Explore a beautifully rural north Essex parish on the border with Suffolk
Distance: 5.6 miles (9.0km).
Starting point: The car park at Clare Country Park, Malting Lane, Clare, CO10 8NW, grid reference TL770451.
Access: Clare is served by the route 18 bus from Haverhill (essexbus.info).
Map: OS Explorer 210 Newmarket & Haverhill.
Refreshment: Clare has a variety of pubs, cafés and shops.
Places of interest: Ovington itself is a sparse parish, St. Mary’s church being the primary local landmark, though itself relatively small and modest, with hints at Norman origins and a wooden belfry. It has some interesting historical tales to tell though and has enjoyed several long-serving rectors (just eight incumbents between 1684 and 1988). The wife of one used to enjoy embellishing the exterior with stonework from local mason’s yards; an interesting leaflet in the church tells more.
During WW2, the parish bordered the airfield at neighbouring Ridgewell; a memorial in the church remembers 23 US servicemen (and one civilian) killed in an accident while 300lb bombs were being loaded into a B-17 Flying Fortress. A further memorial can be found alongside Ashen Road, heading west out of the village (and on the route of one of the airfield taxiways), near the actual site of the unfortunate incident.
There used to be a pub in the village called The Kicking Donkey, which is now a private dwelling called The Donkey House. For those wanting to explore the Essex/Suffolk rural borderlands further, the entire corridor along the valley of the River Stour, which largely forms the county boundary, is worth visiting and is readily accessible on both sides, from Haverhill in the west to Sudbury and even Bures in the east.
The walk
1. From the car park (which is just over the border in Suffolk) cross the river via the old railway bridge near the recycling point and turn right along the wide, leafy path. The path kinks onto the riverbank then emerges onto a lane. Turn left and then take the footpath on the right, emerging onto a field edge. About halfway round the field, the path turns off to the right and crosses a small footbridge. Pass the end of some gardens and through some gates at a smallholding, then turn left at a large wooden utility pole. The track leads out onto Ashen Road.
2. Turn right and follow the footway beside the road. Eventually, this gives way to just a grassy verge. After a kilometre on the lane, take the field-edge footpath on the left, opposite the turning into Lower Stoke Road. Cross a plank bridge then, after a further 250 metres, turn right through a small copse, passing a waymark post and over another footbridge to access the end of a long, narrow field.
3. The path follows the right-hand edge of the field, crosses a track and then continues on the right-hand edge of the next field. At a waymark post, the path becomes hedged on either side and follows the edge of a small wood before reaching the lane leading to Ovington Hall. Turn right, and at the brick wall, take the field-edge path that runs parallel to the lane. At the end of the field, follow the field edge to the left, beside the churchyard.
4. The church can be accessed from here. To continue the walk, follow the right-hand edge of the field, then a fenced section to the road. Follow the road to the left and at the junction turn right onto Tilbury Road. After 100 metres, a fingerpost on the left indicates a path across the field. Take it, and at the opposite side continue on the field edge to the lane. Turn left along the lane.
5. At the road junction, head straight across and up the byway alongside Cut Bush Farm. This pleasant green lane continues north for nearly a mile and a half, its scrubby borders providing a haven for a wide range of flora and fauna. At its northern end, turn right along the road, then take a path on the left, across a field towards a bridge on the other side. Once over the bridge, head diagonally across the field to the left side of the building opposite, then follow the river bank, over a weir via kissing gates, for around 450 metres to reach the bridge back into Clare Country Park.
