Harlow: A walk to the woods

Buses 8, 47, 59 and 147 stop nearby in High Street. Ask for the Victoria Hall stop.

There are several car parks nearby with the first hour free.

[1]  Leave the main entrance of the Health Centre and turn right. Turn left and then right to follow the ramp up to a small car park at the side of the health centre.  Cross the car park, keeping the health centre on the right to head towards a telegraph pole and an orange car park barrier. Turn left to follow a path beside Barclays bank and turn left when reaching the road. Cross the road carefully, where it is safe to do so, and carry on in the same direction.

[2] At the road, by Barclays bank, turn left.  Walk along the left hand pavement until you reach the pedestrian crossing by the High Street shops.

[3] Cross the road carefully at the crossing and turn left to continue walking in the same direction, but on the right hand pavement. Just after a road narrowing a brick wall on your right stops and there is a path to the right. Do not take this path between the two walls.

[4] Turn right onto a path just beyond the brick wall, before the bus stop. There is a footpath sign pointing into it. It is a surfaced path at first, but then becomes a grass path and may be muddy after rain. Another path crosses this one but continue straight ahead acoss the grass to pass buildings on your right, including the back of the Baptist Church. Keep walking straight ahead.

[5] The path opens out into an open grassy area with woodland to your right. Carry on walking straight ahead and bear right around the edge of the wood  until you come to a surfaced path crossing ahead of you.

[6] Turn right onto the surfaced path and follow it, keeping the woods on your right, until you come to a road.

[7] Turn right onto the road and follow it towards houses.

[8]  Cross the road and continue and, on your left is a terrace of houses with a war memorial above the doors. (A) stop to look at this then keep walking in the same direction, crossing Broadway Avenue. You will pass the Crown pub on the left and other interesting buildings before crossing St Johns Walk. (B) Continue to the end of the road.

[9] Turn left after the Chequers pub and walk along the left pavement until you are opposite Barclays Bank.

[10] Cross the road carefully. Take the drive to the right of the bank. Just before the drive opens out into a road, take a small path of paving stones to the right. The Health Centre is now ahead of you. Cross the car park carefully to return.

(A) Oddfellow's Terrace. The Oddfellows were a 'friendly society' before the National Health Service. Payments were made to members when they were ill or unemploymed. In 1910 the Mulberry Tree Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Manchester Unity, built this terrace of cottages to provide both housing accommodation and rental income. The memorial over the doors commemorates 40 of their members who had died during the first world war. It reads: "Mulberry Tree Lodge I.O.O.F. M.U. In abiding fraternal memory of our worthy brothers who fell in the Great War 1914 - 1918".

(B)The old church at the end of St Johns Walk is now an arts and recreation centre with a wide range of activities for all ages.