Manningtree Circular walk

River Stour - Constable country

History

This is a list of previous times this walk has been done by the club (since Jan 2010). For more recent events (since April 2015), full details are shown.

Date Option Post # Weather
Wed, 21-Jun-23 Constable country: Manningtree circular 8 mostly sunny not too hot
Wed, 23-Mar-22 Wednesday Walk Manningtree Circular - through the Stour Valley in Constable Country 6 sunny
Sun, 30-May-21 Sunday Walk: Constable Carry on - Manningtree Circular 4 pleasant sunny
Sat, 03-Oct-20 Saturday walk - Manningtree Circular - Constable clouds in the big sky county 6 cloudy with some light rain
Sun, 22-Sep-19 Sunday Walk: Hey, Wayne! Get offa my slime! - Manningtree Circular.
Sat, 08-Jun-19 Manningtree Circular following the short option 4 initially cloudy then sunny and warm after lunch
Sat, 04-Aug-18 Saturday walk - Manningtree Circular - Constable's paintings come to life 12 hot day made bearable by much woodland and a few cumulus clouds
Sat, 28-Apr-18 Saturday Walk Manningtree Circular 4 started slightly damp got wetter briefly then dry and was cool and overcast
Sun, 07-May-17 Sunday walk: Constable Country 15 cloudy cool am sunny warm pm
Sat, 23-Jul-16 Saturday First Walk - Constable country 24
Wed, 08-Jun-16 Midweek day walk - Manningtree Circular 3 warm and sunny 24C
Wed, 18-Feb-15 Manningtree Circular
Sun, 16-Nov-14 a Manningtree Circular, omitting Stratford St Mary and E Bergholt 9
Sat, 02-Aug-14 Manningtree Circular 10
Mon, 05-May-14 Manningtree Circular
Wed, 15-Jan-14 Manningtree Circular
Sat, 22-Jun-13 Manningtree Circular 4
Sat, 09-Feb-13 Manningtree Circular 17
Sun, 03-Jun-12 Manningtree Circular
Sat, 12-Nov-11 Manningtree Circular
Sat, 28-May-11 Manningtree Circular
Sun, 06-Jun-10 Manningtree Circular
Wed, 18-Nov-09 Manningtree Circular
Sat, 26-Sep-09 Manningtree Circular
Wed, 18-Feb-09 Manningtree Circular
Sat, 30-Aug-08 Manningtree Circular
Sat, 19-Apr-08 Manningtree Circular
Sat, 29-Sep-07 Manningtree Circular
Sun, 05-Aug-07 Manningtree Circular
Sandy
Sandy

Length: 17.3 km (10.7 miles) 4/10

I thought it would be good to have a change of scene and head to the Suffolk/Essex border for this walk in the Stour valley. It passes numerous settings of Constable paintings along with his birthplace and a possible tea stop at Flatford Mill. More of the relevant paintings are mentioned here.

Travel: Take the 1000 from Liverpool Street arriving at Manningtree at 1053 (note there is also a 1002 which is quite a bit slower, getting in at 1112). Three return trains an hour at approx 02, 19 and 52.

Lunch: In Dedham, a pub lunch "with Italian inspiration" is available at the Sun Inn, (tel 01206 323 351), some 6 km into the walk, serving lunch daily from 12 noon to 3.30 pm. This is the suggested lunch stop on this walk. The Dedham Centre tearoom (tel 01206 322 677) in the Arts & Crafts Centre serves vegetarian food from 12 noon to 2.00 pm daily (groups of more than ten should phone to book). The Essex Rose tea room (tel 01206 323 101) is another alternative for lunches served from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm. For the situation in Stratford St Mary, a possible late lunch stop, see the walk page.

Tea: The suggested tea place is the National Trust’s Bridge Cottage Tearoom, by Flatford Mill (tel 01206 298 260), open up to 5.30 from May to September. At Manningtree station, the Station Buffet (tel 01206 391114) may also provide a welcome snack before the train home.

Short walk options: If you look at the map you'll see that the walk is nearly a figure of eight, so it is possible to miss out the smaller loop and cut out 4km. Turn right along the Stour Valley Way after Dedham - directions are given in the text.

It may also be possible to catch a bus to Manningtree or Colchester from one of the villages en route.

For walk directions, map and GPX click here

T=1.39



  • 20-Jun-23

    You can do this for £15 return on ', hare fares', an anglia promotion

    https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/harefares?gclid=Cj0KCQjwnMWkBhDLARIsAHBOftqqJr3pSqw6H2r3HywNQPqyQk-m4dqTn-OORQaZrVQpoGlSMOPLtL8aArPkEALw_wcB

    Spotted by my ramblers group doing a Manningtree walk on Saturday.

