Explore an unspoilt valley east of the quaint village of Pleshey with this figure-of-eight walk
Pleshey is famous for its castle. Originally a Saxon fort, it was developed into a major motte and bailey structure by the Normans and played a significant part in English history through to the 15th century. The castle is mentioned by Shakespeare in his play Richard II in relation to when said monarch visited then-castle-owner Thomas of Woodstock. Richard arrested Thomas and sent him to France for trial, where he was murdered. Richard’s successor, Henry IV (who is said to have imprisoned Richard and starved him to death), used Pleshey Castle as the site for the execution of John Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter, accused of plotting to assassinate the king and reinstate Richard.
The castle fell into neglect, and by the reign of Elizabeth I, all stone had been robbed, leaving just the large but impressive mound and earthworks that remain today. One wonders how much of the castle stone is present in the local buildings. Great Waltham, east along the valley, was on the route of the Tour De France in 2014; commemorations can still be seen in the village.
The walk
1. Cross the road from the church and take the field-edge footpath starting by the sign for The Street. To the right is an extensive overgrown earthwork, enclosing the village and thought by some to have pre-Roman origins. Cross a footbridge, then Vicarage Road, and keep following the edge of the village. The right-hand edge of a plantation of cricket-bat willows leads back to The Street.
2. Cross the road and take the path (part of the Essex Way) heading left, around the waterworks, beside a hedgerow popular with smaller birds (I saw goldcrest). Follow the field edge with the stream on your left. After 400 metres, the path crosses the stream via an earth bridge to continue on its opposite bank. Then, 200 metres past a wooden footbridge, a large red and white pole indicates an underground gas pipeline.
3. Just beyond this pole, take the path on the right down a short flight of steps and then over a large wooden bridge. Those preferring to walk a short loop, jump to 6. Follow the field edge on the left and then turn left at the end of the hedge, looping back along the other side of the hedge and tracing the field edge to the pond at Fitzjohn’s Farm. Beyond the pond, turn left down the bridleway track, which winds along for a kilometre to emerge between concrete blocks onto Mashbury Road.
4. Turn left along the road then left again into the next field entrance from where a path heads diagonally across the field then along the field edge, with the hedge on your left, to a footbridge. Don’t cross the bridge, instead turn right and continue along the field edge, then the bank of the brook, leading to Bury Lane.
5. Turn left and cross the brook via the bridge beside the ford. Walthambury Brook, whose valley the walk follows, is a tributary of the Chelmer, which it joins just east of Great Waltham. (You can divide the walk in half here by turning right and continuing along the Essex Way into Great Waltham – where there is a pub and café – before retracing your steps back to the ford). From the ford, turn left along the Essex Way, skirting the embankment of a small reservoir on your right. Continue on the path up the valley, with the hedgerow on your right and wonderful views fore and aft. At another small lake, the path turns left beside an irrigation outlet. Instead of crossing the river, turn right and follow the field edge with the brook on your left, to return to the steps just before the gas pipeline pole.
6. Those on the figure of eight walk will now experience déjà vu, while those on the short loop will have to wonder what they have missed by omitting the eastern half of the walk. Cross the large wooden bridge and turn left along the field edge, keeping the stream on your left. In 500 metres, cross a culvert and the path is enclosed by a fence on the right, before continuing beside a small lake.
7. Past the lake, turn right onto a concrete track. Fork right at the next junction, with the church now visible ahead. When the track turns right, take the diagonal fenced path towards the castle mound. Turn left at the end and the path joins The Street close to the church.
COMPASS POINTS
Distance: 5.3 miles (8.5km) or 2.6 miles (4.2km) for just the first loop.
Starting point: Holy Trinity Church, The Street, Pleshey, postcode CM3 1HA, grid reference TL663142.
Access: On street parking is available. The village has a weekday bus service on the 10 route from West Hanningfield, via Chelmsford (essexbus.info).
Map: OS Explorer 183 Chelmsford & The Rodings.
Refreshment: The Leather Bottle pub is in the centre of Pleshey. Walkers can also detour halfway to visit the pubs or café in Great Waltham.
Places of interest: Holy Trinity Church is almost entirely Victorian, incorporating remnants of a medieval predecessor. It was designed by local architect Frederick Chancellor and is notable for an external stair turret on the tower. Chancellor went on to become Mayor of Chelmsford and a Freeman of the city.
Interactive map: essexhighways.org/getting-around/public-rights-of-way/prow-interactive-map
