Walks you can reach from Elsenham by train
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Cambridge Circular via Grantchester (Cambridgeshire)
30 minutes direct from Elsenham.
Beginner-friendly: A straightforward walk along the River Cam with many lunch options in Granchester. Within Cambridge itself, feel free to wander about randomly rather than following the route — there’s plenty to appreciate.
Time: 3h30–6h30
4 lunch spots: Grantchester (1h30–3h in) — the Orchard Tea Garden, Grantchester, the Red Lion, the Rupert Brooke, or the Blue Ball Inn
1 end-of-walk reward: the Panton Arms
Warnings: A quarter urban.
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Bishop's Stortford to Harlow Town (Hertfordshire)
9 minutes direct from Elsenham.
Recommended
Waterway: four fifths along the River Stort Navigation.
Time: 4h–7h30
2 lunch spots: the Three Tuns, or Full of Beans Cafe (2h–4h in)
1 end-of-walk reward: the Moorhen
Adapted from: The Rough Guide to Walks in London & the South East (3rd edition).
Reverse direction: the Saturday Walkers Club and Slow Ways (inc. GPX).
Shelford to Cambridge (Cambridgeshire)
30 minutes direct from Elsenham.
Flat walk through traditional villages and along the River Cam, finishing through Grantchester Meadows into Cambridge city centre.
Great Shelford: Traditional village with thatched cottages and a striking parish church.
Little Shelford: Village with period architecture.
Hauxton Mill: Historic watermill on the River Cam.
Trumpington Meadows: Open meadow nature reserve on the edge of Cambridge.
Byron's Pool: Wild-swimming spot on the Cam named after the poet Lord Byron.
The Old Vicarage (Rupert Brooke's House): Former home of poet Rupert Brooke, with sculptures in the grounds.
Grantchester Meadows: Open riverside meadows along the Cam between Cambridge and Grantchester.
King's College: World-famous University of Cambridge college with its renowned chapel.
The Orchard Tea Garden
Time: 3h30–7h30
2 lunch spots: the Red Lion, or the Orchard Tea Garden
Warnings: Busy A10 road crossing; shared cyclist path before the M11 bridge.
Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).
Similar walk: the Saturday Walkers Club.
Cambridge to Cambridge North (Cambridgeshire)
30 minutes direct from Elsenham.
A short city and riverside walk linking Cambridge's two stations, taking in some of the best-known views of the ancient colleges, punting on the upper river, and riverside paths across the commons where college and town crews race their traditional 'bumps'.
Time: 3h
Warnings: Shared with cyclists along most of the route, so watch out for bikes.
Walk details: Mid Anglia Rail Passengers Association (PDF).
Audley End Circular via the Cottage (pargeted house, Wendens Ambo) (Essex)
8 minutes direct from Elsenham.
Gently rolling chalky uplands, farmland, woods and copses, green lanes, field boundaries and pretty villages with thatched cottages and pargeted houses.
Time: 5h30
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Harlow Town Circular via Hunsdon (Essex)
15 minutes direct from Elsenham.
Flat, easy farmland, open fields, riverside and quiet villages.
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Broxbourne Circular via Waltham Abbey (Hertfordshire)
30 minutes direct from Elsenham.
Flat river floodplain, towpaths, water meadows, lakeside paths, woodland strips, farmland fields and open parkland.
Time: 4h
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Cheshunt Circular via Royal Gunpowder Mills (Hertfordshire)
30 minutes direct from Elsenham.
Flat river floodplain, gravel-pit lakes, water meadows, country park sculptures, farmland and a market town.
Time: 3h30
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Bishop's Stortford to Newport (Hertfordshire)
9 minutes direct from Elsenham.
Historic churches and fields of Essex, along the River Stort past Waytemore Castle and Hassobury Mansion.
Waytemore Castle: The earthwork remains of an 11th-century motte-and-bailey castle beside the River Stort.
Hassobury Mansion: An imposing Victorian country mansion glimpsed from the route near Manuden.
Time: 4h30–9h30
Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).
Great Chesterford to Shelford (Cambridgeshire)
15 minutes direct from Elsenham.
Villages, mills and river crossings along the River Cam, past Hinxton Water Mill and a ford into Duxford.
Hinxton Mill: A 17th-century working watermill on the River Cam.
Time: 4h
Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).
Great Chesterford to Newport (Cambridgeshire)
15 minutes direct from Elsenham.
Rolling Essex farmland, grassy field edges, small woods, river valleys, historic market town, parkland and pylons over crop fields.
Time: 4h
Warnings: Can be muddy.
Walk details: the Saturday Walkers Club (tips, local insights and turn-by-turn directions).
Reverse direction: Walking Post (inc. GPX).
Ware to Bishop's Stortford (Hertfordshire)
9 minutes direct from Elsenham.
A pleasant and interesting walk on undemanding local footways, with nothing too challenging underfoot, though gates can be limiting for some and wet periods may cause flooding and especially along the Ash Valley section.
Woodland: a quarter under tree cover.
Time: 5h30–11h
Warnings: Gates may limit access for some. Wet periods can result in flooding, especially along the Ash Valley section.
Walk details: Walking Post (tips, photos and local insights).