e007253 county rides parkv3 - essex highways · children playing in the lanes, ... june you can...

Guiding you through Essex

BASILDON6.18 miles/11 km

Riding along these tracks today you may have only birdsong forcompany, but in the 1930s you would have found yourself in themiddle of a bustling community. Children playing in the lanes, mothers hanging out washing in the garden and the sound ofhammering and sawing echoing through the tree-tops. These werethe Plotlands, where London families built hundreds of bungalows and chalets as their weekend homes in the country.

The Langdon Nature Reserve covers 460acres of woodlands, flower meadows andold Plotland gardens, making it the EssexWildlife Trust’s largest inland nature reserve.The Langdon Nature Reserve has four mainareas, each with its own special character.These are Dunton, Lincewood, Marks Hilland Willow Park.

Dunton is where you will find most of theremains of the Plotland homes and gardens.Nature has taken over again, but you canstill see garden plants and orchard treessuch as apple, pear, plum and damson.Adders like to sunbathe in the old bungalowfoundations. They are shy creatures, so keepaway if you see one – the adder is the onlyBritish snake with a poisonous bite!

On a clear day you get a really good viewof London.

You too can step back to the Plotlandsheyday. ‘The Haven’ was built by FrederickMills in the mid-1930s and was his family’shome for more than 40 years. The bungalowhas been restored to its original condition.

You can visit the museum by arrangementwith staff on 01268 419103.

Lincewood has some wide Plotland roads foryou to ride along. There are roses and sweetpeas from the old gardens. Ponds are hometo newts, frogs and toads. During May andJune you can admire the purple flowers ofthousands of green-winged orchids growingon the neighbouring recreation ground.

Don’t be surprised to hear the tappingsound of a woodpecker at work as you ridethrough the woodlands of Marks Hill. Allthree kinds of woodpecker live here – green,great spotted and lesser spotted. The wildservice tree, one of Britain’s rarest nativetrees, grows here.

The hay meadows and rough grassland ofWillow Park are a haven for many wild plantsand flowers. The meadows are perfect forbutterflies and as feeding grounds for thedragonflies and damselflies which hoverover Willow Park’s nine ponds.

You can contact staff at the Langdon VisitorCentre on 01268 419103.

Terrain Undulating, some rough andmuddy terrain

Ordnance Survey Map Ref Explorer Map No. 175Southend-on-Sea and Basildonwww.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/mapshop

Parking Horseboxes Parking by agreement

Langdon Nature Reserve Car Park,Lower Dunton Road. Tel: 01268 419103

Langdon Hills Country Park, (Westley Heights).

Refreshments The Crown (Harvester) Pub,High Road, Langdon HillLangdon Visitor Centre, 9-5pm Tuesday –Sunday & Bank Holiday MondaysTesco supermarket

Transport Cycling by Train - A footbridge linksLaindon Railway Station to High Road bridge.Bikes could be pushed directly from High Roadonto the Country Ride on the south side ofMandeville Way. There is an alternative, rideableroute between Laindon Station and the CountryRide via Station Approach, High Road and

Florence Way. Telephone the Essex Traveline on0870 6082608 daily between 7 am and 10 pm

Vets House & Jackson Veterinary Centre,Chevers Pawn, Rookery Road, Blackmore, EssexTel: 01277 823858

Places to visit Hadleigh Castle Country Park,Hadleigh (8.6 miles/13.8km) Woodland andmeadows with views over the Thames Estuary.Castle ruins nearby. Horseride and footpaths.Free admission (car parking charge) Tel: 01702 551072

The Dutch Cottage, (9.4 miles/15.1km)Crown Hill, Rayleigh Eight-sided cottage basedon the design of 17th century Dutch settlers Free admission. Tel: 1702 318150

National Motor Boat Museum, (3.2 miles/5.1km)Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea Hall Lane, PitseaThe world’s only museum devoted entirely tothe history of motor boats. Free admissionTel: 01268 550077.www.motorboatmuseum.org.uk/home/index.php