  • 21-Jun-23

    8 assembled on a day mostly sunny not too hot The clever ones had picked up on Pete G’s fares tip. Good progress made to Dedham, though there was a little confusion over the prescribed way through the playing field. Loads of butterflies, mainly brown ones.

    Most of us had lunch in the churchyard, then retired to the Sun for a spot of whistle wetting.

    After, I think all took the shortcut along the river. Because it’s nicer, not to skimp on miles. OK? Some continued shortcutting to Flatford but about 5 went to look at East Bergholt church.

    Then down to Flatford and the obligatory look at the Hay Wain’s pond. And a tea stop where the others had enormous slices of cake. You know me, I’m not one for cake. But I had to do something while theirs was being galumphed down.

    Then the final stretch, quite overgrown and well butterflied, to Manningtree station where we only just.caught the 16:19. The shortcutters had caught earlier ones.

    Good day out.

Boo 1 Walk 39 - Manningtree Circular

Length: 17.3 km (10.7 miles) Short cut omits Statford St Mary for a walk of 8.2 miles
Toughness: 4 out of 10 No steep hills
London Liverpool Street: 10-00 hrs Greater Anglia fast service to Norwich
Arrive Manningtree: 10-53 hrs
Return
Greater Anglia services at approx 02, 19 and 52 mins past the hour
To complement our mid-week walk through Gainsborough country two weeks earlier, today's walk takes us through Constable country - and very pleasant it is, too.
Leaving Manningtree we head across country to the village of Dedham, where we stop for lunch, at its pub-hotel - The Sun - which I recall can be walker unfriendly - or a tea shop. The large church in the centre of the village is worth a visit.
After lunch, on reaching the River Stour, we have choice of route: the main route takes us beside the river along field edges towards the village of Stratford St Mary, then some road walking before continuing on to the village of East Bergholt. The shortcut takes us alongside the river in the opposite direction towards Flatford Mill - the setting for one of artist John Constable's most famous paintings. Tea can be had here or on the railway station at its very acceptable station buffet.
T=1.39
Walk Directions are here: L=1.39
  • 24-Mar-22

    6 on a sunny day. Barely a cloud in the sky. There was a little consternation past Lawford when the paths didn’t seem tally with the directions. Most of us went left round the big field. This took us through a wood with a stunning display of celandine and we were soon back on course.

    On to Dedham, where 3 visited the Sun, which was friendly enough. The others picknicked and moved on ahead of us.

    We laggards eschewed Stratford St Mary and took the river shortcut to East Bergholt, which was very pleasant. We noted, though, that the bridge we would have crossed to continue to Flatford was no longer there, either washed away or demolished. Not that that bothered us.

    A look round East Bergholt’s church, then on to Flatford Mill where we were reunited with the others and had tea and cakes by the river in the sunshine.

    We got to Manningtree station just as the 16:50 was arriving so no time to explore the delights of the buffet bar.

    A good day out.

Mr M Tiger

Length: 17.3 km. 10.7 miles

Difficulty: 4/10

A walk through Dedham Vale area of outstanding natural beauty, revisiting scenes from Constable’s paintings. There's some interesting churches along the way. After plans for East Bergholt's church tower were put on hold, the bells were rung by hand in a temporary cage in the churchyard. Five centuries later, they still are.(Top marks for indolence, I say). Inside the church, if open, be on the lookout for an early camel and some "putrid slime". A later church, in Stratford St Mary, has unusual flint lettering on the outside.

Trains: 9:30 Ipswich train from Liverpool St.(Stratford 9:37), arriving Manningtree at 10:23.

Return trains at xx:21 and x:50 (fastest)

Lunch: It is hard to rely on pubs right now so bring a picnic (and water) in case you need it.

The popular Sun Inn, Dedham 01206 323351 has tables in the garden. The nearby Marlborough appears to require booking.

The Dedham Craft Centre cafe is doing takeaways 01206 322677.Also in Dedham, the Essex Rose tea room 01206 323101 appears to be open.

There are more pubs in Stratford St Mary. Two appear to be open.

Tea: the National Trust tearooms at Flatford Bridge are open. It is near to Flatford Mill, the setting for Constable's Haywain (it's a wagon, not a type of pizza). Unfortunately, Manningtree's fabled station buffet closes at 2 on Sundays.

Covid-19 Compliance: please note the current guidance on this website and observe social distancing. Please sign up for this walk in advance if you can, using the London Walkers User Group site. (This saves time collecting contact details). Otherwise bring a piece of paper with your legible email address on it, which will be put in an envelope and accessed if needed for contact tracing. To report a Covid case after this walk, use covid@lwug.co.uk

Walk Directions: here.The walk can be shortened by missing out Stratford St Mary. Should be a pleasant diversion this time of year.


