From Battlesbridge the Saffron Trail heads north over rolling countryside to Danbury and then west to Chelmsford, the county town. Section 4 starts in the centre of the city following the river Can west through parkland and then north along the route of the Centenery Circle, finishing in the pretty village of Great Waltham. Due to the length of the route and the shortness of the days in December, I covered the distance over three days.
I set off from Battlesbridge on a glorious winter day, clear blue skies and a biting polar wind bundled up in four layers of clothing. I soon warmed up as the Trail went up and down over several small hills. The ground was frozen and the stiles were slippery adding a frisson of danger to the expedition, at one point I nearly skidded off a plank bridge. The first four miles are across open countryside along field edges with some wide open vistas. The route passes through a deserted churchyard just south of East Hanningfield. The old church burnt down in 1883 and was rebuilt in the village rather than on the old site.
After a brief stop at the new church, I continued on to Danbury, a large Essex village on a hill (367ft/112m), said to be the highest point (at that latitude) west of the Urals. Danbury has a fine church with a tall spire (unusual in Essex) which you can spot from the A12. There is a panoramic view from the war memorial, mostly of Chelmsford unfortunately. Danbury is an excellent place to go walking as it is surrounded by accessible land. The Saffron Trail goes over part of the Common, now owned by the National Trust. Nearby is Danbury Country Park where I left Archie on the second day of the walk. Set within the grounds of Danbury Palace, there are ponds, woods and meadows, a good place for a picnic.
I returned to Danbury on Christmas Eve with the hope of getting to Chelmsford inside 2½ hours, arriving as dawn was breaking. However a combination of a head cold, the cold weather and getting lost in the country park meant I didn’t get quite as far as I intended. The trail heads north from Danbury down a really steep path to Lingwood Common, also owned by the National Trust. It then passes through a beautiful meadow in the grounds of Riffhams, a Grade II listed building. I spotted a bunch of cross country enthusiasts disappearing into the distance. The Saffron Trail shares part of its route with the Admiral McHardy Way, named after the founder of the Essex Police Force.
The last couple of miles west into Chelmsford are along Grace’s Walk, a dead straight bridleway and then along the banks of the river Chelmer, which were rather muddy. The river was canalised in the eighteenth century and linked Chelmsford with the open sea via Chelmer and Blackwater navigation. Back in the 1980’s I organised a trip along the river for my library colleagues from Paper Mill Lock. You pass three different locks on the Saffron Trail and I spotted several narrow boats at moorings. The only river traffic apart from ducks were canoeists from a local club.
I abandoned the Trail at Barnes Mill Lock and headed back to Maldon by bus. I returned on another cold day, enlivened by some blue sky and the occasional ray of sun. The idea was to quickly finish off section three and then continue onto Great Waltham. However fate played a different hand. The usually exemplary instructions were a little ambiguous and I ended up walking a mile along the river Chelmer rather than the river Can. I discovered that Chelmsford has some very pleasant waterfront areas. Amazingly I don’t think I ever been to town centre before. Chelmsford is currently applying for official city status as the Queen will create several new cities as part of the Jubilee celebrations. It does have a cathedral which I suppose is a bit of a head start.
The canoeists were out in force along the River Can and there were plenty of dog walkers, cyclists and locals out and about in Bell Meadows and Central Park. A little further west is Admirals Park and Tower Gardens where I stopped for a mid-morning rest. The Saffron Trail follows the western edge of Chelmsford north on a series of footpaths and bridleways that form part of the Centenary Ring, a 21 mile circular walk, devised to celebrate a hundred years as a borough. Nothing very exciting happened on the way to Great Waltham. I stopped at the Walnut Tree for lunch but they weren’t serving food so I ate my emergency salmon sandwich surreptitiously while enjoying the warmth and a pint of lime and soda. This time I managed to arrive in Great Waltham five minutes before the bus and headed home.Battlesbridge to Chelmsford 14¾ miles
Route details
Chelmsford to Great Waltham 7 miles
Route details
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