WillowPark

down

ToBasildonTown Centre

ToHorndon on the Hill

Lower D

unton Road

Dunton

Lake

Stack Ave

Hawthorn

The Haven

Visitor Centre(toilets & Refreshments)

Mandeville

Way

Mandeville Way

TESCOdown

HighviewAve

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NottinghamWay Nightingales The

LindensShelley Ave

Gt. Berry Lane

pumping stationA cyclepath runs parallelto the bridleway alongsideMandeville Way



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LaindonRailway Station

Florence Way

Lang

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Marks Hill

Lincewood

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Hall Wood The Crown

Westley Heights

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Dry Street Dry Street

reservoirflower-richmeadowspring& summer

LongWood

upThird Ave

up

1 km0 1 mile

BroomhillWood

link toLangdon HillsCountry Park

horseride

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Built up area

Main routeOther routesRoadTrackRiver or streamLake or pond

Woodland

Early this century, property developers bought large areas of poor farmland in this part of Essex. They divided the land into small plots to be auctioned.Most of the plots were sold between the wars to Londoners who built bungalows as holiday homes. During World War II, many people moved into thempermanently to escape the horrors of the Blitz. When the war ended there was a sprawling mass of poor housing without proper roads or electricity.

Basildon became one of eight New Towns built near London after World War II to provide homes and jobs for London’s growing population. Most of the old Plotlands were redeveloped,but Dunton Hills Estate was saved as a precious nature reserve.

Today, only a few of thebungalows are left asreminders of theold Plotlandway of life.One of theseis ‘Hawthorn’at the top of ThirdAvenue. In the gardenhedgerow there is aMonterey cypress treeand an oak tree.

Looking at thedifference in theirsizes, which tree doyou think is theoldest? They wereactually bothplanted onthe first daythatHawthorn’soriginal ownersmoved there in the1930s. The Monterey cypress is afast-growing evergreen tree withupward sweeping branches.

Woodpecker at workMarks Hill.

Green-wingedorchid

Lincewood

Coiled AdderDunton


THE BELCHAMPS12.3 miles/19.8 km

Riding down Hoe Lane one Sunday in times past, you might havemet the villagers of Pentlow walking to church. Like many churches,Pentlow Church is quite a distance from the community it serves. It isone of only six churches in Essex with a round tower. A local tale tellsthat the tower was a well-shaft which was exposed above ground whenthe surrounding earth was washed away in a flood! What do you think?

Inside Pentlow Church is the tomb ofJudge Kemp, his son John and John’swife Elinor. The kneeling figures onthe side of the tomb are John andElinor’s children.

You will be able to see PentlowTower long before you reach Pentlow.Pentlow Tower is a 90 foot high,eight-sided brick tower standing onPentlow Hill. It is a folly. This is thename given to a building whichseems to have no use. They wereoften look-out towers or fake ruinsbuilt by rich landowners. The namecomes from ‘folie’, the French wordfor delight or pleasure. Perhaps theword is also a reminder of a castle

built on the Welsh marches byHubert de Burgh in the 13th century.The castle had only just been builtwhen the conditions of a peacetreaty with the Welsh meant it hadto be demolished! It was known as“Hubert’s Folly”.

Pentlow Tower was built as amemorial to his parents by EdwardBull in 1859. Forty-eight churchescan be seen from the top on a clearday. Pentlow Tower is on privateproperty. Please respect the privacyof the landowner. You can enjoygood views of the tower from thesurrounding countryside.

TerrainUndulating and hilly in places

Ordnance Survey Map refLandranger 155 Bury St. Edmunds & SudburyExplorer 196Sudbury, Hadleigh & Dedham Vale

Parking HorseboxesParking by agreement:The Half Moon Public House,Belchamp St. Paul. Tel: 01787 277402

RefreshmentsThe Half Moon Public House,Belchamp St. Paul.The Pinkuah Arms, Pentlow(evenings & weekends only).Buntings Farm Shop: on B1064.Clare & Cavendish:pubs, shops, teashops etc.