T=1.39
  • 31-May-21

    4 on a pleasant sunny day. Perhaps the ticket price is a deterrent (a return - with reductions - is now £17). But the new trains are quite swish.

    2 other walkers were spotted with a book copy. (Don’t they know it’s out of date?)

    Buttercups took a starring role today, ably supported by cow parsley, hawthorn, speedwell and comfrey. Some of the meadows were stunning. If only I’d had a few crayons with me. I could have given Constable a run for his money .

    The Sun was fully booked but my three speedier walkmates managed to get into the Marlborough. I just sat on a gravestone and wept. But it was a comfortable gravestone.

    The tea rooms were open and doing good business.

    Only one pub open in Stratford St Mary (another reopens ‘soon’). The village is spoilt by traffic and the A11, almost enough to warrant taking the short cut. But the church is impressive.

    And so to East Bergholt where they still haven’t got the bells on the church roof .

    A lot of boaters on the Stour and, something I’ve not noticed before, people on punts.

    Flatford Mill was busy and the NT just had a kiosk going with a big queue.

    I got the 16:50.

    Memo to self : Only try to get contact details from people on our walk.

Length: 17.3km (10.7 miles) T=1.39
Toughness: 4 out of 10
9.30 train from Liverpool Street (9.38 Stratford), to Manningtree, arriving 10.31.
For walk directions click here, for GPX click here, for a map of the route click here.
This walk needs no introduction for many of you, but if it does, then suffice to say that if you had to pick just one Essex walk to do in your life, this would be it. Pretty villages, the landscape (and cloudscape) that inspired the famous painter John Constable, and a nice tea stop. What more could you want?
As on all our walks at present, we will very rapidly split into groups of six at the start and stay split, so any preliminary thoughts you can have on the train about who you plan to walk with would be useful. Last Saturday meeting up in the station car park rather than on the arrival platform worked well, as it gave us lots of space to socially distance while we formed (quickly!) into sub-groups.
Lots of you bring sandwiches for lunch these days, but if you are otherwise inclined, Dedham has two pubs and some cafe options. There are also later pub options in Stratford St Mary (it says here: probably best to check before relying on them).
There is a shortcut from Dedham to Flatford Mill, which reduces the walk to 13.3km (8.25 miles) and includes a very pretty section along the River Stour not otherwise covered on the walk.
To my great surprise (given the number of times it has let me down on the tea front this summer...), the National Trust says its tea room at Flatford Mill is open (till 5pm). Otherwise, the late tea option is the Manningtree Station Buffet, which is more like a pub than a station coffee outlet (though it does do hot drinks), a rare survivor from the days when lots of stations had such places. As far as I can see from its Facebook page, it is open till 9pm.
Trains back from Manningtree are at 02 and 53 past, the 53 being slightly faster. One quirk seems to be the 17.50 (not 53), which requires a change at Colchester.
  • Anonymous
    01-Oct-20

    Hi. Is this walk prone to flooding in bad weather? Thank you very much.

  • 01-Oct-20

    Let's hope not...

  • Mary
    02-Oct-20

    I've never done a walk in extensive rain, but I'm tired of being stuck indoors and am tempted to come! Any weather tips? I assume waterproof clothing is a must.

  • 02-Oct-20

    Waterproof jacket and trousers, yes :(

  • 02-Oct-20

    Station buffet bar is open til 9 pm.

  • 03-Oct-20

    There were two weather forecasts for today. One - believed by most walkers, I suspect - was for torrential rain. The other had the rain clearing to sunshine. In fact we had neither. It was cloudy with some light rain , the latter being in the morning (apart from one unsporting shower just before the end for three of us). It was hard under the grey skies to imagine the sunny scenes with fluffy white clouds painted by Constable. But we did our best, comparing a few famous scenes to dingy pictures on our smartphones. It was almost completely dry underfoot: no floods or gloopy mud.

    There were 6 of us, which made keeping within government guidelines easy. We had three men, three women, and one newcomer to the walks. We got to Dedham at midday and there was some discussion about whether to lunch there or later, but at least one of the pubs in Stratford St Mary later turned out to be shut and another was about apparently not doing food, so it was just as well we eventually decided to lunch at Dedham.

    Two had sandwiches. The other four tried the Sun without success, but after much scanning of a tablet computer by the maitre d’ (or whatever we call these new pub greeter people), we were admitted to the Marlborough Head. The food came very zippily, probably because we were the first customers, and was very good. The sandwichers came in for drinks.

