Essex

Although Essex is a heavily populated county there is a vast arable landscape peppered with such jewels as finely restored manor houses, exquisite village churches and accommodating pubs. Epping Forest, final outpost of a vast Saxon and Norman hunting ground, provides splendid walking close to the capital. Explore its sunlit glades and magnificent hornbeams. The willow lined river Stour, north of Colchester, provides beauty and peaceful walking past water meadows and historic churches. The Colne Valley provides woodland walks in farming country and the lonely coastal marshlands are a bird watchers joy.

Long Distance Paths Traversing Essex
Essex Way; Icknield Way; St Edmund Way

  Guide Books: [For further information or to purchase]
100 Walks in Essex compiled by: Anita Totham. An omnibus of local walks covering the whole of Essex. The book is ideal as a valuable reference book for residents and, of course, equally valuable for visitors to the region. The wide choice of routes are spread very evenly across the county, so no matter where you find yourself, a walk in this book will not be far away. The walks vary in length from 2 to 9 miles, the majority being in the 4/6 mile range. They are listed in the contents by length, making it easy to find routes that suit your circumstances. In addition to the route descriptions, details are given of points of interest along the way, places to eat and drink and where to park the car. Sketch maps and route descriptions are on facing pages.

Essex Walks Pathfinder Guide compiled by: Brian Conduit This Jarrold-Ordnance Survey Pathfinder Guide makes the ideal companion for country walks throughout Essex. Clear and easy to follow directions are accompanied by detailed 1:25,000 scale maps from Ordnance Survey and specially commissioned photographs. With 28 colour-coded routes to choose from, all tried and tested by seasoned walkers and varying from extended strolls to exhilarating hikes, there is a walk to suit all situations. The guide introduces you to the area and highlights the most scenic walks. The walking routes include Saffron Waldon and Audley Park, Benfleet Downs and Hadleigh Marsh, Burnham-on-Crouch, Chipping Ongar, Coggeshall, Epping Forest, Finchingfield, Great Dunmow and Little Easton, Hanningfield Reservoir, Hatfield Forest, Mersea Island, Pleshy and Great Waltham, St. Osyth Creek, Thaxted, Waltham Abbey and Lee Valley, White Notley and Cressing.
50 Walks in Essex by: Katerina and Eric Roberts. 50 themed walks of between 2 and 10 miles, each with fascinating background reading. There are clear, easy-to-follow route descriptions, including detailed sketch maps, for every walk. The walk locations include: Harwich; Manningtree; Walton-on-the-Naze; Colchester; Bradwell-on-Sea; Pagelsham; Maldon; Heybridge Basin; Hadleigh; Rochford; Hanningfield Reservoir; Danbury; Chelmsford; Earls Coln; Castle Hedingham; Halstead; Braintree; Langdon; Weald Country Park; East Tilbury; Davy Down; Willingale; Pleshey; Chipping Ongar; Little Dunmow; Great Bardfield; Thaxted; Saffron Walden; Audley End; Chigwell; Harlow; Matching; Hatfield Heath; Hatfield Forest; Ugley; Stansted; Stansted Mountfitchet; Roding Valley; Epping Forest; Gilwell Park; Waltham Abbey; Theydon Bois.
Pub Walks in Essex by: Norman Skinner. These walks vary in length from 2.5 to 6 miles. There are coastal and riverside walks, visits to attractive villages steeped in history, and some gentle climbs for fine views. The routes explore the Dengie Peninsula and the island of Mersea, and include stretches of the popular Essex Way. The walk locations are: Arkesden; Belchamp St Paul; Bishop's Green; Lamarsh; Clavering; East Mersea; Ford Street; Fuller Street; Fyfield; Goldhanger; Great Tey; Helions Bumpstead; Horndon on the Hill; Little Baddow; Littley Green; Manningtree; Margaretting Tye; Mill Green; Moreton; Mountnessing; Navestock Side; Pattiswick; Pleshey; Purleigh; Stanford Rivers; Stebbing; Stock; Stondon Massey; Tillingham; Woodham Walter.
Village Walks in Essex by: Ann and Norman Skinner. Within the villages of Essex, or close by, lies a rich heritage of timber-framed houses, thatched cottages, parish churches, village greens, rivers and footpaths. The twenty routes in this book introduce the walker to a nature reserve near Gosfield; a weir with a legend about a dragon; a village pump; and some of the places which will look familiar to viewers of the 'Lovejoy' series. The villages on which the routes are based have been carefully chosen for their interest and beauty. Among the most picturesque are Henham, Great Bardfield and Bradwell on Sea. Each walk instruction also includes details of how to get to the start, where to park and what food and drink are available locally. The walks vary in length from 3 to 6 miles. In addition there is a seperate section about places of interest to visit nearby.
Adventurous Pub Walks in Essex by: Ann and Norman Skinner. The routes are from 8 to 12 miles, and a little more adventurous and challenging. Includes a stroll along the banks of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation near Chelmsford; a medieval round church in Little Maplestead; the village of Purleigh; fine views over the Naze to the North Sea near Thorpe-le-Soken; and a glorious walk near Brentford through Weald Country Park. The twenty walk locations are: Matching Green; Widdington; Navestock Side; Doddinghurst; Great Sampford; Stebbing; Hylands Park; South Hanningfield; Hatfield Peverel; Terling; Gosfield; Great Maplestead; Hullbridge; Mundon; Goldhanger; Canewdon; Fingringhoe; Tillingham; Langham; Great Oakley.
Pub Strolls in Essex by: Ann and Norman Skinner. Each stroll is circular and 1.5 to 4 miles in length. Includes Writtle, near where Marconi made his first radio broadcast; Mole Hall near Widdington with its fascinating wildlife park; the Great Maze at Rochester Farm; the Colne Valley Railway in Castle Hedingham. The full walk locations are: Upshire; Foster Street; Manuden; Widdington; Doddinghurst; Writtle; Birdbrook; Little Waltham; Chatham Green; Shalford; White Notley; Danbury; Bicknacre; South Woodham Ferrers; Wickham St Paul; Little Braxted; Colne Engaine; Pebmarsh; Mundon; Henny Street; Little Totham; Messing; Great Stambridge; Althorne; Little Horkesley; Layer Breton; Bradwell Waterside; Langham; Lawford; Little Oakley.
Waterside Walks in Essex by: Ann and Norman Skinner. The 20 circular routes in this book are all between 2.5 and 6 miles in length and take the walker through some of the most beautiful scenery in Essex. There is also a seperate section about places of interest to visit nearby such as the Ada Cole Rescue Stables, John Webb's Windmill at Thaxted, the Mangapps Farm Railway Museum and the Thorrington Tide Mill. The walk locations are: Epping Forest; Fishers Green; Roydon; Little Hallingbury; Thaxted; High Ongar; Writtle; Coalhouse Fort and River Thames; Two Tree Island; South Woodham Ferrers; Burnham on Crouch; Bradwell on Sea; Maylandsea; Maldon; Blackwater by the Sea; Tollesbury; Ford Street and River Colne; Chappel and Colne Valley; St Osyth; Wrabness.