TransportThe Belchamps to Sudbury Station4.4miles (7.1km). Public TransportInformation Tel: 0870 608 2608

VetsLees & Partners Equine Clinic,Catley Cross Stables, Wickham St. Paul.Tel: 01787 269006

Places to visitHedingham Castle, (7 miles/11.3km)Castle Hedingham. Magnificent Normankeep, with banqueting hall and minstrel’sgallery. Lake and woodland walks.Admission fee; please ring foropening times: 01787 460261

Castle Hedingham Pottery(7 miles/11.3km) Studio and showroom,with talks, courses and demonstrations.Viewing free. Tel: 01787 460036

Colne Valley Railway, (7 miles / 11.3km)Castle Hedingham. Award-winning vintagesteam railway. Dine on the luxuriousPullman train. Admission fee.Tel: 01787 461174

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Built up areaMain routeOther routesRoadTrackHedgerowsRiver or streamLake or pond

Woodland

1 km0 1 mileCLARE

CAVENDISH

FOXEARTHPentlow

To Foxearth,Long Melford& Sudbury

Route to Sudbury Station

BelchampOtten

To Sudbury

Belchamp St Paul

To Knowl Green

To Knowl GreenTo Ovington

BradleyhillFarm

CutbushFarm

Long Lane

ClaredownFarm

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Willowplantation

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A1092

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School Barn Farm

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Larch Trees

The River Stourforms part of themoat of Pentlow

Hall. The Hall wasprobably built on

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situated besidea Roman road.

Staging posts wereplaces where you

could swap your tiredhorse for a fresh one.

They were usually about 15miles apart. The present

Pentlow Hall was built in 1475. Thefirst one was destroyed in 1381 during the Peasants’ Revolt. Thisuprising was caused when the Chancellor introduced a poll tax!

The larch is a deciduous conifer tree,unlike most other conifers which areevergreen. The larch has smallegg-shaped cones which open to let the wind blow away its seeds.


CLAVERING12.8 miles/20.6 km

As you follow these chalky lanes past thatched cottages and isolatedfarmhouses, it is hard to believe that Clavering could have a darkerside. It was master detective Sherlock Holmes who said that mostwicked crimes weren’t committed in the city but in the lonely housesof the ‘smiling and beautiful countryside’. As usual, he was right.Clavering has been called the murder capital of Victorian England.

Chalk was formed 100 million yearsago in the Cretaceous period whichfollowed the death of the dinosaurs.To give you an idea of how long agothat was, if you counted at a rate of1 year every second, it would takeyou more than 3 years to count to100 million! Chalk was formed fromthe bodies of tiny creatures whichlived in a warm sea. As they diedthey sank to the sea-bed and theirbodies were gradually pressedtogether.

There is a thick layer of chalkbeneath Essex, but in most of thecounty it is buried under clay andgravel. Around Clavering, the rivers

Stort and Cam have cut downthrough these Essex ‘highlands’ touncover the chalk on their valleysides. The Essex chalklands attracttypes of plants and animals whichmake it very different from the restof the county.

Amongst the summer wild flowersgrowing on the hedgebanks ofParsonage Lane are the tall hairystems and purplish flowers of thewild marjoram which lovesClavering’s chalky soils. In ancientGreece wild marjoram was a symbolof happiness. Wedding couples werecrowned with it.

TerrainUndulating, some rough terrain

Ordnance Survey Map RefExplorer 195Braintree & Saffron Walden

Parking HorseboxesParking by arrangement in themeadow behind The Fox and Houndsin Clavering (not the pub car park)Tel: 01799 550321

RefreshmentsThe Fox and Hounds, Clavering.Supermarket on Stortford Road,Clavering.

