Barking & Dagenham - Countryside

Eastbrookend Country Park 

My latest walking challenge is to get out and about in Greater London, discovering the countryside and cultural heritage that is on my doorstep. What better place to start with than my home borough of Barking and Dagenham, (henceforward known as LBBD), it's the nearest and the first on the alphabetical list of London Boroughs. You may think that LBBD is not fertile territory for either culture or countryside but read on and you may be surprised.

Countryside
Less than one hundred years ago Dagenham was all farm land, indeed there was a market garden at the end on my street in the sixties. The far north of the borough has some actual farmland but there is little real countryside. What we do have is the Dagenham Corridor, a green strip in the east of borough made up two country parks, two nature reserves, one open space, and three parks. You can walk from the Ford Factory on the A13 to the Peace and Memorial Garden in Central Park crossing just two roads and a railway line, a route of about four miles.

Eastbrookend Country Park has been brought the land back to life since it was created in 1995. The area was used for gravel extraction and then the holes either filled up with water or were filled up with assorted rubbish, including rubble from the Blitz. I remember it from my childhood as a toxic wasteland. I was very sad to discover that the seven Park Rangers are to lose their jobs, a part of the Council's cost cutting measures. The Country Park is something for the borough to be proud of and I hope that all their hard work is not sacrificed on the altar of George Osbourne's fiscal policy.



The Chase

With so much water around The Chase Nature Reserve is a haven for wild fowl. On the day I visited it was mostly swans, but apparently there are skylarks in summer. The Chase is also home to very rare Black Poplar, which looks a bit like a young Whomping Willow. The other nature reserve in the Corridor really is on my doorstep. The local Parish churchyard is no longer used for burials and is now managed for the benefit of nature. Know as God's Little Acre, the meadow will be full of wildflowers in spring, so I must remember to take a look. Rippleside Nature Reserve occupies some derelict land next to an electricity sub-station in Barking Riverside. There is a little wood of Silver Birch that has colonised the area as apparently they don't need much in the way of topsoil.

Thames riverbank

The best kept secret in LBBD is the Thames riverbank. It has taken me years to find out how to get to this remote footpath, a little oasis of green between Dagenham Dock and Creekmouth. How long will it remain remote, secluded and peaceful? There are plans to build many new homes on derelict land nearby. There was another riverside open space at Creekmouth where the Roding joins the Thames, with picnic benches and steps down to the shore.

LBBD is blessed with some very large parks throughout the borough with an assortment of attractions. In my youth it was a real treat to visit Barking Park and ride on the little train (still there) or on the paddle steamer on the lake (not so sure that is still there). London County Council who built the Becontree estate created three large parks, Parsloes, from the old Parsloes Manor estate, Mayesbrook and Central. I doubt whether todays developers would be so generous or thoughtful to the needs of the residents. A BMX track is a recent addition to Old Dagenham park, my local.

Matchstick Island, Mayesbrook Park

Walking in LBBD

Sadly none of the seven strategic routes promoted by WalkLondon pass through LBBD, although one day the Thames Path North East Extention might (it was part of the Olympic plan). This idea was to extend the Thames path from Canary Wharf to Purfleet. May happen one day! The only self-guided route accompanied by a little booklet is the Timberland Trail around Eastbrookend Country park and the Chase. My booklet was about ten years old and most of the waymarks seem to have disappeared. LBBD produced a helpful leaflet on the Dagenham Corridor but it isn't available on pdf.  Eastbrookend, The Chase and the Beam provide us locals with a little bit of countryside to enjoy, it may not be the prettiest bit of open space in London but it'll do.

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Three Forests Way

Hainault Forest

This winter I completed a 60 (95km) mile circular walk called the Three Forests Way, linking the ancient Essex forests of Epping, Hainault and Hatfield. This walk was devised by ramblers in 1977 to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The official start point is Harlow in the west of Essex. The route then follows the River Stort north to Hatfield Forest and then turns south via the Roding Valley and Hainault Forest to Loughton. From here it goes over the high ground north of Epping, and beside the River Stort back to Harlow.

The route isn't waymarked so I had to rely on the guidebook published in 1986, OS Explorer Maps 174, 175, 183, 194 & 195 and my two GPS's. I abandoned the guidebook after failing to identify 'a group of three trees' in Epping Forest. It wasn't too hard to get round as the route was marked on the Explorer maps. Most of the walking was off-road or on quiet lanes, with only one very short section on a busy road. It was surprising how easy it is to walk for a couple of hours without crossing a road or seeing a soul so close to surburbia.

Epping Forest stretches from the Olympic Borough of Newham to the south west borders of Essex. It's been owned and managed by the Corporation of London on behalf of us citizens since 1876. It is very well-used by walkers (with and without dogs), riders (of bikes and horses), model airplane owners and motor cyclists who congregate at the tea hut near High Beach. It's not a place for quiet comtemplative walking as you are never too far from a busy road. Nethertheless you can still get lost in the denser parts of the forest. Epping was a Royal Forest in Tudor times, Queen Elizabeth's hunting lodge is well worth a visit.

Hainault Forest has been a public open space since 1906. The country park part is the London borough of Redbridge, the Woodland Trust manage the part that lies in Essex and the bit in Havering is a public golf course. All three local authority boundaries meet at Cabin Hill, the highest point in Redbridge, 90m/205ft. The country park recently hosted 3,000+ troops in a Snooze Box Hotel, as part of the Olympic security organisation. This is another well-used open space and one that gives excellent views into London. On a clear day, the Shard, the Gherkin, the Telecom Tower and London Eye are all visible.

