For parking in Forest Row we use council, parish and Conservators pages, then listings already on Forest Row Guide. Bay counts, stay limits and any charge can change, so read the sign in the car park and the live official page on the day. The Practical info page keeps the parish parking note and the main visitor links in one place.
Wealden’s two village car parks
Forest Row Parish Council is clear that the public off-road car parks in the village are operated by Wealden District Council. Wealden’s directory currently lists two in Forest Row.
Hartfield Road, Forest Row, postcode RH18 5DZ, sits by the Community Centre. Wealden’s page for that park lists 6 short-stay bays (3 hours), 19 mid-stay bays (6 hours), 12 long-stay bays (23 hours), 2 disabled short-stay bays (3 hours) and 1 motorbike bay. The surface is tarmac. The council notes toilets, a country park, a cycle path, walks, dog walks and forest nearby. That is the useful park if you want the library, a Community Centre visit or a short walk onto Forest Way.
Lower Road, Forest Row, postcode RH18 5HE, is the larger of the two. Wealden currently lists 21 short-stay bays (3 hours), 22 mid-stay bays (6 hours), 9 long-stay bays (23 hours), 3 disabled short-stay bays (3 hours), 4 electric-vehicle bays at 7kWh and 1 motorbike bay. The surface is tarmac. The same page notes a country park, cycle path, walks, dog walks, forest, and Forest Row Cycle Hire as a nearby interest.
Those two Wealden pages do not print a ticket price. The council says it is developing a new Off-Street Car Parking Order, and it already enforces the existing order. From 12 April 2021 it has enforced overstays and other regulations. A breach can lead to an Excess Charge Notice. The current amount is on Wealden’s car parking information page. Highway parking is not Wealden’s job: the council says on-street parking has not been decriminalised and sits with East Sussex County Council and Sussex Police. Read the bay signs first, then use the Hartfield Road and Lower Road pages if you need the current bay mix.
Community Centre spaces
Forest Row Community Centre is on Hartfield Road, RH18 5DZ, next to the Hartfield Road public car park. The parish office uses the same address. Forest Row Parish Council’s parking note, dated April 2021, lists 20 marked unreserved spaces behind the Community Centre, for short-term Community Centre users only. It also lists 4 dedicated disabled spaces, 6 spaces marked for council use only, and 2 spaces reserved for the electric vehicle charging point. That 2021 note says those parish spaces were unrestricted as to time and free of charge. Treat it as the parish record from that date, not as today’s sign. The listing has the bookings page if you are going for a booked session.
East Sussex County Council places Forest Row Library in the same Community Centre. The library page lists parking among its facilities, with accessible public toilets, baby changing, disabled access, computers, WiFi and a returns dropbox in the community centre. Hours move, and Friday sessions are volunteer-led, so confirm that day’s times on the library page before you rely on it.
Forest Way and a reservoir stop
East Sussex County Council describes Forest Way Country Park as about 10 miles of former railway between East Grinstead and Groombridge. It passes through or close to Forest Row. The council says there are toilet facilities at Forest Row, and that the track is flat and surfaced. If you want to leave the car and walk or cycle, the Walks page is the fuller path list. Getting To Forest Row covers the bus and train side if you would rather not drive.
The same April 2021 parish note records about 15 unmarked and unreserved spaces at the Weir Wood Reservoir car park on Legsheath Lane. That is a reservoir stop, not a village-centre park. Use Weir Wood from Forest Row for what the water is for, then confirm access on the day.
Ashdown Forest is a different system
If you drive south onto the Forest, do not treat the village Wealden parks as Forest parking. The Conservators say you must park only in designated car parks. Parking on verges or tracks is not permitted. They have introduced paid parking on Conservators car parks, with blue badge holders exempt if the badge is displayed. There are more than 40 car parks. King’s Standing and Broadstone have disabled parking onto flatter ground. The Forest Centre car park is nearest the Visitor Centre and toilets, on Colemans Hatch Road near Wych Cross. Coaches should use Broadstone. No vehicles may stay on the Forest after midnight until 6am, and overnight stays in vehicles are not permitted.
The Conservators publish current tariffs, payment apps and annual or winter passes on their parking page. Use the Ashdown Forest page in this guide for the official links, then pay and park as that page says on the day. Village parking and Forest parking are two systems. A space that works for the high street will not cover a walk from a Forest car park.
Before you go
For parking in Forest Row, start with Practical info for the parish PDF and Wealden links. Hartfield Road puts you by the Community Centre, the library and Forest Way toilets. Lower Road is the larger Wealden park and the one the council lists with electric-vehicle bays. For a Forest walk, use a designated Conservators car park, not a verge. If a bay rule, charge or space has changed, send a correction through Update a listing or Contact.
Sources
Wealden: Hartfield Road, Forest Row, Wealden: Lower Road, Forest Row, Wealden: car parking information, Forest Row Parish Council parking facilities, April 2021, East Sussex: Forest Row Library, East Sussex: Forest Way Country Park, Ashdown Forest Conservators: parking and Ashdown Forest Conservators: visitor FAQs.