TransportClavering to Newport Station (1.2m/2km)

Public Transport Information0870 608 2608

VetsMercer & Hughes, Devon Lodge, 14Radwinter Road, Saffron Walden, EssexCB11 3JB Tel: 01799 522082

Places to visitAudley End House, Saffron Walden(English Heritage) (6.4 miles/10.4km)Magnificent, Jacobean stately home, withgrounds landscaped by Capability Brown.Admission fee. Tel: 01799 522399

Mole Hall Wildlife Park, Widdington(5.7 miles/9.2km) Rare species fromaround the world plus domestic animals.Admission fee. Tel: 01799 540400

Bridge End Gardens, Saffron Walden(6.6 miles/10.7km) Restored Victoriangarden, including hedge maze. Free admission by appointmentwith Saffron Walden TouristInformation Centre. Tel: 01799 510444

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CLAVERING

ClaveringPlace Farm

ChestnutCottage

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CurlesManor

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Ponds

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HighlandsFarm

Poorbridge

Highfield Lane

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Coldhams Farm

ToWickenBonhunt

Rickling

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Bolsters

Fairwells

BusheyLays

TinneySpinney

Hanginghill

up

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Ponds Manor couldclaim to be theprettiest housein Clavering,but it has adarker side toits past. It washere that SarahCheshampoisoned herhusband and threechildren. The oldyew tree in the frontgarden is whereshe is said to havehidden the arsenicwith which shepoisoned herhusband’s ricepudding. Yewtrees havetraditionallybeen seen asomens ofimpendingdoom.

Overlooking the fordin Middle Street isChestnutCottage. It isthe smallesthouse inEssex. It isonly 8 feetwide and 10feet from front toback. Upstairs isreached by a ladder.

Moat Farm, now Orchard Farm, became infamous nationwide in 1903 when the remains of Miss Camille Holland were found buried there. Shehad vanished four years earlier, only three weeks after moving to Moat Farm with the mysterious Herbert Samuel Dougal. After a sensationaltrial, Dougal was found guilty of her murder and hanged.


STAPLEFORD TAWNEY7 miles/11.5 km

Stapleford Tawney is a small parish (670 hectares) located 7 milesnorth of Romford and is very sparsely populated; approximately 100people live in the parish making it the least populated parish in theEpping Forest district. In 1771 it was noted by a writer that StaplefordTawney 'hath but few houses in it and, like the other Stapleford, seemsto carry on no other business than that of husbandry'. In the modernera this small rural parish is still devoted almost exclusively toagricultural production with a mixture of livestock and arable farming.

Three different species of deer canbe seen in Essex: Fallow, Muntjacand Roe. Particularly large herds ofFallow Deer can be seen in woodlandareas and herds as large as 100 arenot unusual. Look out for Fallow deeraround Bob’s Barn Wood andLangford Bottom.

As you ride past Twenty Acre Wood,you will see that this woodland isvery shady with few plants survivingon the ground floor. This is becausedeciduous trees such as Oak and Ashwhich shed their leaves in autumnhave been replaced by coniferous

species. Conifers such as Scots Pinedo not shed their leaves in winterand cast a heavy shade all yearround depriving plants on thewoodland floor of the light they needto grow. Many native woodlands inBritain were planted with Scots Pinein the 1940s and 1950s in an effort toproduce a good cheap timber cropresulting in the loss of biodiversity.In recent times the ForestryCommission has made efforts toremove conifers from many of thewoodlands in its care to help restorethe woods to their original condition.

TerrainMostly flat, some hills, muddy in places

Ordnance Survey Map RefExplorer Map No. 175Southend-on-Sea & Basildon

www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/mapshop/

Parking HorseboxesParking available at High Tawney car parkoff Epping Road and with permission atthe Moletrap Inn. Please phone the pub on01992 522394 before setting off on the ride.

RefreshmentsMoletrap Inn, Tawney Common, TheydonMount, Stapleford Tawney, 01992 522394

Transport

Theydon Bois Underground StationApprox. 7 miles away

Vets

House & Jackson, Chevers Pawn, RookeryRoad, Blackmore, Essex Tel: 01277 823858

Places to visitEpping Forest The forest is the largestpublic open space in the London area,measuring 19km x 4km, two-thirds ofwhich is wooded with the same proportiondesignated a Site of Special ScientificInterest.

Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting LodgeOpen all year round. Entrance is free. Tel: 020 8529 6681

Epping Forest Information Centre at HighBeach (12.6 miles) Tel: 020 8508 0028

Weald Country Park is steeped in history. Itwas once a deer park and used for huntingby the Abbots of Waltham in around 1063.Opening times: 8am until dusk (checkentrance boards for details). Parking £2 allday. Tel: 01277 261343.

Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker(9.1 miles) The biggest and deepest coldwar bunker open to the public in southeastEngland! Admission fee. Tel: 01277 364 883.

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PLESHEY9.2 miles/14.8 km

Imagine yourself riding along these ancient lanes in the heart of Essexwhen suddenly you hear the sound of pounding hooves behind you. Amedieval messenger gallops past and disappears in a cloud of dust.He is carrying word of conspiracy and murder to his master. The pen ofWilliam Shakespeare ensured Pleshey a lasting place in the history ofone of the dark deeds of medieval England.

Pleshey has one of the best survivingNorman castle earthworks in England.The whole village is ringed by adefensive ditch and bank. Inside thisis a 50 foot high castle mound and itsmoat. You can get a good view of thesefrom Pleshey’s main street. A 15thcentury red-brick bridge still spans the moat.

In 1397 King Richard II heard that hisuncle, the Duke of Gloucester, wasplotting to overthrow him. The Kinglured Gloucester away from the safetyof his castle at Pleshey. He was taken toCalais, where he was murdered by hiredassassins. In Act 1, Scene 2 of WilliamShakespeare’s ‘Richard II’ Gloucester’swidow sighs “With all good speed atPlashy visit me”.

She speaks sadly of the castle’s“empty lodgings and unfurnish’d walls”.

Unfortunately, none of the castle isleft today.

The Lord of the Manor at Plesheyhad two deer parks created in thesurrounding countryside. Woodenfences were built round the outsideto stop the deer escaping. The servantsloved it because they didn’t have toworry about their master coming homein a bad mood after an unsuccessfulday’s hunting.

Have a look at the collection of leatherbottles if you call in at Pleshey’s LeatherBottle Inn.

The castle site is privately owned. It ispossible to look around the castle siteby prior arrangement with the owner’sland agents, Strutt & Parker,on 01245 258201.

Terrain Fairly easy going, unsurfaced routesOrdnance Survey Map RefExplorer 183 Chelmsford andthe RodingsParking HorseboxesParking by arrangementThe Leather Bottle, Pleshey.Tel: 01245 237291The White Horse, Pleshey.Tel: 01245 237281

RefreshmentsThe Leather Bottle, Pleshey.The White Horse, Pleshey.Pubs and shop on Barrack Lane, Great Waltham

TransportPleshey to Chelmsford Station(4.7m/7.5km) Public TransportInformation 0870 608 2608VetsClarendon House Veterinary Centre,24 The Green, Writtle, ChelmsfordTel: 01245 422206Places to visitHylands Park, WrittleLarge parkland with Victorianformal gardens, lakes and woods.Free admissionTel: 01245 490490 x 2078Aythorpe Roding Windmill (5.7 m/9.2km) Post mill restoredto full working order. Essential tophone first for details of open days.Tel: 01621 828162

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THORNDON9 miles/14.4 km

In the 15th century, Thorndon Country Park was a deer park. Theseparks were used for hunting in medieval times by the landowner.Now the country park is a fantastic place to view wildlife. Twenty-sixspecies of butterfly have been recorded, including the brown argus and purple hairstreak as well as migrant birds such as siskins andbramblings.

Try and see what wildlife you can spot on your way round.

The town of Brentwood was first knownas ‘Burntwood’ due to a forest fire thatcreated a clearing, which gave rise tothe first settlement in the 12th century.Brentwood was also an importantpilgrim route for those living in EastAnglia travelling to Canterbury. Sincethis time Brentwood grew as aprosperous market town and a stagingpost as the London to Colchester roadbecame an important turnpike.

Brentwood has seen its fair shareof conflict, whether real or fictional!Ingatestone and Warley have bothbeen used to house militia whenwar threatened, the former when theSpanish Armada threatened invasionand the latter when the American Warof Independence broke out. At this timea mock battle including 10,000 troops

was fought. Warley has also been usedto house militia during the French andNapoleonic wars.

