Littlebury Green

The rural Essex village of Littlebury Green is surrounded by acres of farmland and fields, and if you can find the layby on the way out of the village, park your car and head down the marked footpath. It seems enclosed at first, but soon opens up, with miles of rolling fields on one side, and a small wooded area on the other. The wooded area is full of bluebells in the spring, and we even (unintentionally) flushed out a herd of deer.

The first part of the walk has a nice concreted path, presumably added by the farmer for his farm vehicles. It does mean that you can easily get a pushchair down there. In general, I find the paths in good condition, but I've only ever done this walk after weeks of glorious sunshine, so it might be different in the middle of winter! The paths are clearly marked, so follow them down towards the M11, enjoying the scenic views of the countryside.

Not long before you come to the M11, you will need to cross a small B road. I've never seen a car on it, but to be on the safe side, you might want to put your dog on lead. Cross over the road and down the side of the gate, which is only there to stop vehicles, not pedestrians, and continue down towards the M11.

There is a pedestrian bridge over the M11, and the walk continues the other side of this. There is a fence to stop humans getting down to the carriageway, but if your dog is lacking in road sense and full of curiosity, like mine, you might want to get them on lead for this crossing.

We generally stop after the footbridge, simply because my dog is still young and I don't want to overdo it yet. However, it looks like there are still miles of paths ahead of you, and perhaps we'll get to explore them one day.

It's not a circular walk, so retrace your steps back to your car along the path you've already walked. It's about 4 miles in total when we walk it.