Bluebells, villages and more - Rickling, Essex

Take the B1383 (formerly All) to Newport, and turn right along the B 103 8 towards Clavering and Buntingford. At the far end of Wicken Bonhunt turn left up Ricking Road and, at T-junction turn left, and shortly afterwards park on the left in front of the lovely church.

There is currently no public transport serving Rickling.

[1] Continue southward on the main road towards Rickling Green, ignore first footpath sign to left (soon after cottages), and go to the second signpost on the left, which has two arms. Take the path at right angles to the road, not the one going diagonally across the field.

At next hedge, dive through and over ditch (no bridge!), and go straight ahead, to reach cross-path at the boundary of the first field .Turn right, and soon reach minor road: turn left. After last house on right, turn right, with hedge on the right, and head towards large barns, at Rickling Hall.

[2] Pass between the barns, and turn sharp left along farm track. After about 600 yards you reach wood on right and the finger-post pointing half left. Take this path, and head to gap in far left hedge. Follow a sign on the left and walk on edge of wood, and bear right along wood edge, to emerge on to road.Turn left, walk on, passing finger post to right, to reach Orchard Cottage. Soon after,follow a finger post to right indicating path south-eastwards towards wood. At the far corner at the wood edge a stile leads to path into wood (some bluebells) and emerges onto B1383 opposite Chequers Inn.

[3] Take minor road at side of pub. Continue along this until it turns left. At this point turn right and then shortly left to reach church at Ugley. Retrace route to road, turn left  and just before you reach houses on right, turn right across field, heading diagonally towards right hand edge of woods now in view. Pass under huge power cables, over fence, and on to stile at wood edge. Go forward on this wood edge path for about a mile, with bluebell, woods to your left, and at the end of this wood turn left along wood edge, before bearing half right towards Quendon Church, with enormous weather cock atop. 

[4] On reaching the road, turn right, and then left to the right of a pair of large gates to join footpath taking into open country. Continue along this main path, going ahead at junction, and emerge on to the road you started out on. Turn right, to return to the start.

Map: Explorer 195

This route was developed by David Elsom on behalf of the Great Shelford Village website - http://shelford.lucidata.com. It was first published in Great Shelford Village News in 2006.