Managed to stay on the train to Bures, so ended up doing the walk in reverse. Luckily I had the company of my sister. It worked quite well in reverse, feeling cooler walking by the river after lunch. Didn't manage to bump into anyone doing the walk the right way round!

Just 4 of us on the walk in the posted direction - a disappointing turnout given we were saying goodbye to one of our long term, mid-week SWC regulars, Pauline "Tartan Rug", who is about to leave London and move to Edinburgh. It transpired many of her walking friends were up in Scotland on the Braemar trip, so their absence was excused - almost. Never mind, I hope we gave Pauline something akin to a send-off, enjoying a libation or two with her at lunch in the Five Bells and again at walk-end in the Eight Bells. I'm sure my fellow SWC mid-week walkers join me in wishing Pauline all the best with her move to Edinburgh and her new life there.

As for today's walk, it was lovely. It was a sunny and warm to hot day , fortunately tempered by inland breezes during much of the walk. The countryside was green and lush, with many fields carpeted with splendid displays of buttercups. Paths were lined with an abundance of cow parsley. Your lambs were in the fields with their mums, sheltering in copses from the sun. And a cuckoo "serenaded" us in the afternoon as we headed for Prestons Lake. Later in the walk we were relieved to find the "nasty undulating footpath" had for once been cleared - thank you Essex CC Countryside Department.

On arriving in Bures we just missed the 16-39 train by seconds - if only I had not made a complete horlicks of crossing a stile a little earlier (I got stuck on top) we would have made it ! No matter, it gave us the excuse to head down the road to the Eight Bells, where Pauline demolished the remnants of the lunchtime Chilean Sauvignon plonk, and the rest of us partook of beers or Coca Cola.

Home in time to watch a British team lose on penalties to the Germans - plus ca change..........

Last Wednesday it was uncomfortably hot for walking - for some of us. Today it was more than 10 degrees C cooler, which was welcomed, although the day was overcast with threatening skies , with drizzly rain in the afternoon. The sun having worked overtime on Wednesday did not make an appearance all day.

Just 2 of us showed up for this outing on the Essex-Suffolk border. The countryside was very green - and damp - having received a months rain over the the previous twenty four hours. Some paths were muddy and others were very overgrown, making progress at times hard work. But it did not matter as the walk was familiar to us and much liked by both of us. Just beyond the Earls Colne golf course my companion opted to recce a new route to Sudbury, bypassing Bures, so I continued on my own to Colne Engaine, where I enjoyed an excellent lunch at the Five Bells - still one of the best pubs on a SWC walk. Well fed and watered I continued on, trying to book check now in drizzly rain, and latterly encountering some very overgrown paths. I passed up on tea on reaching Bures and I was in good time for the 17-33 hrs service to Marks Tey and the connection for the London train. I was home in good time for the footie, having enjoyed a good day's walking in lovely, remote countryside.

3 of us on the early train, 4 on the posted train, making 7 for today's outing, in warm sunny weather , perfect for Spring walking along the Colne Valley.

Whilst we maintained a steady pace all day, we left time to enjoy the lush, green countryside adorned in Spring flowers and omni-present cow parsley. We arrived at the Five Bells pub just before 1 pm where five of us dined at a table on the pub's front patio with umbrella shading. Our meals arrived promptly - and excellent, too. This pub wins my vote for a top five place of hostelries in the entire SWC portfolio - I have dined here on many an occasion, and never been disappointed.

Post prandial, we set out with our two sandwichers (both walking wounded, each nursing a broken wrist - they managed the walk very well) as we made our way to Bures, the weather clouding over a little, but still a pleasantly warm 21 degrees. On reaching the town, five walked down the road past the station to one of the local pubs for post walk refreshments before returning to Bures station to catch the 16-39 hrs service back to Marks Tey and London. Two of us decided against continuing the walk to Sudbury and instead opted for the leisurely option which involved taking the 16-13 hrs service from Bures to Sudbury where we walked along the disused railway line to the Mill Hotel, walking over the meadows now covered in buttercups: quite lovely. An excellent shared cream tea and cuppa at this hotel (note: whilst the Five Bells pub makes my top five lunch pubs, the Mill Hotel is No 1 for tea stops - no argument !). The 18-37 hrs train from Sudbury whisked the two of us back to London.

The best of mid-week days out - a lovely walk, fine weather, excellent company, good travel.

Being Thursday morning as I write this twaddle, I now head for my local polling station to vote in those damn silly Euro elections.............

Bures is now a request stop

Hi all, I am thrilled to join in on Wednesday. see you soon

Just to expand on my earlier comment, Bures is now a request stop. So getting on there you have to

Face the driver, raise your hand

You will find he will understand **.

("BIlly Brown of London Town", WW2)

Presumably to get off there you have to inform the train guard. If anyone is interested, there is more here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOGSZByaNVg

(** to which the standard graffiti response was

Yes he will understand, the cuss

But will he stop the bloody bus?)

