Two Essex Walks: Arkesden and Sewardstone - Saturday 22nd March 2013
Two EFOG walks were undertaken in the latter part of winter and early spring. The first - on Saturday 2nd March - was led by Ian and consisted of a 5 mile-plus walk starting from the village of Arkesden in North-West Essex. It was a fairly bright and very still day, and for most of the walk the conditions underfoot were good. There were snowdrops on the roadside banks, winter aconites in gardens, and walking an easy path across a ploughed field the group were treated to the sight and song of a skylark which flew up ahead of us.
A muddy lane near SticklingHowever, between the estate of Wood Hall and the village of Stickling we made an extremely muddy and wet way along a narrow lane. The O.S. map doesn't show a stream here, but we certainly seemed to be walking in one for much of the way.
Arkesden is a pretty village with a variety of houses. Many of these are thatched and indeed there are two thatching companies based in this village alone. The stream of Wicken Water runs alongside the road, and the houses beyond the stream are all accessed by their own little road bridges. 
Returning to ArkesdenThe 'Axe and Compass' is a thatched pub, and the landlord had been warned of our arrival. Out figure of eight walk had taken us through Clavering, where we had a lunch stop in the church-yard, and on our return to Arkesden we had meals in the pub - and good they were, too.
Myself and two non-EFOG members - Jenny and Garry - afterwards had a look around the village. We took a look at a Royal Mail postbox opposite a real red telephone box across the stream from the main road and found that although it is a real telephone box, there is no 'phone. Instead there is a library of books from which one is able to borrow or indeed leave for others. From the green fronting the village church, which is on an almost hill-top position, the view down to the cross-roads is reminiscent of Finchingfield. I suggested that if the villagers were to restrict the stream to create a pond and establish a few tea-shoppes, then Finchingfield would have a run for its money, but as Arkesden must be one of the prettiest villages in Essex, it probably already does.
A week before, on Saturday 23rd February, Ken Kennedy had led us on a 5 mile walk starting and finishing at the car park on Chingford Plain. We walked via Yates Meadow and Gilwell Park towards Lippits Hill, and it was there that we encountered the worst mud-conditions that I have experienced in many years. The footpath between the police establishment and the golf course was deep and wet mud. Now admittedly I usually use walking-shoes rather than boots, but rarely do I get wet feet or muddy socks. In this instance I got both, and many if not all of us resorted to climbing through the wire fence to walk on the golf course. This isn't something I'd normally condone, but the footpath was just about impassable. We stopped at The Owl P.H. for a snack, although most of us didn't go inside because of our muddy feet. We were thus quite cold by the time we set off again, there being quite a frost still on the ground in some places.
Our walk took us then into Epping Forest, where we walked mostly along main rides back to Chingford Plain and the car park.
Climbing towards Yates Meadow
Avoiding the mud by trespassing on the golf-course!
Paul Ferris, 24th March 2013 (Above two pictures by Sue Ullesperger)