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.

[5] Until 1986, East Sussex County Council owned 11 miles (18 km) of the Cuckoo Trail to the south of Mayfield but, seeking to reduce expenditure, it abandoned the idea of reopening it as a public footpath, and parcels of land were sold off in a piecemeal fashion.

[6] The trail has therefore been re-routed from Heathfield over nearby roads, diverging from the railway alignment to join the A265 at Mutton Hall Hill before heading north on Newick Lane through Mayfield town centre.

[5] The inability to extend the trail north means that it cannot reach Groombridge and link with the Forest Way, another footpath and bridleway following the route of a disused railway line.

[7] As part of the extension north, the 265-yard (242 m) Heathfield Tunnel was repaired and restored in 1997,[8] funded by a derelict land grant of £198,000 from English Partnerships and a contribution of £60,000 from Wealden District Council.