    In the afternoon two got a bit separated from the others, and the others went the wrong way slightly, inadvertently taking a shorter route to East Bergholt. Getting to Flatford Mill, yours truly was aghast to discover that my three companions did not want to stop for tea. So I sat in the garden of the National Trust tea room alone - not just without companions but almost without any other customers, inside or out. I have never seen the place so empty, nor enjoyed the Haywain site in solitude before.

    When I had finished tea it turned out that the missing two walkers were inside the tea room, so I hooked up with them for the final leg. We got to the station in time for the 4.53pm train and there met the other three who had been to the station buffet. I regretted not having time to buy a takeaway beer from the buffet to have on the train, but I needn’t have worried because - wonder of wonders - there was one on the train, a sparkling new train at that. The buffet guy very kindly urged us to sit in the adjacent first class, saying it was declassified, so very posh we felt all the way back to Liverpool Street, me with my can of Southwold bitter.

  • Anonymous
    04-Oct-20

    I did this walk yesterday as well but later than the group. I was intending to take the shortcut described in the instructions but by mistake took the second left instead of the first left at the fork in para 34, thus creating my own shortcut. That turned out to be quite fortunate because Fen Bridge is actually closed at the moment for safety reasons and it’s not possible to cross the river as described in para 41. The stretch along the Stour was one of the most beautiful bits of the walk and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it.

    Had tea at the Bridge Cottage Tearoom which got quite busy towards closing time, as did the path along the river. Lots of dog walkers.

Book 1 walk 39
Length: 17.3 km. 10.7 miles
Difficulty: 4/10
A walk through Dedham Vale area of outstanding natural beauty, revisiting scenes from Constable’s paintings, including The Haywain. (Haywain, get it - Hey Wayne? Oh, never mind).
There's some interesting churches along the way.
The one in Stratford St Mary has unusual flint lettering round the outside.
Plans to give East Bergholt's church a tower were postponed after Cardinal Wolsey's downfall. Five centuries later, the bells are still rung by hand in a "temporary" cage in the churchyard. Inside the church, see if you can find an early camel and the "putrid slime" alluded to above. That's your task for today.
Trains: 9:30 Norwich train from Liverpool St., arriving Manningtree at 10:28.
Return trains at xx:19 and x:53.
Lunch: the Sun Inn, Dedham 01206 323351 serving lunch from 12-3.
Or the Dedham Craft Centre cafe 01206 322677.
Also in Dedham, the Essex Rose tea room 01206 323101.
Tea: the National Trust tearooms at Flatford Bridge, open till 5.
Directions: here .
The walk can be shortened by missing out Stratford St Mary.
T=1.39
Mike A
Hello, hello, hello, it's Constable Country. Enjoy a short walk in the Stour Valley and Dedham Vale and visit Flatford Mill where John Constable was inspired to paint the Hay Wain

Length 8⅓ miles (13½ km)
Toughness 2/3 out of 10

Getting there

Catch the 10:00 Ipswich train from London Liverpool Street arriving at Manningtree 10:55

Getting back

There are three trains per hour back from Manningtree station, two at 19 and 53 minutes past the hour and a slightly slower service at 2 minutes past the hour. This slower service stops at Stratford which may be more convenient for walkers who live in East or Southeast London.
Walkers may wish to take advantage of the unusual but friendly station buffet which can provide cakes, tea and stronger drinks

Plan your journey here.

Tickets

Buy a cheap day return to Manningtree


Overview


This is a delightful walk which really dispels the myth that walking in Essex is flat and boring. Lunch is at Dedham which sports two tearooms and at least two pubs.

On leaving Dedham and at point 34 on the Walk Details, be careful to take the left hand track (there are two) as the main road swings right ignoring the finger post which points down the right hand track.
At point 40 on the Walk Details, and to follow the short option, turn right along the River Stour.
The recommended tea stop is at Flatford Mill where you can also visit the John Constable Exhibition.
On our last visit, the section of the route about 500 metres after Flatford Mill was being widened. Hopefully this is now complete.
More details about this walk may be found on the link below
L=1.39
T=1.39
  • Anonymous
    09-Jun-19

    There were 4 of us who gathered at Manningtree station on an initially cloudy morning which managed to turn quite wet as soon as it had a chance. The views over the flat meadows carpeted with buttercups and later gently rolling hills were nevertheless stupendous particularly in the afternoon. The weather for once lived up to its expectations of w='sunny_and_warm’ post lunch. The Sun Inn Pub served some very good Italian food to three of us while the fourth member disappeared to have a quick power nap in the graveyard (or so he said); only one degree less mysterious than the spy I had on a recent art study trip. Dedham has some wonderful architecture in St Mary’s and the former Methodist church (now arts and crafts centre). Fine Dutch gabling too in many houses. Only one, now that the sun was shining, made a small detour to admire another St Mary’s, this time in East Bergholt, and had a glance at the Old Hall in passing. Most interesting was the cage with huge bells , still rung by hand, next to the church. Caught up with patient fellow walkers to continue for tea at Flatford Mill. The extensive valley views were reminiscent of Albert Cuyk’s paintings with young bulls larking about and wandering through the Stour river.

