(S) Start with your back to the entrance to Epping Station. Turn right and after 50 yards turn right again to climb and cross a footbridge over the railway. The footbridge leads to a residential road (Hillcrest Way). Follow Hillcrest Way to a T-junction with Bower Hill.
Turn right and go downhill for just 35 yards to a sign for Bower Court on the opposite side. Cross over onto an enclosed footpath, signed "Essex Way". For a short distance the path is enclosed, but soon comes out into and across an open field. Follow the path as it goes through a gap in the hedgerow into another field and turns left. Continue gently downhill along the edge of the field and eventually to a road (Stewards Green Road).
(1) Turn left along the road for just a few yards and past two red brick houses. Then turn left between houses and onto a lane which soon turns into a wide enclosed track. After 0.6 miles the track leads to the tiny village of Coopersale Street. At the junction turn right along Stonards Hill, signed Fiddlers Hamlet and Toot Hill and past the Theydon Oak Pub.
(2) 180 yards after the Theydon Oak Pub, and immediately before the road turns right, turn left onto a footpath, by a wooden fence and just before a drive, signed Essex Way (at 1.4 miles). Follow this path for 90 yards, eventually to and through a gap into a large field. Veer left and follow the path along the left hand side of the field and for 300 yards into an even larger field.
(3) On entering the second field, bear left cutting off the corner of the field. On reaching the field edge, turn right to follow the path along the left hand side of the field. Follow the path straight on through a wide gap and into a third large field. Stay straight on keeping along the left hand side of the field and at the far corner and enter a wood. Go through the gap in the fence, then over the footbridge and turn left, by way-marker. Continue straight on with ditch on left hand side and woods on right hand side (at 2 miles). Then over two footbridges and bear left up steps and along track.
At way-marker, next to the noticeboard and with a kissing gate to the left, turn sharp right to follow the track. The track leads past a school to your left hand side and then to a kissing gate. Go through the kissing gate and stay right along the wooden fence at the south edge of a cricket ground. At the end of the fence turn right down some steps and into the woods, then go straight on past a path to the right. At fork bear right, then eventually over a boardwalk and to a junction of paths.
(4) At the junction turn right and follow a wide bridleway to a footbridge over the M11 motorway. Cross the bridge and continue straight on, along a wide track with fields to the left and woods to the right. After 275 yards, and as the main track turns right, continue straight on along a bridleway with fields still to the left. Within a short distance this leads into a wood (Birching Coppice) and continues straight through for 0.8 miles - do not be tempted to turn away from this onto any other path.
(5) On leaving the wood (at 3.7 miles), the bridleway continues straight on through open fields, parts of which can be very muddy at times. Part of the route through here has been artificially elevated to keep it above the mud. The bridleway stays straight on for 0.65 miles to reach the edge of a small wood, to your right hand side. Continue for 80 yards, then turn right thru a gap in the tress, signed Essex Way (DO NOT miss this or continue uphill towards the water tower). Thru' trees, veer left to cross to the gap in the hedgerow. Then stay along left hand side of the field for 300 yards.
(6) At the field corner, cross a stile and follow the path across the paddock to reach the road after 200 yards. Turn left along the road (School Road), staying on the left hand side. After 70 yards go straight on past The Green Man pub. After another 160 yards stay straight on past Mill Lane to your left hand side.
(7) Continue along the road (now Toot Hill Road) staying on the left hand side as there is a grass verge. After 220 yards, and as the road turns sharp left (at 5 miles), turn right, past an entrance to a farm and onto a path, signed Public Footpath and finger-posted Essex Way. Across grass keeping the cottages/farm to your right hand side and through a gap into a field and turn right along right hand side of field for just 35 yards. Turn right to cross a footbridge, then immediately turn left and go east along left hand side of field. Go straight on for 160 yards with a wire fence to your right hand side and hedgerow to your left hand side. Cross over a footbridge, then a stile and follow the path straight on along the left hand edge of another field. After 150 yards cross over stile then footbridge and stay straight on along left hand side of fields for 750 yards (keep hedge on your left hand side at all times).
(8) Past farm to your right-hand side (Widows Farm). At fence corner stay on along path for 40 yards to way-marker. Turn left through wooden kissing-gate and go straight on along the left hand side of four paddocks and metal curtain gates (lift clasp and close) there can be animals in fields - now going north. After exiting the 4th paddock bear left downhill and after 40 yards turn left through a wooden kissing gate.Once through turn right along the right hand side of a field for 170 yards to reach Greensted Road.
(9) Bear slightly left and cross road to fingerpost and cross footbridge past "Keep dogs on a lead" sign (DO NOT enter Greensted Wood Farm). Follow the path straight on along the left-hand edge of three fields, and after 1,000 yards, at the far side of the third field, cross over a small footbridge onto a part concrete lane.
Turn right along the lane for 100 yards to a converted barn. Stay straight on through a gate and past the tasteful front doors of the cottages built in the old barn. DO NOT be tempted to go straight use the farm track as it is private property. The public right of way is through the forecourt in front of the cottages.
(10) Once past the barn go straight on along the lane past a large house and then an old wooden church. Immediately after the church turn left onto a drive - public footpath signed Ongar and with signed Essex Way disc (at 6.8 miles). Go straight on for 45 yards and through a wooden gate in metal railings and through gap into a field. Follow path for 170 yards to north eastern corner. Go through gap and into a second field.
(11) Veer half left (barbed wire fence to RHS) and follow left hand side of field for 200 yards. Exit field via kissing-gate and cross straight over lane to cross a footbridge into a large field. Follow the obvious track straight on, gradually downhill and directly east. After half a mile go straight on over a concrete bridge over a stream and onto a lane (Bansons Lane) follow it straight past Sainsbury's and up to a T-junction with Chipping Ongar High Street. Turn right along the pavement for only a couple of yards, to the zebra crossing, in front of Budworth Hall, where we finish the stage.(E)
