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Start: Free car park at Cattawade Country Park at the junction of the A137 and the B1070 at Cattawade. Grid ref. TM 100 330
(S/E) From the car park, the Stour Valley Path follows the lane to the car park then continues West along the B1070. The road passes through a hamlet of houses then turns right out into open countryside (TM 09440 33484).
(1) At this point, the path leads off to the left. Stick to the right side of the first hedge despite the path leading to the left side which can become very boggy. The path rejoins its initial course after the first field then leads across the meadows to Flatford Mill. The route is self evident by the trampled grass across the meadows. The path joins a track as that leads down to Willy Lotts House and Flatford Mill. Continue around the side of the mill.
(2) Turn left around Bridge Cottage and across the bridge (TM 07573 33328). Follow the river beyond Flatford and head towards a bridge back across the river (TM 06751 33609). This leads onto a path bordered by thick hedgerows. Take the path that leads off to the left and navigates across the meadows and up onto the road by the side of the river.
(3) Turn left, Dedham Mill is just over the bridge and on the right. Keep to the road up into the village. At the junction, the church and the Sun Inn are a short distance up the road on the right. The Marlborough Inn is on the left of the junction and the route continues straight ahead on a public right of way between the buildings and is marked as The Essex Way (TM 05782 33163). Keep to the paved path past the playing fields.
(4) Then head right through a gap in the hedge at the far edge (TM 05764 32927). This leads across two fields before diverging away to the left down to a stream ignoring the footpath that leads straight ahead following the hedgerow to the field.
(5) A footbridge (TM 05677 32435) crosses the stream and the path leads past some cottages and onto a lane. Turn right (TM 05804 32242) and follow the lane until there is a waymarker and footpath on the left (TM 05732 32067). This leads down the side of a house and up through a wooded area before emerging out onto a field and across to a road (TM 05960 31931). Turn right onto the road and follow the pavement until a waymarker points off to the left (TM 05973 31827).
(6) This is a straight line through to the next road which it meets down at the bottom of the hill (TM 06685 31844). Walk straight ahead onto the road and follow this up the steep hill around the bend and then join another footpath on the left (TM 06906 31735). This leads diagonally across a field to another road (TM 07045 31641).
(7) Go straight across and follow the path across the fields and down to the railway (TM 07351 31366). Take care crossing the railway as this is just a pedestrian crossing with no indication that any trains are imminent. The line at this point is straight so, providing weather conditions are good, there is a good view in either direction.
Follow the path up through the wooded Aldercar and onto the track. Where the track turns sharp right (TM 07720 31241) continue straight ahead.
(8) Then take the footpath on the left down to Broom Knollis (TM 07763 31257). Keep to the front of the cottages at the bottom of the hill, and follow the footpath around to the right and onto a track which leads out onto a road (TM 08064 31572).
(9) Turn right and follow the road around the bends until there is a sharp right bend. Just beyond this, following the trees on the left is a track bordering the grounds to Lawford Hall (TM 08423 31496). Before this track ends a footpath leads off to the left (TM 08688 31577) and emerges at Lawford Church.
(10) Walk through the churchyard around to the left hand side of the church. A footpath continues beyond the churchyard and leads down to Manningtree Station. The Bar is located on Platform 2 of the station. Continue down the road to the station.
(11) Turn left onto the A137. Keep to this as it passes over Middlebridge Creek and Cattawade CCReek until it once again meets the Stour Valley path which leads back into the car park. (S/E)
Walker
Easy 