    We all agreed that the afternoon was the most delightful part of the walk: after Flatford Lock, along the Stour, slowly meandering, both us and the river, to Manningtree station, where 3 got the 5pm train. One thought it was a shame to leave at such a beautiful moment and went back to the Stour for another hour to enjoy early evening sun & extended walk (Recommended: small diversion direction Cattiswade, only drawback is a 10 min walk along busy road but the current route is a 20 minute unexciting inland walk).

    Pia

  • 09-Jun-19

    initially cloudy then sunny and warm after lunch

Length: 17.3km (10.7 miles) - or 13.3km (8.25 miles) via the shortcut
Toughness: 4 out of 10

10.00 train from Liverpool Street to Manningtree, arriving 10.55.

For walk directions click here. For GPX click here.

If you only do one Essex walk in your life, this is the one to do. It deserves to be done on a fine summer's day, with a scattering of fluffy white cloud, when the landscape looks just like the John Constable paintings that made it famous.

Bringing your pocket book of Constable's greatest hits is not a bad idea, because then you can compare the present day views with his representations of them. Otherwise, this is a gentle pretty outing, passing through the the lovely village of Dedham with its various lunch options and the terminally-quaint (though heavily touristed) Flatford Mill, with its National Trust tea room.

This is a walk where laziness is rewarded because the short cut between Dedham and Flatford Mill (the 8.25 mile version of the walk) is along a very pretty section of the River Stour. Walkers have in the past been known to have a swim in the Stour, though whether this is a good idea from a Health and Safety standpoint I have no idea. (For the record, I did not get any communicable diseases.)

At the end of the walk spare a glance for the Manningtree station buffet, which (at least last time I looked) was like something out of the 1970s.

Trains back are at 02, 19 and 53 past, though mysteriously the online timetable does not show an 18.19. Any of our train experts who would like to comment on this, please do. T=1.39
  • 30-Jul-18

    If you looked at this post on Monday morning, please note I have changed the train time since my first draft of the post

  • Anonymous
    04-Aug-18

    I did this walk yesterday; there are signs along the route highlighting the closure of footpaths for maintenance; this only seemed to be a problem in the final stretch towards Manningtree station, but in actual fact the route is still accessible.Hilary

  • 04-Aug-18

    10 walkers assembled on Manningtree platform and set of on this delightful walk. The powers that be had been busy installing new clearly marked finger posts throughout the walk.

    Plenty of succulent blackberries were picked on the initial leg up to St. Mary's Church and a couple of sheep allowed walkers to scratch their backs - must have been the heat.

    As Hilary pointed out there were some minor diversions but not at all onerous and very well detailed.

    2 Ramblers were met doing a walk-over for the Hampstead group, one whom I'd not seen for many a year and I found she has still hadn't forgiven me for defecting to the SWC :-(

    The paddocks just after the railway crossing were an absolute delight to pass with two recently arrived foals. Their minder/stableperson gave us a fascinating talk on the breed of the horses and their new offspring before we continued on to Dedham.

    Two further walker's joined us just before we arrived there explaining they had caught a train 2 minutes later than the one posted so 12 on the walk.

    Most took lunch in the back garden of The Sun which sported it's new Michelin award plaque for 2018.

    Some of us took a quick peek in the Parish Church after lunch where a wedding was about to take place - we'd failed to bring fascinators and dickie-bows etc. and so we slipped quietly off, heading for Dedham Mill.

    A splinter group took a wrong turning to Dedham Hall, but quickly corrected themselves and no yellow cards were issued.

    At the Mill, many of the locals had taken to boats or thrown themselves in the Stour to cool down and here our group split into two with half electing to do the shorter walk and the other half a modified version of the longer route.

    The short-circuiteers visited another St. Mary's at East Bergholt for a respite, briefly spotting Miriam as she headed towards Flatford Mill.

    We too headed for the Mill and took tea in the NT Cafe. Our Arts Connoisseur gave us all a commentary on Constable and where he had painted the Hay Wain and so on as we walked.

