2019 WALKS
A New Year, time to shake off the end of year excesses and get back in the open air.
It was a cold, brisk January day but sixteen stalwart souls turned up to undertake our semi-urban walk around Springfield and the adjoining Chelmer Valley Nature Reserve.
As usual we commenced our walk around Springfield green & it’s church of All Saints before entering an area of housing estates. However we were soon paralleling the railway line as we threaded our way behind houses and crossing the railway to the nature reserve. Here we reversed our track and went under one of the great viaducts that carries the railway through Chelmsford and entered the campus of Anglia Ruskin University.
Thence passing the backs of houses and allotment gardens before we cross the River Chelmer on our return journey along the river and back to the fireside at our starting point – The Tulip.
For our February we undertook some hill walking! This sounds like a strange practice in Essex as we tend to visualise it as a flat county but we were going to Hadleigh, site of the 2012 Olympic Mountain Bike Trails. In modern memory it might be associated with the Olympics but a castle was built on the heights here overlooking the Thames in 1215 (now in disrepair) and after the First World War the Salvation Army established a colony here to teach a variety of trades to those in the east end of London. Whilst the brickworks and arable farm have gone a training facility remains for those with learning difficulties, as does a rare breeds centre, along with an excellent tea room.
Our walk took us past the Hadleigh Castle, with its views of Canvey Island, along to Benfleet Downs before climbing back through Hadleigh Country Park (with it’s replica Iron Age Roundhouse) and back for lunch at the tea rooms. Clear blue skies gave us several sightings of buzzards soaring high above us.
It was one of those typical March days when we weren’t sure if it was going to stay overcast with the odd sun or overcast an rain. As it turned out our March walk was overcast with reasonable amounts of sun. We set off from the hamlet of Fuller Street along field edges to Fairstead and it’s lovely old church before joining a section of the Essex Way and heading for the neighbouring village of Terling with it’s (de-sailed windmill) and refurbished village hall licensed for ‘wrestling’ (?) as well as public music & dancing. Walking alongside the River Ter we passed the local sports facilities (swimming pool, tennis courts, cricket club) before once more heading across country. Remaining on the Essex Way we passed woods which would soon be blooming with bluebells before returning to our starting point, The Square & Compasses in Fuller Street (excellent homemade/cooked food).
My thanks to David Marcus for organising and leading the April walk whilst I was walking the Camino de Santiago
The Group had a very enjoyable walk covering almost 5 miles starting and finishing at the Leather Bottle at Pleshey. A baker's dozen set out from the pub at 10am and to the great relief of the Leader, a baker's dozen settled in for excellent food and drinks at the finish. The weather was very kind and coats etc. were shed as we walked on bridleways, field paths and country lanes.
It was a smaller group than usual that set off for the seaside in May. It was a beautiful walking day as we walked passed Bateman’s Tower along the route of the old Brightlingsea to Wivenhoe railway line. The creek turned us inland along tracks that brought us into the midst of sand quarries, with the whirl of machinery disturbing the peace and the sound of a cuckoo in the distance.
Then down along a permissive path through a wooded copse with a few remaining bluebells just in time to see Thames barge in all it’s glory sailing up the River Colne. At the end of our six mile walk a picnic lunch was enjoyed by us all.
Our June walk took us on a circular walk to the west of the M11 and Stansted airport. Whilst on occasion the noise of air traffic was obvious, as indeed was the visual intrusion of the motorway, our walk was surprisingly rural.
Leaving the pretty village of Birchanger we headed towards Stansted Mountfitchett with it’s ancient motte & bailey castle and windmill before returning to Birchanger. On our return we passed Stansted’s St.Mary’s Church, now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, Norman in origin (on Saxon foundations) with Victorian additions it was overtaken by time as it was too far from the town centre. It has been replaced by St.John’s Church in the town centre.
Nine walkers set off from Paper Mill Lock on the River Chelmer for our July walk. Given the local temperature (27°) and lack of a breeze it would be slow paced. Our walk took us in a loop from the river around the village of Little Baddow. Much of our walk traced parts of the Admiral McHardy Way (celebrating the 150th anniversary of Essex County Constabulary) and the Little Baddow Millenium Way.
Our track was marked by historic buildings, St.Mary the Virgin Church and the pink Little Baddow Hall and nature reserves, passing Blakes Wood and Heather Hills – both rich in bluebells at the appropriate time of year,
The final mile was downhill with extensive views across the Essex countryside back towards the river and lunch!
For the first time we decided to have a walk in August. A local five mile route was chosen walking through Chelmsford’s proliferation of parks, starting in the town centre. Chelmsford has the advantage of having three rivers flowing through it and following the River Can we headed west towards Writtle; first through the parks and then into meadow and open fields.
Skirting the edge of the village we passed the memorial to Writtle Airfield, the edge of the Writtle Agricultural College’s campus before rejoining the river in Admiral’s Park and heading for a well deserved lunch.
A longer walk for September, some members on holiday, left a small group to walk in Chappel. Having left the cars at our lunch stop (Swan Inn) we walked under the massive brick structure which is the railway viaduct (reputed to be the second largest brick structure in the country – No.1 is Battersea Power Station apparently), paralleling the line until we emerged into sheep pasture.
Walking through the pastures and across arable fields we reached Chalkney Wood (a wonderful wood to get lost in, the instructions said, and our leader did try!!). Passing through the Wood we reached the boarding kennels and the old Chalkney water mill. Indeed along our way we had already met a number of extremely friendly dogs and their owners. It must have the blue sunlit sky, a great day for dog walking!!
At this point to turned to parallel the River Colne – still seeing sheep, but no cattle to return to our starting point past the lovely little church of St.Barnabas (1352).
Despite the heavy rain of the previous days the weather was mild for our October walk. This month an intrepid dozen headed to the north of the county and the pretty village of Belchamps St.Paul.
Our route took us along field edges and across fields, unfortunately freshly ploughed or harrowed, Much of our route followed the local Magna Carta Walk; tracing the potential steps of the Barons heading to Runnymede from Clare via Castle Hedingham.
An enjoyable walk through picturesque thatched villages and ending at the excellent Half Moon pub.