Blakes Wood & Paper Mill Loop

Start your hike at Blake’s Wood parking lot. This hike features walks through woodland, parkland, down the Graces walk towards Chelmsford, through Waterhall Meadows Nature Reserve and an impressive Ford. The trail then heads across arable land, and horse paddocks to the gorgeous and ancient Little Baddow Hall. Cross the lane to St. Mary the Virgin Church to enjoy a rest and the views across to a section of the River Chelmer. After a break at St. Mary Church, head down the river towards Paper Mill where you can enjoy a delicious snack and another rest break before heading back up and across more arable fields that take in lovely 360’ vistas of the entire area. The trail then leads back to Blake’s Wood where you can enjoy this ancient forest. This is a beautiful hike that we do about once per month. It’s quite hilly and during the wet season it can be very muddy in sections. Good hiking shoes are essential and we also benefit from using a hiking stick as the mud can be super slippery! Take advantage of benches in Blake’s Wood, at the Church in Little Baddow, and at Paper Mill to rest and enjoy the many varied and beautiful views. Without a doubt, one of our favourite hikes.