    On the final leg back to Manningtree, there had been some work done on the path (which could be an absolute quagmire after rain). The path had been widened, flattened and straightened and will hopefully be a lot easier to walk in the rainy season.

    A final drink was had at that so unusual cafe/bar at Manningtree Station where some of the long routers caught up and we all took the 5:19 back the Great Wen.

    A varied and informative day out in a hot day made bearable by much woodland and a few cumulus clouds

PeteG
PeteG
Manningtree Circular t=1.39

This is a walk through the Stour valley that Constable loved, passing by the settings of some of his most famous paintings, a landscape now protected as the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. At Flatford, you can learn more about John Constable & there is an exhibition by 4 local artists in the Boat House.

Length 10.7m, 17.3km 4 out of 10

Trains: Get the 0930 Norwich train from Liverpool Street (Stratford 0938) arr Manningtree 1031. Return trains are xx53 & xx02 plus trains at 1619, 1719, 1919.

Lunch: Sun Inn , Dedham (tel 01206 323 351) daily from 12 noon to 3.30 pm. The Dedham Centre Tearoom (tel 01206 322 677) in the Arts & Crafts Centre serves vegetarian food from 12 noon to 2.00 pm daily. For a late lunch, there are three pubs to choose from in Stratford St Mary.

Tea: National Trust’s Bridge Cottage Tearoom, by Flatford Mill (closes 5pm). Manningtree has a station buffet.

  • 28-Apr-18

    4 started on a day that started slightly damp got wetter briefly then dry and was cool and overcast It was largely firm underfoot but there were patches that would have kept any mudlarks happy. The end stretch after Flatford was slippery, uneven and a bit splishy sploshy. A light sprinkling of bluebells en route as well as both campions. Too early for the buttercups. Two ate in the Sun, two picnicked in the rain. Not sure what happened to the faster two later, but the slower two skipped tea and headed for the station and caught the 17:19

  • Anonymous
    02-May-18

    The "faster two" pressed on, stopping briefly at Flatford Mill and making an interesting detour to the church at East Bergholt, which i am planning to use as a case example of poor project planning, 16th century style. we just missed the 1619 so had time for tea at the station cafe (coffee only served until 11am) where I mentioned that I had once been asked if I was Mr Tiger . . . but the previous comment shows that I too have been labouring under a misapprehension about his identity;-)

Sun, 07-May-17 : Sunday walk: Constable Country 15
Mr M Tiger
Mr M Tiger
Manningtree Circular
Book 1 walk 39
Length: 17.3 km. 10.7 miles
Difficulty: 4/10

Last winter During the winter, most of Essex was out of reach of the Sunday walks. It was one big bus replacement with “Essex” on the front.
But the curfew is over and what better way to celebrate than a walk through Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Essex/Suffolk border.
As well as re-visiting the settings for some of Constable’s paintings, we pass some interesting churches.
Like the one in East Bergholt, where plans to add a tower faltered after Cardinal Wolsey died. Five centuries later, the bells are still rung in a "temporary" cage in the churchyard.
And check out the gothic flint lettering round the church in Stratford St Mary ...... mental!
Trains: 9:30 Norwich train from Liverpool St., arriving Manningtree at 10:33.
Return trains at xx:19 and x:53.
Lunch: the Sun Inn, Dedham 01206 323351 serving lunch from 12-3. It's probably a good idea to phone ahead.
Or the Dedham Craft Centre cafe 01206 322677. Large groups should phone to book.
Or, also in Dedham, the Essex Rose tea room 01206 323301.
Tea: the National Trust tearooms at Flatford Bridge, open till 5:30.
Directions: here.

T=1.39
  • Anonymous
    30-Apr-17

    Is anyone planning on doing this walk? It's a lovely area, especially now that Essex is no longer out of bounds!

  • Anonymous
    02-May-17

    Hi,

    I would be very interested in doing the Sunday walk - Constable Country. Who else will be going on this walk?

    I have not done a walk with Saturday walking group before so would really like to get an idea of who/how many will be attending.

    Thanks everso,

    lily

    07741 493832

  • 03-May-17

    Lily, Hi.

    That is difficult to say with any certainty. Our walkers do not usually confirm they are coming beforehand. But, if you’re lucky, you might get some reassuring messages.

    If you want to be sure of a large crowd, you can be more confident of numbers on the Saturday walks when 20 or even 30 might show up.

    Sunday walkers tend to be a more select band, rarely reaching 10. Looking at the most recent Sundays, the reported numbers were 9,30, 4, 14, 2 (The 30 was a special to Wales, the lows were probably due to the weather). Currently light cloud (no rain) is predicted for Manningtree.

