Walks near Chelmsford by train
MapA day hike in the countryside is just a simple train journey away — explore the most charmingly located railway stations near Chelmsford and plan your next day of green.
Alternatively, view walks directly from Chelmsford.
Bures to Sudbury (Essex)
45 minutes from Chelmsford, with one change.
Gently rolling farmland, river meadows, woodland, open fields, historic market town and pastoral common lands.
1 lunch spot: the Bulmer Fox (2h45 in)
3 end-of-walk rewards: the Angel, the White Horse, or Ree's
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Adapted from: Time Out Country Walks Volume 1.
Similar walks: the Saturday Walkers Club and Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership.
Kelvedon Circular via Paycocke's House and Garden (Essex)
15 minutes direct from Chelmsford.
Gentle valley, river stretches, country lanes, green lanes, field boundaries, rolling Essex countryside, fields and woods.
Paycocke's House and Garden: A stunning Tudor merchant's house whose walls have more than a few stories to tell (National Trust; 1h30 in; 1h to visit).
Grange Barn: 13th-century monastic barn (National Trust; 30 mins to visit).
5 lunch spots: Coggeshall (1h30 in) — the Woolpack Inn, Bakealicious Tea Room, or the Chapel Inn; plus Lone Wolves Organics (1h30 in), or Paycocke's House and Garden tearoom (1h30 in)
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Source: Trains2Green.
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Manningtree Circular via Flatford (Essex)
30 minutes direct from Chelmsford.
Flatford: Discover the views that John Constable painted in the hamlet of Flatford, set within the Dedham Vale countryside (National Trust; 1h in; 1h to visit).
4 lunch spots: Flatford tearoom (1h in), Dedham Boathouse Restaurant (1h30 in), the Sun Inn (2h in), or the Garden Café (2h15 in)
Source: Trains2Green.
Westerfield to Woodbridge (Suffolk)
45 minutes from Chelmsford, with one change.
The Fynn Valley Walk through some of the most picturesque countryside in East Anglia, with the outstanding view from the National Trust's Kyson Hill near the riverside finish at Woodbridge.
Kyson Hill (National Trust; 3h30 to visit)
Lunch: Pubs along the route at Westerfield, Tuddenham, Martlesham and Woodbridge.
Warnings: At high tide the path along Martlesham Creek may flood at Kyson Point (an alternative via Broom Hill avoids this); beware traffic where the road passes under the railway arch.
Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).
Melton to Woodbridge (Suffolk)
1 hour from Chelmsford, with one change.
Lowland heathland, river marshes, estuary walls, reedbeds, poplar rows, quiet lanes, heathland golf course and compact riverside town.
Warnings: Café in ticketed area.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Reverse direction: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).
Wivenhoe Circular via Wivenhoe (Essex)
30 minutes direct from Chelmsford.
River estuary mudflats, sea wall paths, woodland, water meadows, saltmarshes, farmland and quaint riverside villages.
Wivenhoe
Warnings: Check ferry timetable.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Rayleigh Circular via Rayleigh Mount (Essex)
30 minutes from Chelmsford, with one change.
A heritage trail from the station around the historic town of Rayleigh, whose origins predate Saxon times — its name means 'a clearing of deer', it appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, and by 1222 its forests were royal hunting grounds. Takes in Rayleigh Mount and the parish church.
Rayleigh Mount: The site of a medieval castle, now a green oasis for wildlife (National Trust).
Walk details: Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership (local insights).
Rochford Circular via Rochford (Essex)
45 minutes from Chelmsford, with one change.
A circular across countryside and along part of the sea wall, returning along the banks of the River Roach to the attractive historic market town of Rochford.
Rochford
Lunch: Passes a convenient pub for refreshment.
Walk details: Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership (local insights).
Westerfield Circular via Witnesham (Suffolk)
45 minutes from Chelmsford, with one change.
The outer route through the gentle, well-timbered slopes of the River Fynn valley and picturesque Suffolk villages, with oak-lined hedgerows along the way, looping via Witnesham Thicks.
Lunch: Pubs in Westerfield, Witnesham and Tuddenham.
Walk details: East Suffolk Lines (PDF).
Cheshunt Circular via Royal Gunpowder Mills (Hertfordshire)
45 minutes from Chelmsford, with one change.
Flat river floodplain, gravel-pit lakes, water meadows, country park sculptures, farmland and a market town.
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Broxbourne Circular via Waltham Abbey (Hertfordshire)
1 hour from Chelmsford, with one change.
Flat river floodplain, towpaths, water meadows, lakeside paths, woodland strips, farmland fields and open parkland.
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Ealing Broadway Circular via Osterley Park (Middlesex)
1 hour from Chelmsford, with one change.
Urban green spaces, canal towpath, river Thames towpath, parks, gardens and suburban streets.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).