There is an interactive map of all the rights of way in Wimbish - click here to view it

Wimbish is extremely fortunate in having an extensive network of footpaths, bridleways and byways that have been left as traditional green lanes (although, sadly, Essex County Council has now hard-surfaced most of them).

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 Autumn 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).

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.browne.wpc@gmail.com

The following table lists the byways, bridleways and footpaths in Wimbish and gives their official numbers from the Essex County Council’s Definitive Map of Rights of Way. If you wish to explore the Wimbish countryside see our footpath page or join the “Wimbish Walkers” group.

You can see details of all these paths on an interactive map: click here

Row number From To Green lane Headland Cross field Length (m)
Byways (unmade)
2 Thunderley Cottages The Roos x   1785  
17 Cole End - byway 29 Wimbish border x   1150  
29 Cole End farm Byway 17 x   385  
66 Pepple Lane Barnards farm x   899  
98 Lower Green Upper Green x   597  
100 Lowerhouse Farm Ellis Green Common x   942  

Total byways 5757

Bridleways
24 bridleway 30 Maple Lane x     1157
30 Cole End Mill Rd Cottages x x   2570
50 Parsonage Farm Rd Bridleway 30 x x   545
20-S Byway 17 Wimbish border x x   1064

Total bridleways 5337

Footpaths
4 Newhouse Fm Cole End Lane   x x 830
5 Cole End Lane Walden Rd   x   440
7 Cole End Lane fp8 &fp10   952
8 parish bdy fp7 & fp10   595
10 Cole End fp 5 & fp8   596
12 Cole End Farm Sewards End   x x 1176
13 fp12 Sewards End   x x 213
16 Sewards End Frogs Green Cottage   x x 1115
20 Church Frogs Green Farm   x x 1454
21 Byways 17/29 Wimbish Hall Lake bridleway 24 x x   1757
22 Church fp26   x x 382
23 Church Lane fp26   x   314
26 Parish bdy Reedings Grove       1734
27 Maple Lane fp34   x   699
28 Maple Lane fp34   x   472
32 School fp34   x x 983
33 fp32 fp27     x 349
34 Old Mushroom Farm fp28   x   1475
35 Little Stonards fp32   x   738
36 Maypole Lane Lower Green Common   x x 867
37 Top Rd Upper Green - fp 69   x   577
40 Newhouse Farm Adcocks Lane   x x 1742
41 Cole End fp40       1121
43 fp40 Walden Rd   x x 1583
44 Newhouse Farm fp43     x 821
45 fp43 bd30 via Parsonage Farm   x x 1220
48 Parsonage Farm Rd Parsonage Farm metalled     674
49 fp 48/ bridleway 50 bridleway 50       394
51 fp48 bridleway 50       50
53 Howlett End Mill Rd       280
54 Howlett End Mill Rd       438
55 Howlett End fp54       326
56 Howlett End fp55       1216
57 Mill Cottages fp56       482
59 Howlett End fp78       1070
60 fp56 fp59       190
61 Thaxted Rd fp59       304
62 Thaxted Rd fp59       180
63 Thaxterd Rd fp56 x x x 769
64 Howlett End River Chelmer beyond Broadoaks Manor   x x 2234
65 Broadoaks Farm east to parish boundary   x   246
67 Bow Croft Wood Ellis Green Lane   x x 2599
68 fp67 (Roman rd) fp103   x   506
69 Lower Green fp67       273
70 Byway 100 Byway 98       442
71 Lowerhouse Farm fp77       274
73 Garrett Farm fp56       217
75 Elms Farm Lane fp78       791
76 Ellis Green Elms farm       214
77 Ellis Green Lower House Farm       487
78 fp75 fp63       656
80 Pepples Lane Rowney Wood x     1220
81 Pepples Lane fp80       232
82 Pepples Lane fp81       155
83 fp80 fp89       487
84 Burnt House fp89       260
88 Freeman's Farm Rowney Wood   x x 437
89 Rowney Corner Rowney Wood       732
90 Thaxted Rd Highams Farm metalled     920
91 Broadoaks Farm Pepples Lane   x   559
92 Howlett End Pepples Lane       554
95 Elder St Walden Rd       400
96 The Roos Herberts Farm   x   529
97 fp64 parish boundary       316
99 Wimbish Hall Farm Maple Lane   x   357
103 Ellis Green Common fp 68 x   325  
104 fp20 fp21       127
Total footpaths: 47125

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Wimbish in 1937

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