Length: 25.7 km (16.0 mi) [shorter
circular walk possible, see below]
Ascent/Descent: 268m
Net Walking Time: ca.
5 ½ hours
Toughness: 5 out of 10
Take the 09.23 Southend Victoria train from Liverpool Street (09.30
Stratford), change at Wickford (10.00/10.05) onto the Southminster
train, arrives South Woodham Ferrers 10.13.
Return trains: xx.20 (62 minutes journey time). Buy
a North Fambridge return.
This varied walk offers splendid views of the Crouch Valley and some
mildly undulating landscape. After winding its way out of South Woodham Ferrers
through some fields, it leads across plenty of rolling hills and past the large
RHS Garden at Hyde Hall (plantwatching), then passes through an old cemetery dense with in bluebells in season and along
more fields to lunch. The afternoon route passes a couple more bluebell woods
as well as some vineyards and then features an extended stretch between trees
on a long disused railway line and finishes very serenely after tea, along the
tidal River Crouch and through the grassy salt marshes of Blue House
Farm Nature Reserve (birdwatching).
Walk Options:
Alternative Ending back in South Woodham Ferrers (19.4 km/12.0 mi).
Shortcut in North Fambridge: use a more direct route to the station
(22.9 km/14.2 mi).
Extension in North Fambridge: add more riverside walking (28.8 km/17.9
mi).
Lunch: The Folly pub & bistro in East Hanningfield (9.0 km, food all day, booking
recommended for the bistro: 01245 400 315).
Tea: The Prince of Wales in Stow
Maries (8.3 km from the end, open all day); The Ferry Boat Inn in North
Fambridge (2.1 km from the end, open all day); The Railway in Woodham
Ferrers.
For walk directions, map, height profile, photos, videos
and gpx/kml files click here. t=swc.159
2 comments:
n=3 on this walk in initially dry conditions. We negotiated the roads out of SWF and the early arable fields (skirting along the boundaries rather than following the r-o-w diagonally across the clingy soil), then were rewarded with the first of many fine long views across the mildly undulating landscape.
Some spittle set in, turning to drizzle then rain, but that wet-ish period stopped after an hour or so. We discovered that The Folly was closed (and supposedly has been closed for quite some time), while a new owner goes about their (very slow) refurbishment, so sped on towards the second en route pub in Stow Maries. Blue parts of sky appeared away to the left and right but not yet quite where we were. Larks could be heard and seen, hovering above the one arable field en route that had growth high enough to conceal a nest, chiff-chaffs were identified and plenty of other birdsong was heard during the day. The PoW pub had one table free in the main building (they also have a tent and an orangery), so we had lunch there, timing our departure so that we would catch the 17.20 from North Fambridge comfortably but without too much wait time. That meant we also witnessed the first 20 minutes or so of a young man with an acoustic guitar performing in the pub (he was quite good, actually). Generally, this is a legend of a pub: full of nooks and crannies, very old interior, and a CAMRA-favourite (6 Real Ales on tap), while also being very efficiently run.
On then, now under blue skies with fluffy clouds, negotiating a few more slithery field boundaries and muddy bridleways, but nothing too serious.
We had seen snowdrops galore, daffodils here and there and many a people shuffling through RHS Hyde Hall and many former arable fields now planted with vines. More km walked than posted were walked due to skirting many muddy fields.
17.20 train caught as planned. Three happy people. A great day out.
w=grey-skies-then-wet-then-dry-to-sunny
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