    Over the last 20 outings the Manningtree walk attracted an average of 11 people (though this would include Saturdays)

  • Summer
    03-May-17

    Hi - I'd like to do this walk too, but I too have never walked without a leader before and also am not sure how to access the walk instructions, so if a seasoned walker is going and would perhaps be happy to show Lily and me the ropes (so to speak), please post on here. Thanks

  • 03-May-17

    There are at least 2 ways to find the directions. In the text above, where it says "Directions: here" click on the word "here". Or you can click on the blue square that says "1.39" They both take you to the walk page. Then click on the blue "Download Walk" button to download a pdf or click on the "Walk Directions" button for an online version.

  • Anonymous
    03-May-17

    Hi, Mr M Tiger

    You have been most helpful, thank you so much. Well,like Summer I would not feel comfortable doing the walk without a leader so to speak. Hopefully, others may join the conversation before Sunday and if that is the case then certainly I will go. This walk sounds lovely. Meanwhile, I'll take a look at the Saturday walks and will be in touch again, Friday or Saturday - fingers crossed we'll have more confirmations.

    Thanks :-)

  • Anonymous
    04-May-17

    Hi there. I will be doing the walk. I've got a map (although I'm not great at map reading!), a GPS, plus will have the directions on my iPad. And if all that fails, it's only Essex - I'm sure we won't get stranded!!

    Hope to see you on Sunday.

    Sue

  • Anonymous
    06-May-17

    I plan on going, and I am sure there will be others.

  • Anonymous
    06-May-17

    Hi,

    just an update, I will have to drop out of this walk I'm afraid I need to finish off a form that I thought was for the following week! Hope you all have a lovely day out and catch up again, hopefully.

    Take care

    lily

  • 06-May-17

    I'm going too! But, I'll need help, if you follow me we can get to Scotland!!!

  • Ian T
    08-May-17

    15 including one late riser and two who dropped out early. cloudy cool am sunny warm pm The gizmo gang raced ahead but Mr Tiger, stolidly plodding along with written directions, had to put them right once or twice. 7 visited the Sun which was accommodating and friendly. Food was good as was the beer. In a rare moment of extravagance, Mr Tiger himself ordered some food. Jaws dropped, as did one or two forks. Good idea to get there 12-ish before the Sunday rush. Tea was had at Flatford Mill which closes at 5. Our group just caught the 17:53. Faster walkers would have got an earlier one. I put money in the box at East Bergholt’s church every time I visit but they still haven’t put the bells on top.

  • Ian T
    08-May-17

    Forget to mention the stunning display on the water meadow next to Dedham Lock. Buttercups and other stuff.

  • 08-May-17

    Two of us who set of at what seemed to be a comfortable pace soon lost sight of the following pack and only saw them again once more in the distance. We decided against stopping at the Sun Inn (too early both in the day and the walk), only to discover that the Black Horse pub in Stratford St Mary was not serving food. As my fellow walker had sandwiches anyway, we stopped off at the farm shop just before St Mary's church for additional supplies and then retired to the churchyard where we had a pleasant alfresco lunch in the sun. (It's worth noting that the farm shop also has a café, which might be worth flagging up as a possible alternative late lunch stop). We followed this up later in the walk with tea and cake at Flatford Mill before continuing on to Manningtree in time for the 15.57 train. Alas it benefitted us not, as a broken down train ahead of us meant that we got back to Liverpool Street over an hour late. It was an enjoyable walk though, and as Ian says, the buttercups were stunning.

Walker
Walker
Book 1, Walk 39 - Manningtree Circular
Length: 17.3km (10.7 miles) or 13.3km (8.3 miles)
Toughness: 4 out of 10

10.00 train from Liverpool Street to Manningtree, arriving 10.55

For walk directions click here.

Oh, I know there are some for whom "never do an Essex walk" is as firm a maxim as "never invade Russia", but this one is an exception. This is the Essex walk which doesn't feel like an Essex walk, and it is lovely at this time of year. Ideally you want a day when white fluffy clouds stack up into an otherwise blue sky, and then you actually feel you are walking in a Constable painting - which you are, because this is the exact scenery (and weather and time of year) that he painted.

If you are in a lazy summer frame of mind, the short cut version of this walk (13.3km/8.5 miles) also has a lot to recommend it. Unlike the main walk it takes you along lovely dreamy watermeadows along the River Stour. Three of us once swum in this and lived to tell the tale (don't drink the water, though: livestock graze on its banks). The main walk avoids this treat, but does take in more Constable painting sites.

