manor, also Elizabethan. Whatever Lindfield can do... Did you know, according to Wikipedia, "Cuckfield is known locally for its idiosyncratic system of mayoral voting; unlimited numbers of votes can be purchased for the price of one penny each, with the winner receiving the most votes.The position is purely honorary and the money raised supports local charities." Maybe you should be casting your vote for Cuckfield over Lindfield at this point!
Towards the end of this 30-45 minute treasure hunt in Cuckfield, you pass under its mightily impressive `Umbrella` tree. Certainly you shouldn`t get too wet if you are under it, if it`s raining. The tree is worth the admission money on its own as you finally cross over and down to the church, complete with notable Latin slogan, to finish.
Lindfield has an impressive number of pubs for its relative small size. Maybe this route should be for over 18`s only. The village is, though, a serial winner of the best kept village award as well. A fact you can appreciate at the large pond. Besides the large pond it has a large common too, site of a wide variety of unusual and notable historic events. Sheep fairs and an International women`s cricket match are actually overshadowed by two events featured in the hunt`s last two questions.
So there you have it...definitely a double delight either for families looking to add fun to a regular walk or for first time visitors wishing to maximise their exploration.
What about my favourite then? I can feel my arm being twisted! Here`s the thing (wriggling out of it alert!)..if I had American visitors with me then I think Lindfield with the obviously historical houses and plentiful pubs would take it, but if I had a family with younger children in tow then I think the neatly circular route with stand-out tree would tip the scales in Cuckfield`s favour. For £2 total I would do both!
Cuckfield Treasure Hunt or Lindfield Treasure Hunt ...the choice is yours!
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