Top 10 Chelmsford Walks
Photo © Paul Franks (cc-by-sa/2.0)
Do you love walking? There are some wonderful walks near Chelmsford ready to be discovered. Slip on your walking boots and explore some of our top places to walk in and around Chelmsford.
1. Pleshey
1.75 miles and 5.25 miles
Fancy a nice Essex pub walk? This is a lovely short family-friendly pub walk around the pretty village of Pleshey. One half of the walk is a stroll through the village itself with it's pub, pond and the remains of it's famous motte and bailey castle. The other half is a simple loop through open farmland for fresh air and leg stretching before enjoying the refreshments at the pub. Please note, the village hall has said it's fine to park there, but sometimes the gates are locked or they have a private function - in this case, you can park roadside in the village.
The second route is a longer extension of the village walk which still enjoys the village and it's motte and bailey castle, but this version extends the Essex countryside element of the walk. The extra distance takes you much further along the Essex way towards Great Waltham and you can expect much more fresh air and exercise on this longer route.
2. Mill Green
1.75 miles and 4.25 miles
We have two Essex walking routes from Mill Green. The first is a nice and short circular stroll around the ancient woodlands of Millgreen Common and Stonymore Woods. There is also an optional 300m detour that takes you to a lovely pub if you want to make this a Pub Walk day out.
Thi alternative longer walk starts from the Mill Green common car park and takes you on an woodland wander through a number of different ancient woods, each full of different tree species and a vast array of wildlife. As with the first route, there is an optional detour that takes you to a lovely pub if you want to make this a Pub Walk day out. There are also some mild ascents on this walk that will help you to build up a healthy appetite.
3. Great Waltham
1 mile and 6 miles
We have two walks in Essex from Great Waltham. The first is a lovely short family-friendly stroll in and around the pretty village of Great Waltham. If you head anticlockwise around the walk, you will first walk through the village on roadside paths for a while, and then you'll venture into the lovely Chatham Hall deer park. After the pleasant loop of walking around the park, you'll return to Great Waltham where you'll find a nice village pub near the end of the route.
The second route is a much longer adventure through the Essex countryside that you'll find to the west of Great Waltham. You will still explore the lovely deer park as in the first short walk, but then you will also venture out on the Essex Way path and enjoy lots of open countryside.
4. Roxwell
3.75 miles
This is a simple circular Essex countryside walk starts from the village of Roxwell. The loop is mainly made up of farmland and open countryside and it's off the beaten track, so it's a nice walk for fresh air, peace and quiet and a perfect walk to build up an appetite before visiting the village pub if you so desire. The walk includes a long gentle ascent as you walk up towards Skreens park.
5. Woodham Walter
1.25 miles
This route is a nice and simple wander around the open farmland and woodland around the Essex village of Woodham Walter. There is also a lovely pub in the village to enjoy after your walk.
Download the ‘Walks in Essex’ app
Let our app guide you around these walks. It’s so easy to use and shows your position on the route map as you walk.
6. Thrift Wood
1.75 miles
This is a easy stroll around Thrift Wood which is made up of 48 acres of ancient woodland managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust. There is a small amount of roadside walking to get to and from the woods.
7. Danbury Common
1.25 miles
A lovely short walk for the whole family to enjoy. This route includes open heath-land, wooded glades and wonderful wildlife. Get outside, get fresh air in your lungs and get exploring Essex!
8. Blakes Wood
0.75 miles
This is a short and easy woodland walk in Essex around Blakes Wood. Blakes Wood is made up of 100 acres of Essex woodland which has a variety of different tree species including oak, ash and birch. The woods are packed full of wildlife for you to enjoy and you should listen out for the woodpeckers on this walk as well as enjoying the Bluebells in the spring.
9. Galleywood Common
1 mile
This is a nice short family-friendly pub walk in this unique and tranquil Essex common. The common's diverse habitats include heathland, woodland, scrub, grassland, ponds and mir. You will also walk along part of an old racecourse, visit the pretty church and of course visit the lovely pub for some refreshments.
10. Little Waltham
1.5 miles
This is a lovely short family-friendly stroll in the pretty Essex countryside you'll find to the south of the Little Waltham village. You can expect some lovely riverside walking alongside the River Chelmer on this route.
You can see a full list of walks we have on the Walks in Essex app here.
