Harrow and Wembley Outdoor Group - Winter Walking in Essex

Cost: £22.74 pppn for 3 nights (if split between 8 people). Reduction in costs if we fill all 10 places (£10 event surcharge payable by casuals). £30 deposit required by end of October.

Activities: Shorter winter walks due to daylight hours. Saturday: White Notley and Cressing - 9.5 miles. This is a lengthy but relatively undemanding walk, mainly along well signed tracks. Field paths and quiet lanes in the pleasant countyside of the Brain Valley to the south of Braintree. Sunday: Coggeshall and Feering - 7.5 miles. This is a walk of wide and extensive views of gentle landscapes of the Blackwater valley to the east and south of the Coggeshall, across fields, a stretch along the river and historical interest of fine medieval churches at Coggleshall and Feering. Within half an hour’s drive is the historical town of Colchester, famous for its castle, zoo and old cobbled streets. The rugged, honey-coloured castle stands in attractive parkland and its museum contains the best of the region’s Romano-British archaeological finds. Other attractions in the town include the Clock Museum, the impressive Roman Walls and the flamboyant Town Hall. Interesting and picturesque villages to visit locally include Coggeshall, Dedham, Long Melford, Clare, Finchingfield and Lavenham, which boasts an unrivalled ensemble of perfectly preserved half-timbered houses. For coastal lovers Maldon, Burnham-on-Crouch, Clacton, Harwich and Felixstowe.

Refreshments: Self-catering accomodation. Pubs at the Green, White Notley and Cressing. Pubs at Coggeshall and Feering. Packed lunch, water, snacks, maybe a flask.

Travel: By car: 60 miles from Harrow. Car sharing can be arranged nearer the time. By train: Hourly National Express East Anglia trains from Liverpool Street to Cressing.

Accommodation: The Coach House, Cressing, Essex, CM77 8NT. 2 double rooms (1 double already taken by organiser), 2 twin rooms, sofa bed in living room (single or a couple sharing). Large living room with electric wood-burner, dining-room/conservatory with laminate floor and French doors to courtyard and grassed area, well-equipped modern kitchen, parking (for 2-3 cars), shops 100 yds, 2 Sky TVs, DVD.

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