Wednesday 20 May 2020

Local walk 4 Start and finish at Wickham Hall

Click on map to enlarge and maybe print.


A good wander this one with the opportunity of finding plenty of nature. For those with mobility scooters the first part is perfectly acceptable along concrete roads and then just a case of how far you can go before the ground becomes too uneven.

Map: For this one I advise OS Explorer Sheet 195, Braintree and Saffron Walden.

Parking: Wickham Hall. This is accessed by following the signs through Stortford Fields new estate. Please note there are paths around the hall that are private and are marked as such.

Leave the car park and walk towards the 3 large drying barns. Check around here for finches (chaffinch, goldfinch as well as yellowhammers in the adjacent hedgerow) Turn right at the barns and follow the track until you come to a junction. Wickham Hall is on you right as you walk along here. At the junction turn right and wander along by a newly planted vineyard with a new building on the corner. Here, turn left and you will, after a few hundred yards come to a house where the path veers right . Here it is grassy, wide and fairly even. The path from here to Walnut tree cottages is full of interesting trees and wild flowers. Take time to look to the right where you may get a glimpse of the lake. This has no access but with binoculars you maybe able to spot several wild fowl species as well as Canada geese and even a mute swan.

At Walnut tree cottages there is a footpath on your right which passes Calfsfield Spring and soon arrives at another concrete track. This is used by occasional traffic accessing the businesses and the farm so do take care. Check the ivy here for a wide variety of insects, particularly Eurpoean hornet and several bee species.  Wild flowers can be abundant along here.
Once on the concrete track turn right back towards Wickham Hall. The track winds a little before eventually coming to a junction, left towards the A120 bypass and right towards a phone mast and the hall. Turn right and you will end up back at the path by the house and vineyard.

A pleasant and a non taxing walk. Do let me know how you get on, especially if on a mobility scooter. I cannot guarantee the path from Walnut tree cottages to Calfsfield Spring will be accessible but the rest should be fine.
green alkanet

Certain sites around the town are, I suspect well known but if anyone needs a guide to:
Birchanger Woods
River Stort Grange Paddocks
Southern Country Park
Thorley Wash Reserve
Tow path of Stort Navigation.
then do let me know and I can suggest a route with parking facilities etc. It maybe you are new to the area or have only recently decided to wander a little further.
For example, did you know there was a car park at the end of Cannons Mill Lane entering from Rye Street? This can be found after the last building on the right along Rye Street if you were heading out of town. Drive to the end where there is a pedestrian level crossing. The other side of Cannons Mill Lane brings you out on to Stansted Road near the Shell petrol station and an easy wander to Birchanger Woods.
 From the car park you can walk towards Bat Willow Hurst Country park by the Mountbatten Curry house or follow the river to the swimming pool. No charge for parking here and, as far as I recall, no height restriction. Also, a few picnic benches scattered around.

As always, corrections and comments most welcome when you do any of the walks and always happy to see photos.
Red campion

Forget-me-Not

Germander speedwell




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This is me

This is me
At the end of another Norfolk Coastal footpath walk. 47 miles, 3 days 99 species of bird. September 2009

Caley Wood view

Caley Wood view
sunshine through the canopy 29.05.08

A walk along the Warta Valley, Poznan, Poland. Feb 2007

A walk along the Warta Valley, Poznan, Poland. Feb 2007
Best birds on this walk: black and middle spotted woodpecker and short toed treecreeper

About Me

My photo
A primary school teacher for 30 years, I retired from teaching in July 2009 to set up my own science enhancement and communication company. The Primary Works offers science clubs, workshops and staged science shows nationwide. I have always been interested in bird watching since my early years. Apparently my first tick was after inquiring about a chaffinch and then receiving the Observer book of birds. By the age of 9 I had moved on to Tory Peterson's collins guide and was now involved on YOC birding holidays to Northumbria, Essex coast, Slimbridge and Yorkshire. My twitching rule is that I will willingly travel 1km for each gram the bird weighs. However, I have had many rarities just by being in the right place. I have travelled widely throughout Europe and also visited Australia and Sri Lanka. In 2016 I spent time at Portland Bird Obs and two trips to Aviero, Portugal. 2017 found me back in Sri Lanka in Feb/March, then July and back for New Year's Eve celebrations in December. Also returned to The Camargue in May for a 4 day trip. Few plans for 2018, but nothing yet booked apart from a trip to the IOW.

