Who says Essex is flat? This winter walk is short, but climbs and descends to provide some lovely scenery and distant views of the surrounding countryside
Walk back to the main road, the B1508, and turn left along the walkway, past houses and the village hall. Opposite the grey barn at Wood Hall, turn left along the footpath running between fences and later hedges. Continue straight on alongside a crop field onto a good grass path close to the telegraph poles. Bear left at the wooden kissing gate into a woody area, then left along an access lane to the road opposite the Wormingford parish church of St Andrew.
Turn right along the lane but very soon after, take the next footpath on the right (The Old Vicarage) along a stony path. Go through a white gate by the house and bear left at the way marker post, through a metal gate and past trees down to the cottage (Little Ashfield). Turn left along the drive to the lane where you turn right, going downhill. At the fork, go left.
Just before the bridge, turn left through the gate next to the cattle grid. Go past the cottage to the next kissing gate. Cross a meadow and bear left through a metal gate by the stile and then climb fairly steeply up through the middle of the field on a wide grass track. At the top, by the fencing, go through the metal kissing gate. Keep left along the field boundary (there is no distinct path in the meadow) with a barbed wire fence on the left. In the corner, hidden behind gorse bushes, is a wooden gate and a seat on the other side, where you can rest and enjoy the views.
Go straight across the grass field, very gently uphill but there is no distinct path. Halfway across you should be able to see a metal gate ahead in the distance between some trees which you aim for. After the gate, follow the footpath arrow straight on along a narrow path through long grass. Then go straight ahead across a field to a finger post by the road. Veer left alongside the hedge to the next footpath soon after, which swings left away from the road on a wide grass path, past a large oak tree. Go all the way to the end, taking you to Church Road. Turn right to return back to where you parked your vehicle.