Hatfield Forest lies just south of Stansted airport. This was also a former Royal forest acquired by the National Trust in 1923. As it lies under the flight path of London's third airport, noise can sometimes be a problem. On the day I visited the cloud was so low the planes weren't visible. It's an excellent place for walking, with two waymarked trails and plenty of trees to get lost in. The large picnic/parking area is popular for family picnics. Wildlife abounds, deer in forest, duck on the lake and cows in the pasture.

Several other long distance routes share parts of the Three Forest Way; section 19 of the London Loop from Hainault to Chigwall; the Centenary Walk in Epping Forest; The Forest Way - waymarked route linked Epping and Hatfield Forests; The Stort Valley Way - a circular path between Epping and Harlow; The Essex Way and St Peter's Way near Ongar. Apart from the forests and fields, there is a very pleasant riverside section by the river Stort from Roydon to Sawbridgeworth.

I started this walk on a mild sunny day in November and finished on a snowy Saturday in January, covering a total of 65 miles (100km) in nine walks. The longest was 11 miles and the shortest was 4 miles. Mostly I used public transport, sometimes combined with the van so all the walks were linear. I experienced the whole gamut of British winter weather; sunny and cold, sunny and mild, light rain, heavy rain, floods, icy winds and snow. It took about 26 hours to complete the walk.

Highlights: nearly missing a herd of fallow deer that passed directly in front of me as I read the map, one large stag with twenty or so does; the beautiful sunny but cold morning spent walking from Roydon to Sawbridgeworth; the polar bear in Hatfield Broad Oak.

Lowlights: the toilets at Harlow bus station; wading knee deep through a flooded field; mud.

Snowy Essex

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The Saffron Trail - Parts 3 and 4

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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The Saffron Trail - Part 2

Hockley to Battlesbridge

The next section of the Saffron Trail meanders through Hockley Woods, up over a small hill with excellent views of the Crouch estuary and turns north on farm tracks towards the riverside. The route then heads west along the sea wall towards Battlesbridge. Sadly the last half mile is along a busy pavement-less road. I have walked most of the route on a previous trip to the area on my way around the Essex coast. The weather was much more wintry than of late, but with the occasional burst of sunshine accompanied by a chilly wind. In 1838 a medicinal spring was discovered in Hockley and the pump room was built in 1842. It might not be impressive as pump rooms goes but this building must have made quite an impression when new. Sadly Hockley did not become the Bath of the East.

Navigating your way through woods is not easy when the paths are covered with leaves so you need to pay close attention to the instructions in Hockley Woods, which were spot on. There are some fine views across the Crouch estuary from the top of a little hill and I enjoyed picking out landmarks from previous walks. You reach the sea wall at the recreation ground in Hullbridge. I watched a curiously mismatched game of football where a team of very small boys took on a team of very large boys. The next couple of miles along the sea wall were rather chilly. The river was rather quiet with only a few yachts to rival the swans (Hullbridge has a lot of swans).
The end point is Battlesbridge, the antiques mecca of Essex. I climbed to the top of the old mill (not for the faint-hearted) to enjoy some splendid views in the cafe, despite the howling wind. After enjoying a tuna sandwich I strolled off to the nearby station in good time for the train home.

8.5 miles 4 hours
Route details

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The Saffron Trail - Part 1

Southend on Sea to Hockley

The Saffron Trail, a route devised by Essex Ramblers, runs across the county for 72 miles from Pier Hill in Southend to St Mary's Church in Saffron Walden. I've chosen this route for my winter walking as it's closer to home than the Essex Way. I got off to a glorious start this Saturday, with sunshine from dawn to dusk. It was so warm I nearly had a Rossi's ice cream for breakfast. Setting off from Pier Hill, the Trail heads westwards along the cliff top to Westcliff (wonder how they thought up that name), then along the promenade to Old Leigh. I'd walked this way in 2010 on my way around the coast. From Leigh, the Trail heads back up the cliffs via the Belton Hills nature reserve. There are fine views up and down the Thames Estuary. Having climbed up the hill, the route went back down again and into Hadleigh Castle Country park. The castle was a favorite home of Edward III and subject of a painting by Constable. Alongside the country park is Hadleigh Farm, the site of the Olympic mountain bike course. Most people will not associate Essex with mountains, but having walked up the hill I found it quite steep. I'm looking forward seeing the event next year. I had lunch (tuna sandwich) alongside the replica iron age roundhouse and enjoyed a sunny rest stop before tackling the second half of the walk.

The route between Hadleigh and Hockley consisted of several areas of open space, Hadleigh Great Wood, Edwards Hall Park and Hockley Woods, linked by the street walking through the suburbs of Southend. On the whole it was quite pleasant walking particularly the last few miles. The Saffron Trail is not a waymarked route so you rely on the accuracy of the description to avoid getting lost. Mostly the instructions were clear and concise, however at Edwards Hall Park, they went a bit awry. I was invited to head west towards a communication mast, when in it should have been east! Also, a mast might not be visible in poor weather. On the way to Hockley there were some very fine views across the Crouch valley with wonderful Canewden church clearly visible. At the end of the walk I enjoyed an ice cream before heading off the station to miss the train home.

14 miles 6.5 hours
Route details


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