Grey heron

Grey heron
Over the allotment 28.09.08

Southern Hawker

Southern Hawker
Ridge footpath 27.08.08

Juvenile green woodpecker (17.08.08)

Juvenile green woodpecker (17.08.08)
Note the stripes, denoting a bird fledged this year.

common blue

common blue
Ash Valley G.C. 15.08.08

Indian balsam (impatiens glandulifera)

Indian balsam (impatiens glandulifera)
River Ash

azure damselfly

azure damselfly
River Ash 28.07.08

marbled white

marbled white
Discovered at Westland Green 22.07.08

ruddy darter

ruddy darter
Bush Wood 21.07.08

honeysuckle 19.07.08

honeysuckle 19.07.08
growing in hedgerow in Chapel Lane

cinnabar moth caterpillar

cinnabar moth caterpillar
Photographed on ragwort 19.07.08

Bittersweet

Bittersweet
Study of petals 11.06.08

male yellowhammer

male yellowhammer
08.06.08

common blue butterfly

common blue butterfly
06.06.08

River Ash

River Ash
looking south from the bridge at Hadham Ford

Common poppy (papaver rhoeas)

Common poppy (papaver rhoeas)
in rape field 29.05.08

Caley Wood sunshine

Caley Wood sunshine
29.05.08

Millenium Wood fox

Millenium Wood fox
24.05.08

common comfrey (symphytum officinale)

common comfrey (symphytum officinale)
06.05.08 banks of the River Ash

Garlic Mustard or Jack by the Hedge,(Alliara petiolata)

Garlic Mustard or Jack by the Hedge,(Alliara petiolata)
flowers, leaves and fruit edible . Good in salad and pesto

April showers

April showers
Double rainbow 30.04.08

Caley Wood bluebells

Caley Wood bluebells
22.04.08

Yellow Archangel

Yellow Archangel
Chapel Lane (20.04.08)

sunlight 16.04.08

sunlight 16.04.08
looking south west from Bush Wood

snowy buds

snowy buds
06.04.08 in Bush Wood

Looking north west

Looking north west
05.04.08 evening shower approaching

Back Garden

Back Garden
Easter Sunday (23.03.08)

Brick Kiln Hill

Brick Kiln Hill
Looking east (23.03.08)

No play today

No play today
The 2nd hole at Ash Valley golf course

Teasel head

Teasel head
Bush Wood (21.03.08)

Reflections

Reflections
daffodils at Bush Wood pond (21.03.08)

Swollen River Ash

Swollen River Ash
The river at the bottom of Winding Hill 16.03.08

Daybreak over the chapel

Daybreak over the chapel
Thursday 13th March

Wild daffodils (narcissus pseudonarcissus)

Wild daffodils (narcissus pseudonarcissus)
growing in Bush Wood

January snowdrops

January snowdrops
Banks of River Ash, north of Much Hadham

Good Moon

Good Moon
From garden 24.01.08

Village Green

Village Green
Looking east towards Acremore Street

Looking south before Hadham Ford

Looking south before Hadham Ford
rare January blue sky

Useful sites

The following are some useful websites that may interest readers of this blog.
Firstly, Bishop's Stortford Natural History Society http://bsnhs.webplus.net/

Fellow birder, Gary Whelan's blog. Gives reports from our trips out together plus reports from his trips abroad. http://hairybirders.blogspot.co.uk
http://www.hertsbirdclub.org.uk/ The official herts bird club website. Frequently updated, listing bird sightings around the county. Offers links to many other websites. Both of these sites also offer links to yahoo discussion groups.
http://www.birdforum.net/ An international site. You can enter as a guest but become a member( free) to post comments, bird sightings and just about anything to do with wild birds. Good news updates, classified section for binoculars, cameras etc.
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com/ A new site set up where you can contact people worldwide who will help you find good birds in their country. UK section being set up presently.
http://www.britainsbirder.co.uk/
Fellow birders blog. Strtford resident, Graeme Smith regulary birds the area south of Stortford as well as around Spellbrook and the River Stort from Spellbrook to Twyford Locks. Some superb bird photography: Graeme uses a digital camera attached to his powerful telescope to get detailled images of the birds he sees. Well worth a browse.
Two local sites that may be of interest can be found at
http://www.thehadhams.com/ www.thepelhams.net/content/section/12/139/

South Easterly walk

South Easterly walk
black, normal, red extended walk

South Westerly route.

South Westerly route.
Black usual, red extended

North Easterly walk

North Easterly walk
black short, walk. Red, extended

North West Patch

North West Patch
black route regular. Red route the extended wander