The Woods of Bicknacre
Enjoy the beautiful woods and trees between the settlements of Bicknacre, Cock Clarks and Woodham Ferrers. The colours will be stunning in autumn so don’t forget your camera.
1 Begin your journey from the Horseshoe Nurseries. Turn right along White Elm Road towards the crossroads. It is claimed that a notorious highway was executed and buried at White Elm crossroads with an elm stake through his body. Continue straight ahead into Slough Road towards Jacklett’s Farm, home of Roger Joket in 1310. A later owner was Edward de Vere, who some claim to be Shakespeare. To be or not to be; that is the question…
The road will eventually bring you alongside Slough House Wood. Here you will need to turn right at the fingerpost, and over two stiles across open land following the yellow waymarks until you pass over a bridge. Turn left and following the field edge you will eventually come to a gate at the road by Corporation Bridge.
2 Turn right and take care as you walk along the roadside, as traffic can move fast along this stretch of road towards Corporation Farm. Near the farm you should come across another fingerpost on your right. Go through the gate and follow the fence line. This bridleway will then take you off towards the direction of Great Wood. As you come into a yard area, keep the fence on your right and head for the open gate, through into the paddock at the back of the farm. Follow the tree line on your right. The next gate will take you into Charity Lane. This is a fine example of a green lane, for which Essex is famous. The county has over 800km of these tracks which are no longer roads but survive as public rights of way. Many date back from before the Romans. With a rich variety of trees, shrubs and wild flowers, green lanes form valuable wildlife ‘corridors’ through the countryside.
This old trackway may well have some ancient hedges. Why not try to date a hedge? Pace out 30 strides and count the number of different trees and shrubs (don’t include ivy, brambles or climbers). Multiply this number by 100 for a very rough age for the hedge in years, e.g. five species equals roughly 500 year old hedge. Look out for blackthorn, hawthorn, elm, ash and oak.
3 As the bridleway opens out, turn right at the furthest edge of Cank Wood following the field edge. As you walk along the track notice the hornbeam trees with their grey fluted bark. At the track, turn right and follow the ditch and trees along the field edge. Keep going until you reach a waymark post at the end of the field. Turn left and then right up the field edge, using a courtesy path along the Maldon/Chelmsford District boundary. Turn left into a tree-lined lane which eventually runs alongside Emberson’s Wood. This ancient woodland was stripped of its useful timber in the past and has now been taken over by birch.
4 Just past the bungalow, go right through a field gate (there is a concrete fingerpost opposite) and make your way along the bridleway known as Old Salt Road. Salt extraction from sea water was an important industry in the 14th and 15th centuries hence the bridleway’s name. When you reach Thrift Wood on your left look out for cow-wheat and wild service tree, both indicators of ancient woodland. Pregnant women used to eat cow-wheat flour in the belief that their child would be male. Ignore the first fingerposts indicating a footpath, keep ahead on the bridleway. At the t-junction turn right. As you take the pathway back towards White Elm crossroads you will notice the old oaks which mark the old boundaries. This old road was used by drovers with their cattle and their sheep and is one of the oldest roads in the parish.
Turn left at the crossroads back towards the car park.
Distance: 5.7 miles / 9.2 km or 2 ½ hours
Terrain: Muddy after rain, some road walking, two stiles, one gate
Start: Horseshoe Nurseries, White Elm Road, Bicknacre GR 792 029
Map: Explorer 183 Chelmsford and The Rodings
Parking: Horseshoe Nurseries, White Elm Road, Bicknacre
Refreshments: Brewers Arms and White Swan pubs and local shops in Bicknacre; Fox and Hounds pub en-route near Corporation Bridge