Walking

Compared to last month’s the mud we encountered is hardly worth mentioning, but a few deep patches caused concern to some and slowed the pace, as did the six stiles we later had to cross.  This undulating and strenuous walk is a favourite at springtime and the bluebells, wood anemones, lesser celandines and other wildflowers did not disappoint.

Leaving the Cricketers Arms we climbed to Danbury Church, took footpaths that led to the A414, which we crossed, followed it a short way downhill and then descended to the fringes of Lingwood Common.  On its outskirts we followed a delightful path that ran beside a stream and weaved its way west. Here we caught our first glimpses of bluebells growing amongst the trees.  Although we had to walk along Riffhams Lane for 5-minutes it was no hardship as this too is attractive in the spring and the several dead, giant, gnarled oak trunks are worth seeing.  The next footpath took us across parkland belonging to Riffhams, where sheep and lambs wandered and on the ridge beyond stands the house in its landscaped gardens; in the grounds two stunning trees with pink blossoms gave a burst of colour to the dominant greenery elsewhere.

A series of paths through woods, beside fields, and across a field of horses and foals led us to Belle Vue, a house which as its name suggests stands on a high point.  From here we descended into Blakes Wood where the bluebells were stunning. Caught at the right moment, as we did, the bluebells here never fail to impress; neither words nor photographs can sufficiently portray the scene of swathes and swathes of them amongst the trees glowing in the speckled sunlight.

Tracks meander willy-nilly through this wood and I have to confess I did take one wrong turn and we had to backtrack a short way; unfortunately it was uphill and the only excuse I can think of is that the cheerful chatter of the group distracted me!! As you can imagine there were some disgruntled ‘comments’ from the group, However, it was only a slight blip and poor Tim having worked his way from the back of the group to the front found that when I turned around, he ended up at the back again.

The last bluebells of the day were in the gardens of the White House that we walked alongside for a short while.  Then we entered Lingwood Common once more, but this time higher up where the path undulates before dipping down to a stream and the final long climb back to the church.

The final descent from the church back to the pub is always a relief.  We were served our food quickly and silence fell as we tucked in but it very soon reverted to the usual noisy, bubbling chatter.

Diane Caulkett

Flanders & Swann’s song ‘The Hippopotamus’ comes to mind when thinking about this walk and although no one actually wallowed in the mud two members did have a half-hearted attempt to do so.  It is the first walk we have started in rain but in spite of this 13 enthusiastic walkers (including one new member to the group) donned the appropriate clothing and having ordered lunch at the Rettendon Bell PH, set off.

We followed a delightful narrow footpath that climbed steadily northwards.  Underfoot the ground was smothered in fallen oak leaves and acorns that gave the feeling of walking through ancient woodland.  Further on the path emerged onto open farmland and we disturbed firstly a pheasant and then almost immediately, a fox.  With the abundance of acorns squirrels were everywhere prancing along the branches and avoiding us.

The rain gradually eased and turned to drizzle, which obscured the views we would have had from the hilltops.

In one field a sculpture of a horse drew our attention and in the nearby garden a large sculptured dog sat beneath a tree looking up into it where a football had been placed – some thought it was a dog baying to the moon and others simply a dog wanting his ball to drop to the ground.  Close by stood a tree decorated with numerous blue glass bottles hanging on strings.

Then came the first of the muddy stretches; for the most part the mud could be avoided on this path but later on there were no alternatives and, as the paths were bridleways, had been well and truly churned up.  We met a group of five walkers who had met at Liverpool Street Station, had caught the train to Battlesbridge and were doing a 10-mile circuit – they all at one time worked for the London Underground and had been meeting for the past 15 years.  They warned of mud ahead, which actually wasn’t as bad as the mud they would soon be encountering.

Climbing beside Mark’s Farm we had a chance to clean our boots in the grass field but this was a short respite as the next field, planted with crops that were being enjoyed by Canada and greylag geese, was also muddy.  Fortunately the mud was not of the type that clings and becomes huge balls of mud but fell off our boots quite easily.  By now the drizzle had ceased and the clouds were lifting to give us a view in the distance of our destination.

We arrived back still laughing and chattering and, joined by 3 other people, were served promptly and enjoyed a good and ample lunch.

Diane Caulkett

Next Walk – Tuesday 24^th April meet 10.00 Cricketers Arms, Penny Royal Road, Danbury Common.  Please park in the car park on the opposite side to the pub and slightly down the hill – pub will be open for us to pre-order lunch.  Prompt start. 

Hopefully the bluebells will be out.  An undulating walk.

We woke up to snow ….

….and with bad driving conditions, cancelled the monthly walk.;  the first time in the history of the walking group.

Diane Caulkett

The first walk of the New Year started with a new venue, The Quart Pot, Runwell where 20 walkers gathered awaiting the landlord’s arrival.  The pub’s staff were busy in the kitchen at the rear and summoned the landlord for us who opened the door.  He appeared edgy because we were more in numbers than I had said previously and this put him in a ‘tizz’.  The problem was he had a wake to cater for, some 50 people, and we were all arriving for lunch at the same time and he was unsure as to where to seat us.  He mellowed, took our orders, and indicated the tables we would have and all was well.

