<P> In 1981 the route of the old railway line to the south of Heathfield was purchased by Wealden District Council and East Sussex County Council . From 1990 Sustrans developed the route along with District Council and the County Council into a shared track for walkers and cyclists, with horses also allowed on some sections . An extension was constructed to the south into Eastbourne and the trail became part of National Cycle Network Route 21 . The Trail is currently used by around 200,000 people per year and serves as a traffic - free route between several local schools . It is jointly managed by the latter in conjunction with East Sussex County Council . </P> <P> Along the route of the Trail are six original sculptures which act as mileposts . In May 1993 a dozen wooden benches were installed which had been handcarved by a local artist out of trees felled during the Great Storm of 1987 . In 2003 a five - year £ 65,000 package of grants for improvements to the Cuckoo Trail was awarded as part of the Woodland Grant Scheme . Part of these funds went towards the resurfacing of the Trail as far as Heathfield in October 2006 . </P> <P> As of 2008 the Cuckoo Trail remains incomplete insofar as the remaining section of the disused railway line north of Heathfield is largely inaccessible and in the ownership of 12 different individuals who have resisted attempts to establish a path / cycleway over their land . Until 1986 East Sussex County Council had 11 miles of the Cuckoo Trail to the south of Mayfield within its ownership but, seeking to reduce expenditure, it abandoned the early ideas of reopening it as a public footpath, and parcels of land were sold off in a piecemeal fashion . </P> <P> The Trail is therefore re-routed from Heathfield over nearby roads, diverging from the railway alignment to join the A265 Mutton Hall Hill before heading north on Newick Lane through Mayfield town centre . This route has caused controversy amongst local residents . </P>

Why were 11 miles of the cuckoo trail sold in 1986