The Old Dog Inn

The view immediately after leaving the Olde Dog Inn on our latest country side walk. In other locations there has been nearby parking, but not here so we popped in to let the staff know what we were doing. A very chirpy waitress (or was she the manageress?) said everything would be OK. This was the closest walk to home that we have tried. The signs were not good as we set off down a farm track. Shortly afterwards we came back on the road, crossed over and turned left. Passing the Boars Head
View Larger Map and the duck pond, then once we had crossed a road and walked along a hedge the path disappeared. Footpath 45 was no more. We walked down a track, the only way to proceed, but that lead to a gate wrapped in barbed wire. Nothing for it but to return the way we had come. It had to happen eventually.

We returned to the Old Dog Inn, which being a free house serves my favourite beer, and quickly ordered some food. I'm please to say that we had an excellent meal and were served by the same waitress we had seen before, who was also very efficient. That was some consolation fro the lost half of the walk. Never mind, although I will send a question about the footpath to Brentwood Council, we had done enough walking for the day. We had started by verifying the answers to the Treasure Hunt clues we had prepared for the 11-18's group for Friday night. That had taken about an hour, and another hour on the aborted circular walk meant we had earned lunch.