Four new members joined us today and once introduced to the rest we set off west across the adjacent large playing field.  A short stretch of pavement led us to an unmade road and then onto footpaths across the fields.  We were lucky to have kindly farmers who kept a wide stretch of grass between the edge of the field and the cultivated parts, as after the recent days of rain the fields were muddy.  On two occasions we should have followed the paths directly across these fields but we took the cleaner route around the edges [If you study the OS map towards the end of this report you can see this quite clearly. DG], but even so we all became slightly mud spattered.

The land around Runwell is not flat and we climbed gently reaching the dizzy height of almost 79m (as marked by a concrete cone on the ground and a trigonometric point on the map).  These small climbs afforded us views east and south and later ahead of us to the west, and a glimpse of Hanningfield Reservoir.

The halfway point of the walk came at West Hanningfield where it was intended we walk down to the banks of the reservoir but the road to it was closed for works.  Instead we paused on a grassed area for a photo opportunity.

Once again footpaths and fields took us up and down and we arrived back into Runwell passing along a lane bordered with bungalows and caravans that I would have avoided if I could; but there wasn’t another route.  We were very pleased to find that the guard dogs of various shapes and sizes were securely fenced in and that we didn’t encounter any of the occupants of the bungalows or caravans.

We all returned muddy and happy but at least crossing the playing field once more we had an opportunity to clean our boots in the wet grass.

The pub did well; our drinks were laid out and waiting for us and we had hardly had a sip when the food arrived.  The wake filled two-thirds of the pub and we the remaining third so it was noisy and lively.

8 kms/5 miles

Next Walk – Tuesday 27^th February 10.00 – at the Bell, Rettendon Common CM3 8DY (about 5 miles).  Park in the large car park at the rear and pre-order food.

Diane Caulkett

With our usual walking day falling on Boxing Day it was decided to delay the walk by two days.  What fortune we had as this turned out to be a perfect day that sat between many wet and miserable ones.  It was also fortunate that it was a frosty morning and in the earlier part of the walk, the muddiest part, the ground was frozen hard and so made walking easier.  Further into the walk the sun melted the frost but there were fewer muddy areas.

As leader I always carry a first aid kit, a map and compass, mobile ‘phone, secateurs to cut back any offensive vegetation, a penknife, hi-vis. gilets and today, as it was cold, a small thermos flask filled with a hot drink – but how was I to know that we would also need pliers!  Two walkers managed to get long and dangerous thorns go through their boots, the sole of one and the instep of the other.  But these were no ordinary thorns and it took two strong men and much pulling with the secateurs and pushing with the handle of the penknife to extract them.

Starting at The Cobbins our route took us over fields to the north of Burnham, round the ‘end of the line’ at the Mangapps Railway Museum and eventually up into Southminster. From there we headed south returning by fields that led to Stoney Hills and so back to The Cobbins.

Mulled wine and hot food rounded off the morning and so ended a successful year.

9 kms/5.4 miles

Diane Caulkett

Next Walk – Meet at 10.00 at the Quart Pot, Runwell Road, Runwell, SS11 7PN food can be pre-ordered – undulating, two stiles, expect muddy patches 8kms/5 miles

Arriving in Heybridge Basin’s car park a few dark clouds threatened to spoil our morning’s walk but armed with Alan’s umbrella, our insurance policy against rain, we set off to the Old Ship to order our lunch.  Forecasters had predicted a cold day and sensibly everyone had come prepared with hats, gloves and scarves, which turned out to be quite unnecessary and we were soon shedding them and Alan’s umbrella kept the rain at bay.

The last, and first, time we walked from Heybridge Basin was in January 2016 and almost two years later we enjoyed similar weather with bright winter sun – a big difference though, was that in 2016 we battled against a stiff south-westerley wind along the exposed stretch of seawall heading towards Maldon, but today it was just a light breeze. .  Birdwatchers present could enjoy the sight of waders, ducks and geese, especially the brent geese flying over.

From the Basin we made our way along the seawall towards Maldon.  It was fairly muddy after recent rain but firm enough for us to maintain a fair pace.  Views of Maldon and the Thames Barges across the river were as always pleasing to the eye and the bright light of the morning made it more so.

Leaving the seawall we had a section through Heybridge but we soon left the traffic behind and gained the footpath south running beside the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation (the formal name of the Chelmsford – Heybridge Basin Canal), which we followed to a point where it runs close to the River Blackwater and turns west.  A short way on we veered off towards a lake that I personally find very attractive with its wildlife ­- and I think the group appreciated it too – it is always hard to tell, as there is so much chatter and laughter.

Crossing a field we joined the former Witham to Maldon Branch Line (now part of the Blackwater Rail Trail) and turned here to return to Heybridge Basin, firstly via a network of footpaths and bridleways that led back to the canal.  It’s an interesting section of the canal with factories, bridges, a cemetery and then a quiet section before reaching the moored boats in the Basin.

11 of the 16 walkers stayed for lunch and enjoyed the warmth of the Old Ship where the food was good and service prompt, and as always we all enjoyed the cheerfulness and conviviality of the group.

9.4 kms/5.9 miles

Diane Caulkett