Flitch Way

Type: Walk
Grade: Easy to Moderate

Facilities

Routes

  • Length of route (miles) - 15
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Call direct on:

Tel+44 (0)1376 347134

Flitch Bridge Essex
  • Flitch Bridge Essex
  • Rayne disused train station

About

The Flitch Way stretches almost 15 miles along the track of the former railway line between Braintree and Bishop's Stortford which opened in 1869.  Although the last passenger train ran in 1952, goods continued to be carried until the end of 1971.  Most of the track was removed in 1972 with the final stretch towards the Bishops's Stortford end going in 1974.

Today, the flat, relatively straight and well-surfaced route is a favourite with joggers, cyclists, dog-walkers, families, and in some sections - horse riders - looking to escape the traffic.

There are a number of interesting sites along the way, including Victorian railway stations, Hatfield Forest, Great Notley Country Park, Rayne Station with its Booking Hall Café and Railway Carriage Museum, and several historic towns and villages.

A variety of landscapes and habitatis can be found along the Flitch Way ranging from open stretches affording views of farmland on either side of the track to enclosed areas such as the Dunmow Cutting.

Why is it called the Flitch Way? The name comes from the medival Flitch wedding ceremony, held in Little Dunmow, in which the local monks gave a side of bacon (a flitch)  to any newly married couples who lasted a year and a day without arguing.

Facilities

Catering

  • On-site catering - Rayne Station is now a Visitor Centre and main refreshment stop for the Flitch Way, it opens summer 9.30am to 3.30pm and winter 9.30am to 5pm.
  • Picnic site - Along route

Routes

  • Countryside
  • Description of route - A flat, traffic free, trail following a former railway line from Braintree to Bishops Stortford. Perfect for walking, cycling and horse riding.
  • Length of route (miles) - 15
  • Linear Route

Map & Directions

Along This Route

  1. This award winning museum is based in the converted Courtauld School and has displays…

  2. Great Notley Country Park covers some 100 acres of open space, which is managed for the…

  3. A unique record of the history of textile design. The Archive celebrates fabrics and…

Along This Route

  1. This award winning museum is based in the converted Courtauld School and has displays…

  1. Great Notley Country Park covers some 100 acres of open space, which is managed for the…

  2. A unique record of the history of textile design. The Archive celebrates fabrics and…

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