Essex Way Stage 2 - Fyfield to Pleshey
Type: Walk
Grade: Easy to Moderate
Duration: 1d
Facilities
Routes
- Length of route (miles) - 13
My Planner
Click here to create and view your itinerary
My Planner
To build your own Itinerary, click 
next to an item to add it to your Itinerary basket. You will then be able to save, download, or share your itinerary.
Already saved an Itinerary?
About
Stage 2 of the Essex Way is 13 miles long. It starts from Fyfield village and finishes at Pleshey and is dominated by sacred places that are marked today by four churches, each with a very different story.
The first part of the trail climbs up towards two remarkable churches side by side. It’s a good place for breakfast or brunch with views over the River Roding valley. The next church is 5 miles on at Good Easter, and then it’s another 4.5 miles to the last church at Pleshey. This section of the Essex Way is peppered with place names with religious connections like Good Easter, Stagden Cross and Monkhams
On the second part of the trail highlights include the dead straight, wide paths that the Essex Way follows between Shallows Hall and Pepper’s Green and the long path into Pleshey. Please see below some of the highlights and coordinates along the route.
Content provided by Stephen Neale
Facilities
Accessibility
- Disabled toilets - Bakers Lane, Epping, CM16 5DQ Zinc Arts Centre, Great Stony, High Street, Ongar, CM5 0AD
Catering
- On-site catering - There is some catering in Fyfield and Pleshey, and limited catering along others part of the trail.
- On-site light refreshments - There is some catering in Fyfield and Pleshey, and limited catering along others part of the trail.
- Picnic site - All along the trail
Parking
- Free Parking - Limited off-street parking around Fyfield and Pleshey, and other villages and towns along the trail.
Routes
- Accessibility of route - Urban parts of trail around the towns and villages of Fyfield and Pleshey are suitable for wheelchairs/pushchairs. Other parts of the trail are not suitable. The terrain is generally flat but can get very muddy in winter. There are some steps and stiles
- Countryside - Yes but some urban
- Length of route (miles) - 13
- Long Distance Path
- Typical duration of route - 1 day (8hrs)
- Woodland - Some tree cover at intervals along the trail
Suitability
- Dog Owners - Suitable for dogs, but must be kept on leads most of the time.
- Families
Map & Directions
- START/END:– Fyfield Ongar Road, CM5 ORB
- Willingale Churches – touch the only two churches in England – St Christopher and St Andrews – that share the same church yard. At St Andrews, look for flint rubble, puddingstone and and re-used Roman bricks in the build. Look closely around the 15th century font of St Christopher’s for graffiti ‘protection marks’ (sometimes also called witch marks). They include a Marian mark, a daisy wheel and many other un-identifiable scratchings that have been left by masons and others. Also touch the stone of the reclining effigy of man in plate armour on a shelf.
- Pepper’s Green – look and listen for juvenile red kites that hunt either side of the greenway lane, north through Roots Spring, past Hardy’s Plantation and across the A1060 towards Farmbridge End where it crosses the River Can
- St Andrew’s Church, Good Easter – walk the perimeter of an ancient church and take in the south views. Likely pre-dates Domesday Book as a church at Good and High Easter gets a mention. Although often closed, if you get lucky, there are some traces of early C13 wall painting in the northern recess by the chancel arch
- Stagden Cross – tramp the historic crossroads that links Pleshey to Good Easter via more than 3 ½ miles of greenway and bridleway. A proper lost lane.
- Acreland – listen for roe deer in the rut season from July to the end of August. Find fab fungi along the path edges in autumn.
- Church of Holy Trinity – look for the gargoyles around this 13th century, Gothic style church with geometric tracery windows.
- Pleshey Castle and Moat – rest in the company of water and wild fowl beside the historic castle and moat.
- START/END:– Pleshey, The St, Chelmsford, CM3 1HG
Along This Route
The oldest wooden church in the world, dating from the 11th century. Picturesque building…
Epping Ongar Railway is Essex's LONGEST heritage railway and the CLOSEST TO LONDON,…
The remains of this imposing motte and bailey castle, built in the 12th century, dominate…
Ratings
Powered By
© Visit Essex 2024. All Rights Reserved
