Galleywood Walk Nineteen Greening Galleywood Legacy 1

Distance and time taken Parking 6.5km/4 Miles Approx. 1.5 hours Barnard Road (714030)

Refreshments Shops and pubs in Galleywood Village

Galleywood Heritage Centre Tea Room

Public Transport Ordnance Survey Maps

Traveline 0870 608 2608 Explorer 182

Traffic Information 0845 600 0110 Landranger 167 Toilets

Galleywood Heritage Centre, The Shops—Watchouse Road

Hazards

Not suitable for wheel chairs or pushchairs. Wet weather— Waterproof boots

Directions

Start from St Michael’s Junior School, Barnard Road. This

is one of the key sites in the Greening Galleywood Legacy project. A number of projects have been started at the

school involving the children. This includes a tree and wild-flower planting and the creation of a pond.

From the school, walk along Barnard Road, past the Co-

operative Store and turn left into Archers Way. After about 200m Archers Way bends to the right and runs parallel with

Lower Green which is screened by a high hedge. Continue along Archers Way as it makes way for Houblon Drive,

Parklands Way and finally St Michael’s Walk. At No 28

St Michael’s Walk the path turns sharply to the right.

Leave St Michael’s Walk here and walk through an opening in the hedge and onto Lower Green. Turn right and then

almost immediately left walking along the side of The Re-treat. Pass through a kissing gate to FP56, the Millennium

Footpath. This path runs down for 500m to Galleywood Brook, turn left onto FP54 and continue east for 400m to

the first small copse, called Spring Wood.

At Spring Wood the path takes you down some steps and over a couple of bridges though a narrow copse. Carry on

along FP54 towards Grove Wood. This is one of the larger woods in the Parish and another key site. As part of the

Greening Galleywood Legacy, coppicing work has been car-ried out to encourage more wildflowers. In the spring the

forest floor is covered in Bluebells. Also watch out for the

Lesser Celandine, a yellow flower growing along Galleywood Brook on the northern edge of the wood. Join FP82 that

runs along the northern edge of the wood. You can see Baddow Hall across the field from here.

In the winter, watch out for visiting Thrushes from Scandi-

navia in the form of Redwings and Fieldfares on the pas-tures. On sunny spring days, Skylarks may be heard singing

from above the field. They are however notoriously difficult to see.

You will now have the Radar Mast directly ahead. After

about 400m FP82 will cross FP35 leading back to Galley-wood. Take a left onto FP35 and walk 100m, turn right over

a bridge and onto a Permissive Footpath. Walk up a gentle

hill until you reach another small copse. The Spinney is an-other key site. Follow the path around to the right and

through the copse passing a platform by a pond, bench and crossing bridge. On leaving The Spinney you will come

The Walk can be started at any point and taken in either direction. Appropriate footwear should be worn. Dogs should be on leads

out onto The

Chase, FP37, turn left and walk up

to Brook Lane. Turn left at the

junction and turn right onto BW29

just before the 30mph signs.

This leafy path contains another key site, a pond on the right hand side

about 300m to the north of Brook Lane. The pond and the ditches are cleared as part of the Greening Gal-

leywood Legacy.

From here, continue another 300m along BW29 until

you are almost level with the Radar Mast. Turn left across the field on FP28 heading towards Watchouse

Road. Watch out here for the 28 milestone to London to the right. This

footpath is not clearly marked and

the crossing can be muddy. As an al-

ternative to this part of the walk,

head back along BW29, take a right

onto Brook Lane and re-join the

walk at the junction with

Watchouse Road. On join-ing Watchouse Road, turn

left and proceed to Jubilee Park on the northern side

of the road. This is another of the key sites,

By the pelican crossing,

follow the short walkway to Sharpington Close and turn

right onto another walkway lined by some magnificent old

Oak Trees. This walkway takes you back

onto Barnard Road.

Turn left and return to St Michael’s Junior School

to complete the walk.

The information provided in this

leaflet is accurate at the time of

going to press. Neither the au-

thor nor the Parish Council accepts responsibility for your personal safety.

It is your responsibility to ensure you are able to do this walk and are

equipped appropriately. Follow the Countryside Code at all times (see

www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk for further details).”

GREENING GALLEYWOOD PROJECT

Placing Wildlife into the heart of a parish The Greening Galleywood Project was the only one of its kind

in the East of England. Funding from the project came from grant of almost £25,000 from the Local Heritage Initiative in 2006. The grant enabled local people to identify key aspects

of their natural heritage that were unique and valuable to the community. It also encouraged local people to take respon-

sibility for protecting them. Wildlife and education experts from the Essex Wildlife Trust and the Essex Biodiversity Pro-ject were on hand at every stage of the project. Twelve key

sites were identified which included streams, parks, church-yards, ponds and woodland. This walk in the eastern part of

the Parish takes in 5 of the key sites from Jubilee Park in the north to Grove Wood in the south.

THE LEGACY The project legacy is

supported by a mainte-nance budget funded by

Galleywood Parish Coun-cil and based at the Gal-leywood Heritage Cen-

tre, where exhibition and presentation of ar-

chived material will be staged on a regular ba-sis. Photographs and/or reports of sightings of unusual spe-

cies, marked changes in populations of wildlife, flora and fau-na, weather patterns and significant seasonal changes can be

deposited at the Galleywood Heritage Centre, helping to pro-vide a snapshot of the Natural Heritage of the Parish of Gal-leywood through to the 21st Century. The Legacy project is

supported by The Environmental Group (teg). If you are in-

terested in joining please see the latest contact detail on the Parish Council website.

Copies of the complete Greening Galleywood, placing wildlife into the

heart of a parish can be obtained by request from the Essex Biodiversity

Project, Galleywood Parish Council and the Galleywood Heritage Cen-tre.

Information Boards

Detailed Public information boards have been erected at eight key sites in the parish which list what en-

hancements have been carried out and shows images of typical wildlife,

flora and fauna that can be found in each area. Details of the twelve key

sites can be found on the reverse of the Galleywood Parish Council Footpaths

Map (Edition 3). Acknowledgements: Walk devised by

Asa and Alan Pamphilon and Gillian Parker. Artwork and format—

Galleywood Parish Council 2014. © Galleywood Parish Council.

E&OE