Saffron Trail Stage 2 – Henham to Great Dunmow
Type: Walk
Grade: Moderate
Duration: 8h - 1d
Facilities
Routes
- Length of route (miles) - 9
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About
The second leg of the Saffron Trail is nine miles long. It starts from Henham Church and finishes at Great Dunmow. It is much hillier than the first leg, and best in summer or spring because there are so many wild flowers out.
The Saffron Trail stretches 70 miles in total from Saffron Walden to Southend, passing through five county districts: Uttlesford, Chelmsford, Rochford, Castle Point and Southend.
The first part of this leg follows the middle of Uttlesford’s Hawland Wood. The church at Chickney is worth at least an hour stop. Getting lost is frustratingly easy as signage isn’t always adequate… especially north of Chickney Hall. If you find yourself lost around Chickney, the northerly walk through cornfields to the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Broxted, is uplifting, even if the detour is a bit out of the way.
Highlights of this second leg include the wildflower meadow, the river valley at Broadwater, the redundant church at Chickney, and the giant fish that jump out of Doctor’s Pond in Great Dunmow when the sun’s out in July and August. Look out for muntjac and roe deer.
Please see below for points of interest along the route.
Content provided by Stephen Neale
Facilities
Accessibility
- Disabled toilets - Dunmow Library; White Hart Way, Great Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1FS
Catering
- On-site catering - There is 24hr catering in Great Dunmow and limited catering along others part of the trail
- On-site light refreshments - There is 24hr catering in Great Dunmow and limited catering along others part of the trail
- Picnic site - All along the trail
Parking
- Free Parking - Limited off-street parking around Great Dunmow and other villages and towns along the trail.
- Parking with charge - Public car parks in Great Dunmow. Chequers Lane Car Park, Chequers Ln, Great Dunmow, CM6 1EQ
Property Facilities
- Public toilets - White Street Car Park, Great Dunmow, Essex
Routes
- Accessibility of route - Urban parts of trail around the towns and villages of Great Dunmow are suitable for wheelchairs/pushchairs. Other parts of the trail are not suitable. The terrain is generally flat but can get very muddy in winter. There are some steps and stiles.
- Countryside - Yes but some urban
- Length of route (miles) - 9
- Linear Route
- Long Distance Path
- Typical duration of route - 1 day (8 hours)
Suitability
- Dog Owners - Suitable for dogs but must be kept on leads most of the time
- Families
Map & Directions
- START/END: Henham Church, Church Ln, Henham, CM22 6DP
- Hawland Wood – listen for woodpeckers while walking through the wood
- St Mary's Church, Chickney – touch the thin space around this 10th century, redundant church, made of flint rubble and limestone. The nave and chancel are of Anglo-Saxon architectural style, and the rest of the church is Gothic.
- Broadwater Valley – inhale the scent of many wildflowers in the riverside meadows bordered by woodland on both sides
- Duton Hill – marvel at the giant Hogweeds that tower over the entrance to the hill walk into Great Easton. The plants are perilous so best kept at a distance.
- Little Easton Manor – Look for peacocks in the grounds of the estate
- Doctor’s Pond – watch giant carp and goldfish jump on a warm summer’s day – the pond takes its name from the leaches that doctors once bred here to cure villagers’ ailments with bloodletting.
- START/END:– Great Dunmow, River Chelmer.
Ratings
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