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Admiral McHardy Way

Monday 13th August 2018

 

Distance Time Elevation in meters

Km		 Elapsed
Hrs-Mins		 Moving
Hrs-Mins		 Gain Loss Min Max
16.59 3H51 3H15 145 145 14 111

   

   

 

The Admiral McHardy Way was created as a circular walk in 1990 to commemorate 150 years of policing in Essex, John McHardy being the first Chief Constable of Essex.

 

Admiral John McHardy, Chief Constable of Essex (1840–1881)
(Courtesy of Essex Police Museum)

Following directions given in www.essexwalks.com, I parked in Church Road, just north of the bridge over the Blackwater & Chelmsford Navigation. The walk starts off along the Chelmer towards Chelmsford, crosses Grace's Bridge and follows Grace's Walk. It heads up through Riffams Chase towards Little Baddow, before dropping back down to the canal on the Chelmsford side of Paper Mill Lock. The path is quite well marked, but there is plenty of opportunity to make a mistake and go off course!

 

The bridge over the Chelmer in Church Road

Storm clouds were rolling in as I turned off Church Road and on to the Chelmer tow path

Hello! Hello! Hello!
(Notice the addition of the blue arrow marking the way)

 

Little Baddow Lock

Stonham's Lock

The route follows the same path as the Chelmsford centenary Circle in places

Cuton Lock

Grace's Bridge

Sharing with the Saffron Trail at this point

Heading east towards Hammonds Road, through the crop of sweet corn

 

Approaching Hammonds Road

The path continues along Grace's Walk, the other side of Hammonds Road

 

 

 

 

 

Grace's Farm

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow the road to the left here, and after 20 yards turn right into the woods

On to Lingwood Common

 

 

This is the second bench you come to; the path goes off to the left here

 

The path comes out onto The Ridge, opposite Little Tufts. Turn left here for a couple of hundred yards

Turn right into Fir Tree Lane

 

Map data @2018 Google

 

After a short way down Fir Tree Lane, the path swings off to the left towards Pheasant House Farm and on to Spring Elm Lane via Postman's Lane; Turning left here, the path goes off to the right immediately opposite Mill Lane. Unfortunately I missed the turning left and ended up in Common Lane, just off Little Baddow Road. I had to walk along Spring Elms lane to get back on course.

 

Map data @2018 Google

Back on course; leaving Spring Elms Lane immediately opposite Mill Lane

 

The Old Rodney

 

Approaching Tofts; the path swings to the right to bypass Tofts.

 

 

The path eventually comes out on North Hill, where you turn right towards Paper Mill Lock

 

Turning left into Spring Close, then right at the end, the path drops down to the Chelmer
and Blackwater Canal just the Chelmsford side of Paper Mill Lock