Monday, September 21, 2020

Essex Way Walk: Cressing to Curd Hall Farm Circular (Llama farm; Wartime fighter & Bomber Airfield; Oboz and an Obnoxious individual)

 

Yesterday we continued on our mission to compete the Essex Walk (from Manor Park, East London to Harwich, Essex). The weather was lovely - warm and blue skies. At the start in Hawbush Green there is a marvellous thatched cottage with a thatched "dog and cat" confronting each other on its ridge. 

The walk itself was really quiet with hardly a soul seen all day (with one exception). Lots and lots of ancient green lanes, fields and woods. We passed a site of possible nocturnal "disrepute" (an isolated rural lay side but only a few miles away from the nearest town. Say no more) and a Llama farm with shy young Cria (Baby Llama). 

On the self guided way back to our starting point we got completely lost since a huge quarry has been dug at the site of the former 2nd World War RAF/USAFF Riverhall airfield.  I have subscribed to Ordnance Survey online mapping service but the quarry is not marked and seemingly straightforward right of way footpaths are now blocked by the quarry with no obvious redirection. So there was a bit of a trek to get around this. 

On the map the airfield was also marked as "Polish Site". It appears that after World War 2, Polish Servicemen who served in the British Armed Forces but did not want to go back to Poland (which was by then under Communist rule) lived here for many years with their families. It was known to them as "Oboz". 

On the final way back we came across an obnoxious individual complaining that we had missed the way marks and were trespassing. The path he claimed we had strayed from had been ploughed over but in all my years of walking in the countryside, I have never met anyone so rude and unpleasant. Obviously I ignored him but thanked him for his politeness and courtesy then carried on. 

After the walk (Sav Nav said 10.15 miles) we stopped off at the Railway pub in Witham for much needed rehydration. 

1 comment:

John Gray said...

no cowardly trolls please