Saffron Trail
The Saffron Trail is a long-distance footpath through Essex, on a route 71 miles long. It leads from the pier in Southend-on-Sea to St Mary's church in Saffron Walden. It is waymarked, and shown on Ordnance Survey mapping.[1]
The path
The Saffron Trail was conceived by David Hitchman in 2000, as a south-east to north-west route to complement the two west-to-east long-distance paths: the Essex Way and St Peter's Way.[1] The name recalls the cultivation of crocuses in the Saffron Walden area from which the spice saffron is obtained, and which gives the town its name.[2]
- Trailheads
- Southend Pier, 51.53416667,0.714722222 {{{2}}}
- St Mary’s, Saffron Walden, 52.02444444,0.238611111 {{{2}}}
The trail starts at the pier in Southend-on-Sea in the south-east of the county, and heads north-west across urban and rural Essex.[3] It goes through fields and woodland, over commons, alongside rivers, through historic villages, and some built-up areas until its reaches its end in Saffron Walden, at the parish church, St Mary’s.
The trail is waymarked in both directions by a circular mauve marker with a purple crocus and the text "The Saffron Trail".[1]
The trail has several railway stations on the route or nearby, as well as some rural bus services.
Route
The Saffron Trail passes through the following locations:
Southend Pier (start), Leigh-on-Sea, Hadleigh, Eastwood, Hockley, Hullbridge, Battlesbridge, Rettendon, East Hanningfield, Danbury, Chelmsford, Broomfield, Great Waltham, Howe Street, Littley Green, Felsted, Little Dunmow, Great Dunmow, Little Easton, Great Easton, Tilty, Chickney, Henham, Widdington, Newport, Wendens Ambo, Audley End station, Saffron Walden (finish). The highest point of the walk is 397 feet near Widdington; the lowest point is at sea level at Southend pier.[1]
Adjoining paths
The Saffron Trail adjoins several long-distance paths:[1] Essex Way (an 81-mile east to west walk from Epping to Harwich) intersects at Great Waltham; St Peter's Way (a 41-mile east to west walk from Chipping Ongar to St Peter-on-the Wall at Bradwell-on-Sea) intersects at East Hanningfield; Harcamlow Way (a 141-mile figure-of-eight walk from Harlow in Essex to Cambridge and back) intersects at Saffron Walden; the Thames Estuary Path (a 29-mile west to east walk from Tilbury Town station to Leigh-on-Sea station) intersects at Leigh-on-Sea;[4] Roach Valley Way (a 23-mile circular walk around Rochford and the Crouch and Roach estuaries) intersects at Hockley.
Outside links
- Route description from "Visit Essex" in 7 sections:
References
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "The Long Distance Walkers Association, Saffron Trail". https://ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Saffron+Trail.
- ↑ "Visit Saffron Walden". https://www.visitsaffronwalden.gov.uk/the-saffron-crocus/.
- ↑ "Walking Englishman". https://www.walkingenglishman.com/ldp/saffrontrail.html.
- ↑ "Thames Estuary Path (Essex)". https://ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Thames+Estuary+Path+%28Essex%29.