Witham to Audley End: Saturday Essex Adventure

Overview

This is a longer, train-assisted ride. It is a full day out, with an early start and an evening return.

As it’s high summer, we will turn away from the busy coastal routes, and enjoy the quiet Essex countryside.

The gradients on this ride are gentle. There is a significant amount of off-road riding on unsealed tracks, most of which are in good condition, but there are some short stretches on narrow (footpath-width) paths on uneven ground. Most of our route follows National Cycle Network Routes 16 and 50.

Travel Arrangements

It is a good idea to buy your tickets in advance, as prices often increase closer to the date of travel. Those with 60+ Oyster and/or Senior Rail Card will get discounts on the fares quoted below. You can buy tickets directly from Greater Anglia https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/ or from Trainline https://www.thetrainline.com/.

No bike reservations are required.

Outward Journey

We will take the 09.18 Greater Anglia service from London Liverpool Street to Witham, arriving at 10.01. An Any Time Day Single fare is currently £29.80.

Return Journey

We will return from Audley End station on Greater Anglia services to London Liverpool Street. Trains run at 19 and 40 mins past the hour, journey time approx. 1 hour. A Super Off Peak Day Single is currently £23.90.

The Ride

From Witham, we enjoy 16km/10 miles on quiet undulating country lanes, with extensive views across arable fields, before skirting around Great Notley to join the off-road Flitch Way, a disused railway line, https://www.friends-of-the-flitch-way.org.uk/flitch-way.html at Rayne. This is a peaceful trail, sometimes in woodland, sometimes with views of open countryside.

We will stop for lunch in Great Dunmow (29km/18 miles). This is a busy market town, known for the Dunmow Flitch Trials https://www.dunmowflitchtrials.co.uk/. There are several cafes and shops, and space for you to eat your own food if you prefer.

After lunch, we continue on the Flitch Way for a short distance, before turning north on NCN Route 50. Despite the proximity to Stansted Airport, the roads are still quiet, as we ride through pretty North Essex villages. We will probably meet more traffic on our last 5km/3 miles, as we ride up to the train station at Audley End.

Train-assisted ride in the Essex countryside.

Quiet country roads. Off-road trails, especially the Flitch Way. Some short stretches on busier roads.

Lunch stop in Great Dunmow.

Water & snacks for the ride. Sunscreen. Lock for your bike. Money card for cafe/shop. Buy train tickets in advance.

First-timers welcome!