Hotels in Stonegate

Stonegate itself has no hotels, so anyone wanting a proper bed for the night looks to the small towns and villages that ring it across the High Weald. Ticehurst, a few miles east, is the obvious first stop, with country inns offering rooms above their bars, including the Bell on the high street with its award-winning garden. Wadhurst and Burwash, both within easy striking distance, add further options, from traditional B&Bs in weatherboarded cottages to farmhouse guest rooms set among orchards and paddocks.

Because this is deep countryside rather than a tourist town, expect small, independently run places rather than chain hotels — think low beams, inglenook fireplaces and gardens rather than lifts and room service. Many properties sit on working farms or smallholdings, and some can arrange stabling or walking routes straight from the door, useful given how much of the appeal here is the High Weald's footpath network. Booking ahead matters, particularly around Bewl Water's summer season and autumn, when the Weald's woodland colour draws walkers from further afield.

For a wider choice of hotel-style stays with more facilities, Royal Tunbridge Wells and Hastings both sit within about 30 minutes' drive and offer a fuller range of chain and boutique hotels, while still leaving Stonegate, Bateman's and Bewl Water an easy day trip away.