Marvelous lunch pub

https://www.fivebells.net/food/

by the looks of it

An extract from the menu

Vegan? We have a range of dishes we are able to offer depending on what we have in our kitchen.

It is definitely gaining momentum

An inauspicious start for the 6 of us who arrived at Marks Tey railway station, expecting to connect with the Sudbury service to take us to today's walk start. Alas - an incident on the track, near Bures, resulted in the cancellation of our Sudbury train. The station staff were most apologetic and helpful in organising replacement taxis for travellers (most going to Sudbury) but as the cabs had to come from Colchester, we had a long wait for their arrival. No matter, ours eventually turned up, but our driver took such a bizarre route towards Chappel (in fairness to him, some local roads were closed) that we decided to bail out at Earls Colne,and start our walk from there, thus cutting out the opening six kms of the walk.

The weather was overcast mild and dry all day but with no sign of the sun. In a temperature very pleasant for our walk we headed for our lunch pub at Colne Engaine, through muddy fields and more slippery, slubberdub mud which made progress all day very hard going - and detracted a bit from ones enjoyment of the walk.

At the Five Bells pub we met up with a new SWC walker who had set out an hour earlier by herself from London and had managed the full morning's walk without mishap or becoming lost. So our muster for the day was 7.

After an excellent lunch for four of us (the Five Bells seldom disappoints) and drinks for the others, we set out into more muddy fields but with some lovely displays of wild daffodils, primroses and some early wild garlic. Add in the young lambs in the fields, we had lots to keep us cheerful as we made it slowly through the slubberdub.

Fortunately no afternoon walkers alighted from the train at Bures - as our enthusiasm to continue with the walk to Sudbury was by now diminished. Refreshments for some in Bures, then the seven of us enjoyed a prompt, uneventful and excellent train journey back to London: thank you Anglia.

Six of us only managed just over 10 kms today, but it seemed further than this and for once the distance was quite sufficient and satisfying for a walk outing, given the conditions - although somewhat different from the 31 km extravaganza some of us were expecting.

The company today was, as usual, very friendly with excellent banter along the route: our first timer was not totally put off, and might even give SWC walks another go.

I’ve just read Marcus’s walk report with a huge sigh of relief that I bailed out for a mud free amble down the river Lea with various parks en route and the Olympic village new housing and restaurants (mostly gone bankrupt) My panini in the Velodrome could not have competed with your gastronomic experiences.

I’m glad we all avoided a further deluge of rain in an easterly wind but these train cancellations are really infuriating and spoiling the enjoyment of walking groups trying to rendezvous. It would have taken me 5 trains yesterday 3 just to get to Liverpool st.

I met 36 walkers at Tottenham hale and conversed with the somewhat younger profile of teachers still on their Easter break who had not wanted to venture into the muddy countryside. Then a worthwhile conversation with the Chairman of South Bank ramblers with whom I was able to share my experiences as a member of Inner London Area committee of ramblers groups versus RA politics on affiliated groups. A surprising number of walking groups are in desperate need of new walks leaders so I am constantly recommending the SWC walk directions to new leaders. Very few ever use GPS liking compass bearings best so our written format really hits the spot.

will do the longer walk if the day is nice....

10 off the train at Wakes Colne, with nine setting out on the morning leg of the walk, and our Birthday girl taking a taxi to the lunch pub to enjoy a relaxed morning: she joined us on the afternoon leg of the walk.

sunny morning afternoon initially overcast then sunny again mild to warm all day . Fine walking conditions for this lovely walk. Plenty of Spring flowers and blackthorn blossom, and some new born lambs in the fields (discouraging us to order lamb shank or shepherd's pie for lunch). Said lunch stop at the Five Bells was as good as ever, with generous portions of well-cooked food, served with a friendly smile. Although one in our group returned her meal (over cooked) everyone else enjoyed their repast. The afternoon was initially overcast but the sun soon shone through again as we headed for "Bewers", arriving just after 4 pm, and in good time for the 16-39 hrs return train service to Marks Tey. The four chaps on the walk said their goodbyes to the ladies on the walk at Bures station, and set out on the Sudbury walk, still in lovely Spring sunshine. More plentiful displays of wild Spring flowers and blossom as we headed along the Stour Valley path. Visits to churches and stops to admire the scenery meant we arrived in Sudbury a little later than planned, so we (very reluctantly) by-passed tea at the Mill Hotel and headed direct to the toy-town railway station, to catch the 19-38 hrs service back to Marks Tey. A quick connection there, and we were back in London on the dot of 9 pm.

SWC days - and double headers - do not get much better than this.

Five of us off the train for this lovely Essex/Suffolk borders walk. We especially enjoyed the beautiful sight and scent of bluebells in the woods. We endured stinging hail stones indespersed with spells of warm sunshine and overall the weather was kind, if a bit chilly at times. Unusually we all had packed a sandwich so we ate together in St Andrews church yard before being made to feel very welcome in the Five Bells for hot drinks. Cracking on, we hardly passing another soul on this thoroughly enjoyable walk catching the 16.33 from Bures to be back in Stratford at 17.30. Well worth the trip.

5