As for real conflict, Brentwood becamea part of the Peasant’s Revolt in 1381following a riot over a new poll tax. AChief Justice of the Common Pleas wassummoned to restore order afterwards.The peasant’s had other ideas, theyseized him and forced him to name thejurors who were involved in convictingthe original rioters. They were thenhunted down and beheaded.

The town of Brentwood is a lot friendlierto visitors today with plenty to do and a lot of green space surrounding itincluding Weald and ThorndonCountry Parks.

TerrainSome steep hills, mainly rough tracks.

Ordnance Survey Map RefExplorer 175 Southend-on-Sea & Basildon

Parking HorseboxesIn the second car park at Thorndon CountryPark North, off the Avenue.

RefreshmentsThe Countryside Centre at Thorndon Northis open daily from 10am until 5pm in thesummer and dusk in the winter. It serves avariety of light snacks and refreshments.There is also an exhibition area, shop and toilet facilities.

Further toilet facilities exist at ThorndonSouth Pavilion.

The Greyhound Pub Magpie Lane. Tel.01277 249910

TransportBrentwood Station (2.3miles/3.7km)Public Transport Information 0870 608 2608

VetsHouse & Jackson, Chevers Pawn, RookeryRoad, Blackmore, Essex Tel. 01277 823858

Places to visitBrentwood Cathedral (1.6miles/2.6km)Although this was opened in 1991, theRoman Catholic cathedral building hasbecome a local landmark. It was designedby Quinlan Terry and incorporates theoriginal Victorian church. Free admission.Tel. 01277 265235

Brandler Galleries (1.7miles/2.7km)The gallery sells and exhibits artworkby major artists from David Hockneyand Damien Hirst to Rolf Harris andE. H. Shepherd. Free admission.Tel. 01277 222269

Ingatestone Hall (6.7miles/10.8km)A 16th century Tudor mansion and gardensbuilt by Sir William Petre. Admission fee. Tel. 01277 353010

ShenfieldCommon

Ingrave Road

WARLEYBrentwood Road A128

A128

A127

King George’sPark

Hartswood Rd Hartswood

HartswoodGolf Course

DonkeyLanePlantation

Warleyplaying fields

(private)

(private)

(private)

(private)

(private)

(private)Eagle Way

FordH.Q.

The Drive

flats, shops

Home Farm Rd.

Magpie L

ane

Childerditch Lane

Childerditch Lane

Childerditch

Street

OldThorndonPastures

LittleWarleyCommon

CountrysideCentre

The Forest

The DeerPark

The

Aven

ue

ChilderditchWood

Jury Hill

PigeonMount

RuinWood

Old Hall Pond

Old DeerPark

MenageriePlantation

Halfway HouseRoundabout

Entrance to ThorndonSouth car park

OctagonPlantation

SouthPavilion

MillWood

Herongate

Ingrave

ThorndonHall(private)

HartswoodGolf Course

Thorndon ParkGolf Club(private)

Hatch Farm(private)

ObeliskSeat

The Old Park

The Rookery

Entrance

King George’s Parkcar park entrance

Entrance toThorndonNorth

Warley G

ap

N

KEY

View



WoodlandSTART/FINISH

1 km0 1 mile

The walk startsand finishes in theDeer Park. Thislandscape haschanged little sincethe 1500’s. In thisarea you can seesome of ouroldest veterantrees.

As you continueyour walkthrough theforest and ontoHartswood thetrees willchange fromplanted linesof uprightconifers, to thetwisted hornbeams,towering oaks andsweet chestnuts ofthe ancientHartswood.

Standing on thegrassy commonbeside ChilderditchLane affords splendidviews across theThames Valley to Kent.

The area around OldThorndon Hall wasonce covered with avast garden, hothouses and there waseven a miniature zoohoused in the areanow known asMenagerie Plantation.

The final stretch of the walk passes through the Old Park, this area is owned and managed by the Woodland Trust. Here they have recreatedsome of the plantings of trees that would have once stood here.

e007253 county rides parkv3 - essex highways · children playing in the lanes, ... june you can...

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