Hatfield Peverel to Chelmsford Day Walk
13 people attending
14 places left
After a little initial road walking the route joins a series of paths and tracks that lead down to the north bank of the River Chelmer. The walk then follows the Chelmer into the center of Chelmsford.
Mostly flat for all of the route, this is a leisurely meander of approx 9 miles, with the option to stop for tea and cake at the lovely Paper Mill Lock cafe, plus towards the latter part of the walk, there are some great pubs and places to grab food before heading home if you wanted to hang around for a social.
The walk will be led by our new aspiring leader Andy. If you've ever fancied leading walks for OutdoorLads please drop Neil (sharpie) a message and i'll be happy to talk to you about it.
Dogs are welcome on this walk providing you're happy to abide by the countryside code, keep it on a lead when it needs to be, clean up after it and remember that not every fellow ODL member is a fan of dogs, however cute and adorable yours is.
What to bring
Water: bring at least two litres
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Day rucksack: typically 20-30 litres, they are comfortable to wear and allow you to use your arms freely
Boots/Walking shoes: waterproof and breathable and designed for hiking, trainers are OK if the ground is dry and there’s little chance of rain
Socks: proper walking socks will keep your feet dry and help prevent blisters
Layered clothing: lets you quickly adapt to changes in the weather and body temperature. Go for a base layer (vest or t-shirt) and a mid layer (a micro fleece or shirt) and in cooler weather add an outer layer (a windproof jacket or thick fleece)
Trousers: ideally no jeans as they become heavy and cold in the rain, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry and on warm days shorts are OK
Waterproof jacket: essential when hiking in all but the calmest of weather, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry
Hat or cap: stay warm in winter and shaded in summer
Sunglasses: for any sunny day, even in winter
Sun cream: can be useful even on cloudy and winter days
Snacks: bring biscuits, energy bars, gels, bananas, chocolate or dried fruit for example and put them somewhere easy to get hold of
Food & drink
Bring some snacks for walking, plenty of water / hydration and you can either bring a packed lunch so we can grab a picnic on route, or as mentioned there are pubs towards the end of the walk later in the day.
We will stop at Papermill Lock on route, but as it is bank holiday weekend it will be very busy so we cannot guarantee they'll be able to cater for 25 ODL'ers all descending at once....but we can try.