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Starting point: Tolleshunt Knights Village Hall.
By car: Tolleshunt Knights Village Hall, Top Road, CM9 8EU (free car park, closes at dusk).
Public transport: The Witham -Tollesbury No. 91 bus stops in Top Road; see bustimes.org/services/91-tollesbury-to-witham for details.
(S/E) Leave the village hall along the driveway. At its end turn left onto Top Road. After 260m, at the junction with Oxley Hill, bear left and cross the road to take the bridleway (Green Lane) almost opposite. Follow the bridleway for a little over half a mile, with views of the River Blackwater on the left, passing Oxley Green water tower. The bridleway ends at a lane - Tudwick Road. Continue straight ahead on the lane and after 285 yards, where the lane swings left, turn sharp right to take a footpath marked with a fingerpost beside a telegraph pole. After a few yards the path bends left then continues alongside a wooden fence. At a waymark turn right, following the path which is now wooded on both sides.
After a quarter of a mile the path turns left and crosses a footbridge (1) then turns right along the edge of a field. The path follows alongside the wood (Wilkin’s Grove) on the right. At the corner of the field bear left to keep the wood on the right. Where the woodland ends, bear slightly left following the field edge to cross another footbridge into a field. Turn Right to follow a field edge path with hedgerow on the right. This becomes a farm track, passing a pond (generally hidden by undergrowth) on the left. At a crossing of tracks keep straight ahead towards a tarmac lane. The track then passes many polytunnels where Wilkin & Sons grow soft fruit (predominantly strawberries here) for their famous jams and preserves. At a crossroads go straight ahead towards more polytunnels on the left. Pass to the right of a black security gate, then continue on what is now a narrow lane.
At a junction just after three houses (2) turn sharp right after Belle Vue to follow a signposted footpath. Ignore a path on the left (not waymarked) keeping ahead on a gritty path. At a junction, with polytunnels ahead and a planting of fruit trees to the left, turn left alongside the fruit trees. Just before a "Private No Public Right Of Way" sign, four trees from the end, turn right to go between the trees, cross the tarmac track and go straight ahead with a field and solar farm on the left and a hedge on the right. There is a reservoir ahead that the path soon turns left to follow alongside. Wilkin's factory can be seen behind the solar farm on the left. At the end of the reservoir fencing follow the obvious track between fences.
At the end of the track, at a T-junction, turn right to follow another farm track with fences left and right to reach a narrow road (Tudwick Road) through a barrier (3). Turn left, heading towards a house - this is the edge of Tolleshunt Knights. The road is generally quiet and there is a reasonable verge on the right-hand side. The road turns quite sharply left where another road - the aptly named Strawberry Lane - joins it from the right. Follow Strawberry Lane to its end to meet D'Arcy Road (B1023). Cross directly over the road to use the pavement and turn left. Shortly before the mini roundabout the pavement ends; with extreme caution turn right at the junction and immediately cross the road. Turn right on the pavement and beside No. 64 take the signed footpath between garden fences. Bear right, with fences on the right, a hedge on the left. On meeting a field, go straight ahead with a hedge (and stream) on the left. This is not a particularly well-walked footpath - in the height of summer the grass can be quite tall - but it is easy to follow nonetheless.
At the corner of the field turn left to cross a footbridge (4) to a crossroads of paths. Ignore the bridge and path on the left and the field path on the right to go straight ahead along a field edge. At the field corner bear slightly left to cross a footbridge. At the T-junction turn right, ignoring the footbridge and path on the left, to follow another field-edge path going straight ahead towards woodland. At the field corner keep ahead to enter the woodland along an obvious path going very gently uphill. Ignore a path on the right over a small ornamental footbridge. The path eventually passes through wooden posts to meet a narrow lane. Turn right on Park Lane, continuing past some attractive houses. At the end of the lane turn right into Barnhall Road. There is no pavement here so proceed with caution for a short distance. Immediately after No. 17 cross the road to take a footpath (at time of writing the fingerpost was obscured) alongside Hillview bungalow. Ahead are views of the Blackwater, Bradwell Nuclear Power Station and Bradwell Marsh Wind Farm. After 140 yards at a white topped waymark post turn right to enter a narrow footpath. This turns briefly right then left to continue along a field edge. Again, this path is not particularly well walked but its track is reasonably obvious. At the edge of the field keep left to enter a tarmac lane - Rectory Road.
Turn left and after a short distance Blind Lane (5) joins on the right. This provides an alternative - shorter - route (see Practical Information Alternative Option 1). Continue along Rectory Lane, soon passing the Monastery (see Alternative Option 2). Continue for a little over half a mile to reach All Saints Church. From the church continue on the road, ignoring Footpath 7 on the left, to a pair of gates and posts. Bear right, crossing a footbridge to join the golf course.
Proceed with caution (golf balls) as the route is difficult to follow. Initially go straight ahead towards a pair of tall trees and two white posts seen some distance ahead. Follow the contour around and below the raised edge of the fairway on the left. Soon a mown path/track can be seen that leads to the next fairway. Take this path/track and on meeting the next fairway (bunker and green on the right) bear slightly left across the fairway towards the white posts. The footpath exits the golf course at the leftmost post.
Follow the obvious path alongside paddocks behind the hedge on the right. Cross a three plank footbridge and on meeting a field turn right. At the corner of the field turn right on the obvious path. It passes some corrugated storage units and meets a track leading to Honeycombe Farm. Keep ahead on this gravelly track (Honeypot Lane). Ignore a path on the left and continue on the track, going gently uphill. It roughly follows the route of a dismantled railway, passing Krissimon Farm. The lane eventually meets a T-junction with Blind Lane (6) (see Practical Information Alternative Option 1). A bridge over the old railway line can be seen on the right.
Go straight across the road to take a very narrow footpath between houses, following a rather ramshackle garden fence on the left. The path eventually enters the large Village Hall playing field. From here make your way back to the car park/bus stop. (S/E)
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