I Don't Care What The Weatherman Says....

Great Waltham to White Notley 11 miles

Despite a dire weather forecast I set off at dawn to return to Great Waltham for the longest leg yet, to White Notley. Fortunately my magic umbrella managed to repel the predicted heavy rain. I got off the bus in GW to be greeted with blue skies and weak sunshine, another perfect day for walking. The village has some interesting architecture including this lovely old Tudor house.

The first part of the walk was through the grounds of Langleys, a grade 1 listed pile of the Queen Anne period. There was a pet cemetery at the end of the drive and an ornamental bridge over a water feature. Once out of the grounds, the Essex Way heads north and then east through several hamlets and villages on a variety of footpaths, bridleways and quiet lanes, with thankfully, only one muddy field to cross.

The first rest stop was at the church in Little Leighs, where I had to take refuge in the porch from the light rain. I spotted a pheasant showing off in the churchyard. I mislaid the Essex Way for a bit while crossing over the A131, not helped by the fact that new road wasn’t marked on my old map. However whilest off route, I did spot this strange sculpture from the bridge, variously described as orange ladybirds or giant beetles. It could be a bit off-putting if you catch sight of them while driving towards Braintree.

Following the valley of the River Ter, I had to deal with ten stiles in a mile and half stretch through various fields and pastures inhabited by horses, individually and in herds. After all that climbing, I was ready for another sit down at Great Leighs church. This church has a lovely Norman round tower on which some Victorian ‘improver’ has stuck a wooden spire. It looks like a witch's hat. Round tower churches are found only in East Anglia and this is one of only six in Essex. Round tower churches have their own society!

I passed the only pub on route a little before opening time but was deterred from waiting by a stern muddy boot warning. So instead I had a rather meagre snack (fruit, dried fruit and a Tracker bar) at the bus stop at Flack’s Green, Terling. Terling has one of the few smock windmills in Essex but I managed to miss it. The ford through the mighty river Ter was quite pretty. The weather started to change in the afternoon, clouds thickened up and it grew cooler and darker.

Last rest stop of the day was Fairstead church, which contains Roman brickwork and a little broach spire so typical of Essex churches. It also has some very old wall paintings, but I didn’t venture inside as my boots were rather muddy. The last couple of miles were completed at a goodly lick to ensure I didn’t miss the hourly train at White Notley. The effort was wasted as the train was delayed (by a car striking a bridge). Despite dire warning and leaden skies, I managed to get six hours of walking without getting wet. That magic umbrella really does work.

Some Essex Way facts

Progress along the route 34.6miles. Total miles walked 47.5 miles.
14 stiles on this leg

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