The walk starts along a short section of road to reach the south bank of the River Stour - the river which provided the inspiration for so many of John Constable's paintings. The walk along its bank will no doubt explain why!

Manningtree is a busy, but pretty little town, mentioned by Shakespeare in Henry IV. After a walk along its narrow main street you suddenly turn a corner to reach The Walls, a beautiful stretch which receives many visitors. You pass Mistley Place Park which has a variety of animals and is open to visitors. You also pass Mistley Towers - the unique remains of a church built in 1735 and subsequently remodelled by Robert Adam. You will find the twin towers reminiscent of the architecture of St Paul's Cathedral in London.

Moving on to Mistley, you pass an equally unique fountain in front of a craft centre and gallery which is well worth a visit. Just to the right of it is Edme's Maltings and the route down to the quay. This is a working quay, but warrants a brief detour for the views. While we were making notes for the walk an elderly resident told us of the history of the wreck which can be seen just out in the river. It seems it had quickly been unloaded of its timber cargo and the crew had retired to the pub for a swift drink before setting off back to sea. This was during WW2 and a plane arrived and dropped incendiaries on the ship in the absence of most of the crew. All that could be done was to cut her adrift and before long she sank.

This part of your walk is on the Essex Way long distance path and as you continue through delightful woodland, you pass close to what is emblazoned now on maps as a "Secret" Bunker. These days it is a tourist attraction, but during the Cold War years was an underground headquarters for the administration in case of nuclear attack. We are aware - and were at the time - that those fortunate (?) enough to have a place reserved for them in this bunker were issued with revolvers, presumably to shoot any unwelcome gatecrashers who tried to follow them in!

From here you cross a variety of farmland and pass close to the former TV transmitter for the area. Since the advent of UHF for television signals this mast has been used for other transmissions. When you pass close you wonder how such a structure was ever put in place. Even more interesting is how it could ever be demolished in any orderly way!

Once you arrive back in Lawford you pass a pretty little church and begin to descend back into Dedham Vale. The views on the way down are again superb. This is a long walk, but well worth the effort!

England - Essex - Countryside

View a road map to the starting point of this walk.