Tea is at a National Trust tea room at Flatford Mill, site of Constable's most famous painting, the Haywain, and then there is a pleasant walk across the fields to the station which has (or had when we last looked) a licensed bar and buffet - a bit of a 1970s time warp.

There are lots of trains back to the smoke: at 02, 19 and 53 minutes past (though not at 18.19 for some reason, at least not according to the online timetable). The 02 trains are ten minutes slower: the other ones take one hour.

Arrive back at Liverpool Street and admire the lovely station architecture, a brilliant blend of traditional and modern. There, that wasn't too painful, was it?


  • Anonymous
    22-Jul-16

    hi it's going to be a hot day...just wondered if there is any shade on this walk please?

  • 22-Jul-16

    Updated directions placed on website this afternoon.

  • 22-Jul-16

    I'll wear my favourite hat then!

  • Anonymous
    23-Jul-16

    a good walk and even managed a swim in the river Stour. There was quite a lot of tarmac walking after dedham on the main walk and being such a sunny day Dedham was very busy.The river was lovely to swim in.

  • 23-Jul-16

    Yay! Well done for swimming. It is indeed delightful, is it not?

  • 23-Jul-16

    How many on the walk, btw?

  • 24-Jul-16

    20 , Weather Sunny and hot. Most had lunch in the garden at the Red Lion, food and beer was reported as very good. After lunch five of us took the short cut along the river bank which was busy with picnickers. Three went in for a brief swim dodging the onslaught of rowers and canoeists. We waited at the NT Flatford Mill tea room for the main group but seems they got distracted so we went on without them. From memory the river bank is more natural going upstream from Dedham but it is probably easier to get into the water downstream. This is one Essex walk that is worth the travel effort.

  • Anonymous
    24-Jul-16

    24 , I was in the main walk group, we got to Flatford Mill Café around 4pm, met up with 1 walker who did the short cut. Most surprisingly, 4 more walkers showed up at the station. They took the slow train at 10:02 by mistake in the morning but we were pleased to see them all the same. It was a perfect day to see the Constable country.

Mike A
Mike A

Manningtree Circular

Hello, hello, hello it's Constable Country. Lets be 'avin you down to the River Stour, Dedham and Flatford Mill

Book 1 Walk 39

Length : 17½ km or 10½ miles

Toughness : 4 out of 10

Getting there : Catch the 10:00 am Norwich train from London Liverpool Street to Manningtree (this one doesn't stop at Stratford)

Meeting point : Manningtree Station at 10:55

Tickets : Buy a cheap day return to Manningtree

Brief Description

You can see how this area will have inspired John Constable to paint with meadows of long grass, classic riverside paths, Flatford mill and the town of Dedham.
Incidentally, many of the high street properties in Dedham had a Victorian makeover where a new façade was added (If you have an opportunity to climb the tower at St. Mary's Church, these are easily spotted)
Plenty of choices for lunch in Dedham and an NT tea stop a mile or so before the end of the walk.
There's also a friendly buffet on Maningtree station (so no excuses for missing the train) where you can get a cuppa or something a little stronger.
You may find full details of this walk here

Suggested Lunch stops

Dedham Centre Tearoom t: 01206 322 677
The Sun Hotel t: 01206 323 351
The Essex Rose t: 01206 323 101

Suggested Tea stops

Bridge Cottage Tearoom, Flatford t: 01206 298260 (National Trust and where nearby, Constable painted some of his classics)
Manningtree Station Buffet t: 01206 391114 (Actually on the station platform)

Map

OS Explorer : 196

Return train times

Trains return from Manningtree Station at 2, 19 and 53 minutes past the hour. (The 2 minutes past is a slower train)
  • Lets be 'havin you? Manningtree is miles from Norwich!

  • 07-Jun-16

    Manningtree is indeed miles from Norwich, but since Norwich is the final destination of the train you're getting, it's helpful to be told this. It's the final destination that is prominently displayed on departure boards, so knowing this information helps you to locate the right platform quickly.

  • 08-Jun-16

    Just 3 on this walk in glorious warm and sunny 24C weather. I have done this walk quite a few times over the years but only in autumn and winter so what a treat to do it on a perfect early summer's day on dry trails and paths across fields and through woods. Dedham looked as if it had been prepared for a period film set with the main street's buildings looking quite splendid. A high quality lunch was taken at the Sun although for my veggie option I would have liked a slightly bigger portion. Still this was solved at the excellent Bridge Cottage Tearoom where we had tea and huge slices of cake. A duck ambled in to join us but was swiftly shown the door.

    We set off on the final leg and easily made our "target" 16.53 train - and what a pleasure to do the raised path in dry weather rather than splattering your way through mud. A perfect mid-week day out.