Flitch Way
Go to online mappingFrom - to: Braintree to Little Dunmow
Type: Disused railway path
Access: Braintree railway station
Surface: Good stone-based track
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Open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders, the Flitch Way is flat and mostly traffic free. There are many public footpaths exploring the countryside just off the route.
The route begins at Braintree, the junction of Roman roads from Chelmsford and Colchester, which became a thriving industrial centre by the 19th century, partly thanks to the coming of the railway.
The Braintree to Bishop's Stortford line, decommissioned in 1972, now enjoys a new lease of life as a country park full of railway cuttings rich in wildlife dotted with attractive Victorian stations.
The route name comes from the Flitch Trial, a folk custom still surviving today which originated in Little Dunmow. Every four years a married couple stands before a mock court - if they can prove to the satisfaction of the judge and jury that they have, for a year and a day, ‘not wished themselves unwed, they are awarded half a pig known as a ‘flitch' (side) of bacon.
A free leaflet/map is available from Sustrans, tel: 0845 113 00 65. Alternatively, you can download the leaflet from the Essex County Council website.
Download a route description sheet.
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