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Start: Parking is on The Dismals (great name!) which can be found at the crossroads of New Road, Owl's Hill. The Street and The Dismals, close to Terling Primary School. Grid ref. TL 771 150
(S/E) Leave the parking area along the short track that meets Owl's Hill opposite a pair of almshouses. Turn left on the road, soon passing The Rayleigh Arms and Owl's Hill Tearoom (see below).
Where Owl's Hill ends and Braintree Road begins take the road on the left - River Hill - and walk down to the ford. Cross the ford and proceed gently uphill, ignoring the permissive path on the left, heading towards the road junction ahead. This is the first section of the Essex Way that the route follows here and there throughout its length.
At the top of Norman Hill, where the road swings left, take the right hand branch heading along Hull Lane. Just after a pole-mounted electricity transformer take the next right into Mill Lane and continue ahead, passing Terling Windmill.
(1) Where the path swings right at the end of the windmill's grounds, bear left to follow a path with trees on the right, heading towards buildings in the distance. This broad path goes gently downhill along the field edge. Where the trees end continue ahead. Just before reaching the end of the field and the River Ter below, the path turns sharp left to follow the bottom edge of the field towards a wood. Don't be tempted to go down the bank towards the river and ignore any paths that go that way, including those (one is waymarked) that lead down to a footbridge. Continue ahead towards the wood.
At the corner of the field and the edge of the wood do not go straight ahead but turn sharp left heading uphill alongside the wood and Wade's Spring.
(2) Bear right at the top of the rise to keep the wood on your right, heading in the direction of houses and an electricity pylon. On meeting a wire fence and field gate turn sharp right, climb over the stile (it can be a little boggy here), going straight ahead downhill between a wire fence on the right and hedge on the left. The path drops gently down passing some large trees to a plantation of young willows and then turns sharp left between two large trees, continuing towards a field gate and kissing gate. Go through the gate, turn left and take the clear path with a barbed wire fence on the left.
Meeting a farm track beside a metal bridge, turn left to follow the gravelly track between two lines of willow trees. Ridley Hall is just visible on the right and at well waymarked junction of paths ignore the left hand track, continuing straight ahead towards another new willow plantation with an established (beech?) wood on the left.
At a large oak tree and waymark turn right over a culvert to cross the footbridge then bear right to follow the path gently uphill towards the next marker post. Turn left towards the high-tension power lines and the top corner of the field. Bear right at the marker post beside a large tree and after a very short distance, again at a marker post, turn left. This path runs along the top edge of the field with a hedge on the right, passing underneath the power lines. At a gap in the tree line on the right, pass through it (do not take the almost invisible path ahead) and then swing immediately left.
(3) For the shorter walk turn left here, dropping down to a marker post and crossing a footbridge to shortly re-join the route at Waypoint 9. Otherwise, for the full route, turn right, go gently uphill on the field edge towards houses to meet Braintree Road at a very large tree trunk and a field gate.
(4) Leave the field at the gate and turn left on the lane, passing Rose Cottage. Just after The Old Stores on the left there is a three-way road junction where the Square and Compasses pub is off to the right on the road to Ranks Green.
(5) The route continues ahead following the road to Great Leighs and Braintree. Just after Brookside take the extremely well marked Essex Way on the left.
(6) It heads slightly to the left across a field - it is usually well trodden if not reinstated - towards a marker post about 100 yards ahead in the field. At the post, beside a low earth bank, turn sharp left heading towards a pylon. Where the corners of four fields meet bear right, heading towards a pair of very large trees in the hedge ahead.
After the trees the path swings gently left and is now a grassy track between two fields heading in the general direction of the church spire. Towards its end the path gently descends towards a wire fence and joins a farm track, going straight ahead to a field gate and road ahead. Turn left on Boreham Road take care here, following it for a short distance, crossing the bridge, to arrive at the Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin Great Leighs (see below).
(7) Just before the church wall, cross the stile beside a field gate and head slightly left towards a stile and footbridge visible in the bottom left corner of the field. Go over the bridge and continue straight ahead along the field edge alongside the River Ter on the left. Although the public footpath goes more or less straight across the field, it is probably easier to follow the edge of the field and the river.
At the bottom edge of the field continue straight ahead to follow a line of young willows and a fence on the right. The path swings slightly left, still following the fence line, passing a pond on the left. At a concrete bridge and three field gates negotiate the two kissing gates to continue ahead on the path beside the fence towards a wood.
(8) Enter the wood (terrific bluebells in the spring) and although the path is not that clear it is reasonably easy to follow towards the bottom left-hand corner of the wood and the river, meeting another fence on the right.
(9) At a junction of paths close to the electricity pylon turn right, going gently uphill on a wide field edge path. the Essex Way again, alongside Sandy Wood. This is also a good bluebell wood, but there is no public access to it.
The track climbs for some distance, bearing slightly right, until it meets a farm track and several way markers. Bear left and then turn left to follow the wide gravelly farm track alongside the wood. Where a track from the wood joins from the left, do not follow the path towards the pylon and buildings but keep ahead initially on gravel which quickly becomes a grassy path, still alongside Sandy Wood.
At a marker post by the corner of the wood turn sharp left and after 50 yards, at another waymark and large tree, turn sharp right to follow the grassy path ahead between two fields heading towards buildings and trees. The path leaves the field and goes straight ahead going gently uphill beside a horse paddock. It widens out into a quite rutted track, reaching a lane at Keepers Cottage. Keep ahead on the lane to reach Waltham Road.
(10) Cross over the road and take the marked path alongside Rose Cottage's fence. The path bears slightly left and goes through a gap in the wire fence ahead and follows a path half left, heading towards power lines and houses.
Leave the field passing a power line pole and a marker post to go ahead between houses to a residential lane. Turn left, passing Nos. 1 & 2 Thatched Cottages (which are not thatched!) to join the road ahead. Turn right on the road, passing Gamble's Green, ignore the path on the right beside Longford but follow the road as it swings left and then right to reach Flack's Green. Continue on the main road, passing the green.
(11) Shortly after the speed limit signs take the marked public footpath on the left through a gate. This path is at the opposite end of The Dismals, where the walk began.
Ignore any paths, marked or unmarked, left or right, along the half mile or so of this final section of the walk passing paddocks, Terling Cricket Club, children's playground, Terling Tennis Club and Terling Swimming Club. Cross the bridge.
(12) Pass the village hall and return to the parking area.(S/E)
Walker
Moderate 
