A walk around Manningtree

We have a book of Essex Walks, and since this is supposed to be holiday week, we are doing a genuine 'staycation'.  Today's walk was therefore within the return distance for the Nissan Leaf.  We can just get to Manningtree and back without worrying about chargers.  On arrival at Manningtree station, I asked a commuter (the only one I found, there's a rail strike today) how to pay and was disappointed that I had to install an app on my phone.  I was pleasantly surprised when it worked, although it took 2 goes to get the charge from my credit card.  So we set off, secateurs at the ready to clear the nettles and brambles from our path.  The first part, to St Mary the Virgin, Lawford, needed a lot of work, but was the worst part of the route. The stone reads "God made all things beautiful in his time also he hath set eternity within man's heart". A lovely thought to start the walk.  It is a lovely area.

The views are stunning on the outward part of the walk, away from the estuary.  We passed through "Owl's Flight Dell" a conservation area, on the Essex Way, which is used for part of the walk.  The sheep in the field immediately before we arrived at the dell were only slightly annoyed at having to move off our path.

We eventually made it to the remains of St. Mary's Church, but nothing but the wall around the site and some carefully managed grass was visible, so I assume the ruin is ruined.

Turning back in a westerly direction, we soon found a newsagent and stopped for ice cream, which we ate just a few paces further on under the biggest copper beech tree I have ever seen.  Then passing under the railway, we turned back east to find the Mistley Quay Café, but it appears to be a residential building now.  Going back along the route we are supposed to follow, we soon found "Tea on the Quay" where we stopped for lunch.  The two ladies working there looked after us well, and refreshed, we set about the remaining couple of mile to return to the station.

Having passed Mistley Towers, the remains of an old church that actually does exist, we then came to Mistley Walls, which is not a good description at all.  It is an area along the river that is common land, and will soon be a nature reserve.  It's a lovely place to picnic, or sit and watch the wildlife, particularly swans.  They are very used to the public, and not that shy of posing for the camera. There are instructions for feeding them on signs at regular intervals.  There were lots of people, all retired, I guess (they looked as old as me, or older), and two ice cream vans - proving that none of us ever grow up.

The remaining 2 miles (ish) back to the station are largely uninteresting, except for the lovely Manningtree High Street.

The total distance was about seven miles (eleven kilometres).