Walk In Depth: Harcamlow Way
With its delightful rolling countryside and ancient villages, Deborah King wonders why Essex is so often passed over by walkers. Here, she explores the epic Harcamlow Way which is, sadly, on the frontline of expansion plans for Stansted Airport. Enjoy it while you still can
Essex can be overlooked by walkers. It’s often unfairly thought of as just an extended suburb of London that’s as flat as the bordering counties of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. But beyond the capital’s green belt in the south, the majority of Essex is delightful rolling countryside of low hills and wooded valleys, with ancient villages and charming hamlets waiting to be discovered. It’s also home to a huge web of scenic footpaths, one of the longest being the Harcamlow Way. This huge, figure-of-eight footpath from Harlow to Cambridge via Newport totals 226km/141 miles and was devised in 1980 by Fred Matthews and Harry Bitten to celebrate the 10th birthday of West Essex Ramblers. But the proposed expansion of Stansted airport means a second runway now threatens to change much of the southern part of this popular route, including dismantling listed buildings, diverting local footpaths, and tarmacking over a significant section of the Harcamlow Way itself. David Murray, the Rambers’ campaign coordinator, is concerned not only about the rights of way issues but also the broader impact on the natural environment and rural character of the area beyond the airport. “It’s an issue that’s going to affect all people, not just walkers – that’s why the Ramblers is keen to be actively involved,” he says. “The Harcamlow Way is an important part of local communities’ green spaces, and losing it to airport development will make any remaining outdoor walking opportunities a lot less attractive.”
Much of the Harcamlow Way cuts across arable land, following green lanes, ancient trackways and even a Roman road, so I was keen to see if the walk would live up to expectations. I carried a rare copy of Bitten and Matthews’ original route guide. But, given its age, I found it best to use as a reference, following the Ordnance Survey Explorer maps instead, where the Way is surprisingly easy to follow despite the lack of waymarks on the ground. Beginning in Harlow, I followed the attractive River Stort towpath before heading north towards the Ash and Rib valleys, which offered some delightful riverside and woodland walking with fine views over east Hertfordshire. There are several pretty villages along the way, including Manuden with its attractive row of traditionally built timbered and thatched cottages. Lone weekend walkers and a pack of cyclists passed me as I crossed a small bridge by the church and ascended a bridleway to a bird’s eye view of the entire village. In the distance, I could see the white hulls of planes taking off from Stansted, but here was all stillness and calm. Next is a series of green lanes past more woodland, arriving in the medieval town of Newport, followed by a stretch of scenic parkland that took me to the thatched cottages and pond of Debden. From here, the route returns either southeast to Harlow, or joins the northern loop to Saffron Walden. Either way, you are in for a treat.
Read Deborah King’s full account of this walk in the Spring issue of walk magazine, on newsstands now.
A route from the Harcamlow Way is featured within the Walks section of this website. Click here to see the route and download a route card.
- This entry was posted on: Thursday, February 19th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
- Filed under: Features, UK Walking, Walk Spring 2009
- Tags: footpaths, UK Walking
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