Herongate and Ingrave walks

From wooden bus stop we follow Hutton Village, then off-road to the old church. We go cross-country to Ingrave, past the huge pile of Thorndon House & thru' Thorndon Park North. As well as the park, the route takes in many other properties owned by the Thames Chase Community Forest, including Warley Gap, Codham Hall Woods & Franks Wood. We pass thru' Little Warley, Great Warley and skirt the outside of Upminster on our way to the finish at the Thames Chase Forest Centre at Broadfields Farm.

Starts at Thames Chase Forest Centre, the headquarters of the Thames Chase Community Forest, at Broadfields Farm. Route passes thru' the old village of Cranham, then Cranham Marsh Nature Reserve, Corbets Tey, Belhus Country Park, Belhus Chase & the town of Aveley. For the last two miles we follow the Mardyke Way thru' Davy Down, then thru' Stifford Green and Warren Gorge Nature Reserve to finish at Chafford Hundre Railway Station.

Explore Hylands Estate following this path through the park.

We divert off the Essex Way to take in some of the histories of this old town. Rejoin the Essex Way for a short distance, before leaving it for one last time. Then follow St Peters Way thru' High Ongar & most of the way to Blackmore. We follow St Peter's Way for over a mile to Fryerning then thru' the village & across fields to Mountnessing. A short walk thru' a housing estate & industrial estate to enter Hutton Nature Reserve to soon finish at Hutton Village.

3 village circular walk through Howegreen, Great Baddow, and Sandon

Along pavements, footpaths and bridleways and across fields.

From start, we go north to soon join a path along the River Thames. Then turn left & upstream along the riverbank, soon under the towering Queen Elizabeth 2 Bridge which takes the M25 over the Thames. The River Thames is wide here & industry is evident, mainly on the opposite bank. At 3.5 miles we join the Darent Valley Path near the large Darent Creek Flood Barrier. We follow the path all the way to the finish, near Dartford Station.

For a more challenging walk in London, the Belvedere to Greenwich trail via the Thames Path is what you need. This long-distance trail starts at the Natural Reserve of Crossness then through the marshes, before linking to the Thames Path all the way to the O2 arena and ends in Greenwich park with a takeaway from the market stall. Ready for a challenge?

We follow Darent Valley Path thru' Dartford, Central Park & past Brooklands Lake. Thru' the villages of Darenth, Farningham & Eynsford. A big climb up past Eagle Heights & drop back down past the Roman Villa remains. Then past Lullingstone Castle. Lullingstone Park Visitor's Centre, Shoreham Castle Farm and thru' fields to and thru' Shoreham village to finish near Shoreham Station.

From Epping Station, we follow the Essex Way for our whole route. Thru' fields and an ancient track to Coopersale Street, then across fields to Gernon Bushes Nature Reserve. Cross over the M11 and go in a straight line towards Toot Hill. Thru' Toot Hill village and fields to Greensted and onto Chipping Ongar. Two videos at YouTube, one by John Rogers and a second by voxley19, both cover this whole walk.

If you are looking at this walk, it is likely that you want to leave the city for a breath of fresh air. And you can … without leaving it! So, take your Oyster card (or contactless card) and jump on the Central Line with me for a walk through Epping Forest!

This quiet circular walk uses a section of Epping Forest Centenary Walk close to Ambresbury Banks (remains of banks) before you follow a path in Birch Wood with lovely views over Deer Sanctuary and its wildlife!

A walk across salt marshes with numerous birds and returning inland via the ruined Hadleigh Castle. Highly accessible from London as the Fenchurch Street line takes under an hour to get you to the start.

A circular walk that circumnavigates the village of Little Baddow. Beginning in Lingwood Common, the route follows bridleways, footpaths, the river towpath and quiet country lanes. A good walk for any time of year, but not after spells of prolonged rain when the towpath, especially, can become something of a quagmire. Walking it in spring is highly recommended as Blake's Wood is nationally known for its display of bluebells.

This Kent walk takes you onto the southern shores of the Thames Estuary. The route is easy to follow (apart from the start). The area visited during the walk provided Dickens with the perfect scene for his prison huls in his novel 'Great Expectations'.

This walk, close to the ancient village of Woodham Walter, offers a nature reserve, arable fields, woodland and The Wilderness. The route is along bridleways and footpaths for the most part, with a couple of short sections on country lanes. There are only two cross-field paths so it's a good winter walk but, like any Essex hike, it can be muddy after rain.

Pleasant stroll in the Essex countryside at Hatfield Peverel along field paths, secluded lanes and a quiet stretch of the river bank.

A pleasant stroll in the Essex countryside along field paths, secluded lanes and a stretch of river bank. Along the way there is an 18th century former priory, a canal lock (and tearoom), the delightfully named World's End Cottage, a ford and the Parish Church of St. Andrew.

A flat circular walk around Swanley, passing by Swanley Park and Stanhill Farm. This walk is better done in October when Stanhill Farm Pumpkin Patch is open to go pumpkin-picking on the way!

A circular walk in a comparatively unspoiled part of mid Essex, between Chelmsford and Braintree. It is particularly suited to being a winter walk as most of the route is on quiet country lanes, surfaced bridleways and grassy field paths, thus avoiding the worst of the Essex mud. It is a good walk for any time of year though, with fine views across open countryside and is, for the most part, devoid of traffic noise.

Reviewed and updated April 2024

A countryside walk beginning and ending in the village of Terling. Nothing spectacular about the route but it has some nice views and pleasant countryside, passes an old windmill and a rare round tower church. The route follows the course of the River Ter in places, and there are quite a few springs along the way, so it can get muddy. There are a couple of woods with excellent displays of bluebells in the spring but it is a good walk for any time of year. Waymarking is generally excellent.

Details are given for a shorter walk of 4 miles that does not visit Great Leighs church.

An easy stroll in the countryside near Wickham Bishops, departing close to the redundant St Peter's church, passing beneath the last wooden railway viaduct in the country and then along the meandering banks of the River Blackwater. The return passes through woodland and has some excellent views across the Essex countryside. This is an all-seasons walk but is particularly good in spring and autumn.

Through several of Kent's fine apple & pear orchards plus one field of Nordic fir Christmas trees ending through open fields of sheep and cattle.

On this walk, we are passing through many small towns, fields and woodland patches. And as it is on the TFL network, no train tickets are needed. Your next day out is sorted and there a pub recommendation at the end!