Length: 17.3 km (10.7 miles) 4/10
This week we are heading to the Suffolk/Essex border for this walk in the Stour valley. It passes numerous settings of Constable paintings along with his birthplace and a possible tea stop at Flatford Mill. More of the relevant paintings are mentioned here.
Travel: Take the 1000 from Liverpool Street arriving at Manningtree at 1053 (note there is also a 1002 which is quite a bit slower, getting in at 1112). Three return trains an hour at approx 02, 19 and 52.
Lunch: In Dedham, a fairly upmarket pub lunch is available at the Sun Inn, (tel 01206 323 351), some 6 km into the walk, serving lunch daily from 12 noon to 3.30 pm. This is the suggested lunch stop on this walk. The Dedham Centre tearoom (tel 01206 322 677) in the Arts & Crafts Centre serves vegetarian food from 12 noon to 2.00 pm daily (groups of more than ten should phone to book). The Essex Rose tea room (tel 01206 323 101) is another alternative for lunches served from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm. For the situation in Stratford St Mary, a possible late lunch stop, see the walk page.
Tea: The suggested tea place is the National Trust’s Bridge Cottage Tearoom, by Flatford Mill (tel 01206 298 260), open up to 5.30 from May to September. At Manningtree station, the Station Buffet (tel 01206 391114) may also provide a welcome snack before the train home.
Short walk options: If you look at the map you'll see that the walk is nearly a figure of eight, so it is possible to miss out the smaller loop cutting out 4km. Turn right along the Stour Valley Way after Dedham - directions are given in the text.
It may also be possible to catch a bus from one of the villages en route to Manningtree or Colchester.
For walk directions,
map and GPX click here
T=1.39
8 comments:
Hello I would love to join this walk, where and what time is the meeting point and is it possible to have the leader phone number just in case? many thanks annelaure
@Annelaure: if you haven't been on one of our group walks before, please check out the FAQ page: https://www.walkingclub.org.uk/swc/index.shtml.
In practice people do tend to stick together and this is a familiar walk which many of our regulars will have done before, but you'll get brownie points if you turn up with some information about the walk rather than just tagging along.
Thanks for your answer.
I am a keen hiker and been so for over a décade. I definitely will bring my positive energy to this walk. But i have no sense of direction that is why i respectfully ask if i may know the meeting point précisely and perhaps the details of the leader. I did once a walk with you already. It was delightful but i was nervous i would not recognise the group and miss the walk.Also may i kindly ask around what time we are expected back on london? Lastly i would like to add i dont live in london so if this or the above disqualifies me to join i would be sorry but would understand. Many thanks in advance for your consideration. Best regards, Annelaure
@Annelaure: I'm not sure I can add much to what's on the FAQ page. If you've been on one of our group walks you'll know that people meet on the platform where the train arrives. Everyone is welcome on our walks regardless of where they live; it's just that the arrangements assume that most people will be travelling from the capital. The Manningtree walk page suggests allowing 9½ hours for the whole day (from leaving London at 1000), meaning you could expect to be back by 7.30pm (and that allows for a slowish pace with plenty of stops for refreshments, sightseeing, etc).
Anyway, please do come on this walk. It will be fun to meet a keen hiker with no sense of direction!
Thanks yes I will join the walk
hopefully i will recognize you or you will recognize me.can I leave my number somewhere to be called or could I get someone s number in case I don't find yoy? Again i am not from London and notseasonned with trains etc..thanks and v much look forward .
Ps will people take a packed lunch or eat at the pub?
Annelaure, there will certainly be people bringing a packed lunch and probably also others having a pub lunch; people each decide what they want to do.
Can I stress that this is a self-guided walk and there is no plan - I don't know who will be coming on the walk, the group will almost certainly not stick together, for instance some people may want to do the short cut and others the full walk, while people with sandwiches don't usually wait for others to finish a pub lunch, and therefore not everyone will finish at the same time.
I am doing the Walk Today as well.
N=16 today, despite the pricey ticket. (As two learnt to their cost, even pricier if you try to buy it the train).
The group split into 15 and 1 slow guy at the back. At Lawford, one of the 15 dropped back even further to admire the church, one of Britain’s top 1000.
When the slow guy got to Dedham, there was no sign of the others. Had he looked in the churchyard, he would have found a few there, devouring their comestibles. Others had sped on to find sustenance in Stratford St Mary.
The slow guy went in the Sun for a lone cider and,on leaving, discovered the graveyard crew. Then the church guy at the back showed up and he went in the Sun.
The rest moved on and split into short and long cutters at the river.
Just as well Constable isn’t painting these days. His pictures would have been dotted with the over-abundant, obtrusive “No BBQs or Campfires” signs that mar the riverside.
There was a further reunion at Flatford Mill but the short-cutters moved on again and got the 16:03.
W=cloudy-morning-sunny-afternoon
A grand day out.
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