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Start: Tesco's car park, Maldon (CM9 4EL) Grid ref. TL 848 075
PLEASE NOTE the car parking restrictions in Useful Information at the end of these instructions.
(S/E) The walk begins at a pedestrian access through Tesco's perimeter fence, close to the Waves car wash area. Go up the steps to the path and turn left. Follow the (multi-use) path to its conclusion beside the Post Office building, keep ahead past the rear entrance to the Muddy Duck pub then turn right between the buildings of Bridge Court. Pass to the right of the blue building ahead to meet Fullbridge at a safety barrier.
(1) Turn right, cross over the river and at the far end of the bridge turn right at the finger post and red buoy. The path follows the line of blue railings (look out for a quaint decorated tree here) and then drops down to follow alongside the river with gardens on the left. It turns sharp left and goes up steps to meet a residential lane. Turn right, passing houses.
(2) At the end of the lane, beside Maldon Smokehouse car park, go straight ahead through a kissing gate to a grassy path heading in the direction of the A414 bridge ahead.
Keep straight, passing a pond on the right. This section can be rather muddy at any time of year. Pass through a gap between two fences, disregarding the paths left and right. Just after a gap in the fence with a marker post ahead.
(3) At a T-junction of paths, turn right to go gently downhill on a concrete path. This drops down towards the river and passes underneath the A414 bridge (A). The path climbs gently back up the riverbank and ends at another T-junction. Turn right, initially through a tunnel of trees. Cross a culvert and roughly a mile from the start the path ends at a gap in the hedge and the drive to Beeleigh Abbey (B).
(4) Go straight ahead along the drive to meet a lane - Abbey Turning - at a pair of wooden gates (usually open). Turn right and after a few yards, where there is an earthen car parking area, turn left on to the marked public field-edge footpath. This crosses an old hedge line to enter another field. Continue straight, heading towards the middle tree of three.
(5) At the end of the field, where the path meets a farm track, turn left and after a few yards turn right through a gap in the hedge to follow a path between two fields with a hedge on the left. At the corner of the fields, where they meet, dogleg left and right then, a little further on, right then left through a gap in the hedge to a rutted wider path that meets a farm track from the left. Bear slightly right towards the house - Woodlands - ahead. Where the farm track veers off to the right keep straight ahead on the grass (well waymarked by both the council and the house owners) towards a metal fence on the right, passing yew trees and a flagpole.
(6) Go through a gate, cross over the entrance track to Woodlands and continue straight ahead on a grassy path alongside the garden. The path reaches a lane - Manor Road - through a gap in the hedge. Turn right, passing Guy's Farm farmhouse then turn left into Hop Garden Lane. Follow the road, passing Bentleys and Holly Lodge. At the two Hop Garden cottages ignore the marked path that goes straight ahead and continue on the lane turning left. Pass the gates of Granville Hall to reach a road junction and cast iron signpost. Turning right along Blue Mill Lane will take you past The Cats pub (see below), re-joining the main route at Waypoint (8).
(7) Cross directly over the road and, to the left of the public footpath sign towards the five-bar gate, take the marked permissive path through a wooden gate. Follow this alongside the gravel driveway, staying close to the fence on the left as it goes through the grounds of Whitehouse Farm. Passing a paddock and stable on the right, go through the wooden kissing gate at the end. Turn sharp right then sharp left following a ditch on the left towards open fields.
At a lone multi-trunked tree and a festooned waymark post, turn right on a cross-field track heading towards woods and houses ahead. Where the track meets a fence on the right continue ahead, going slightly downhill towards the wood. Where the fence ends, ignore the wide grassy track off to the right but instead go straight ahead into the wood (The Wilderness). Go gently downhill and at a tree (just before a three-trunked tree) turn right on an obvious path that follows the line of a mill stream. Shortly after meeting a chain link fence on the right the path ends at a lane with Blue Mill visible ahead.
(8). Turn left on Blue Mill Lane. Take care here as it is very narrow with tall hedges on both sides and no verges. Ignore the marked path on the left through the hedge to meet a larger road ahead. Go through the car parking area on the left, cross over the bank at the end and take the lane opposite between the speed restriction signs (West Bowers Road).
(9) Just before the entrance to Orchard House turn right at the marked path going between a tall fence on the left and a rather dilapidated white picket fence on the right. Cross the low stile, going ahead between two wire fences. The path turns right at a pair of red field gates to meet a T-junction. Turn right to keep the hedge on the right. Climb the next stile, continuing ahead on the field edge path towards a house and grounds.
At the corner of the field where it meets Hoe Mill House's garden the path turns right, away from the field, right and then left and continues down to the driveway and gates of the house. Turn right then left, at a grassy triangle in front of the lodge, on to Hoe Mill Road. Cross the bridge.
(10) On its opposite side take the marked footpath/towpath through a wooden gate on the right. Disregard any unmarked paths off to the left and after 400 yards ignore the path at the white-topped post.
The towpath now follows the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation (River Chelmer) for two miles to Beeleigh Lock and Weir.
(11) At Rickett's Lock don't cross the bridge. At a gate and fishing rights sign, don't go left - go through the gate keeping to the towpath.
At Beeleigh Lock the towpath ends on this side of the canal, so cross the wooden bridge and turn left. Do not take the path immediately off to the right but continue ahead to another bridge that goes over a weir. The path meets a road to the golf club coming in from the left across Beeleigh Bridge.
(12) The route finally leaves the canal so do not go ahead here but turn right on the road and then follow a path to the right of a golf area warning sign. This goes between the two tees of Hole 4 and then swings left along the side of the golf course, which it follows for some distance with the tidal River Blackwater on the right.
Where the golf course ends, at the 17th Tee, go ahead under the bridge. Turn sharp right and where it meets another path joining from the left go straight ahead towards Tesco. Where the gravelly track meets a tarmac path, turn right to return to the start. (S/E)
Walker
Easy 
