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Wimbish is extremely fortunate in having an extensive
network of footpaths, bridleways and byways that have
been left as traditional green lanes.
More than anyone?\
Wimbish
may have a greater length of off-road public rights
of way than any other Essex parish: certainly we have
more headland footpaths (for which we receive ECC grant
money based on their length) than any other parish.
Headland footpaths are those that run beside the hedge
or ditch at the edge of a cultivated field. The other
types are "cross-field" paths
and green lanes. Most cross field paths used to be
headland paths before the hedges were rooted out
to enlarge the fields.
Green lanes
"Green lanes" are the most important of all our rights
of way (for wildlife conservation and landscape value
as well as their level of enjoyment by users).Green
lanes have a hedge on both sides and often quite wide
strips of grassland or woodland on each side. Legally,
green lanes can be just footpaths or bridleways (also
available for horse-riders and cyclists) or byways
available for all users. Wimbish has one of the best
collections of Green Lanes in Essex - these date back
to antiquity and are like all our roads were before
the coming of the motor car and tarmac. The late John
Hunter was a Thaxted resident and professional landscape
historian - he wrote the excellent book "The Essex
Landscape". His last publication gives a fascinating
insight into the landscape history of Wimbish and the
importance of these lanes (see the journal of the Saffron
Walden Historical Society Aurtumn 2005 & Spring
2006).
Walking our footpaths
All footpaths & bridleways
should (by law) have a sign showing where they branch
off from a metalled road - and almost all the Wimbish
ones do. Away from the roads, most footpaths have
clear way marks helping walkers to follow them. A
few Wimbish cross field paths have been rendered
invisible and impassable by farming use: this is
illegal and, happily, less of a problem in Wimbish
than in most country parishes.
Maps & further
information
All
our footpaths are marked on the Ordnance Survey Explorer
Sheet 195 (Braintree & Saffron
Walden).
SEE AN ON SCREEN Rights of Way
Map
View
a higher definition map, for printing (3.6Mb)
See a list of all the Wimbish
Rights of Way
VISIT
the Essex CC Public Rights of Way website
Take part in a survey of Wimbish paths
Wimbish
has a "Parish Paths Partnership" with
Essex County Council. If we know of any problems
with paths (broken stiles or bridges, being blocked
by locked gates or barbed wire, being ploughed up
and not restored within 14 days for example) the
Wimbish P3 Officer (Ted Browne) can organise help
from the Essex rights of way team. But first we need
to know about the problem. Please send any footpath
reports to: ted@wimbish.org.uk
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