Braintree to Stisted Essex Countryside Walk

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If you’re looking for a walk through the Essex countryside, Braintree to Stisted is a nice option! The walk is roughly a 5-mile round trip that takes around 2 hours complete. It starts and finishes at the Bocking Blackwater Nature Reserve, which is close to the Fairview and the Kings Park Village estate.

Braintree to Stisted Walk

Starting Point: Bocking Blackwater Nature Reserve

This is a nice place for a walk on its own and is popular with dog walkers! There’s a wide paved cycling and walking path that runs alongside the River Blackwater. It actually runs from River Mead, all the way to Kings Park. Straits Mill used to be located along a section of the River Blackwater but only a couple of manmade weirs remain.

Braintree Bocking Blackwater Nature Reserve Essex

This section is accessible for bikes, pushchairs, and wheelchairs, but the rest of the walk isn’t really suitable, as there are steps and stiles that you need to contend with!

Follow the main path, heading towards Kings Park (away from the town). Before you reach the section that goes between the Fairview and Kings Park, you’ll see a gate to the left that leads into another small field.

Braintree Bocking Blackwater Nature Reserve Walk Essex

Now it gets a little tricky! When walking through the field, you’ll hear the traffic from the A120 bypass getting closer. We need to cross the bypass eventually and there is an access route to a ‘crossing’. At the end of the field, there’s a gate to the right, but we’ll need to follow the path to the left which goes through the trees.

Cross The A120…

Follow this path and you’ll come to a bridge that goes up and over the river. Continue along here through the woods and on the right-hand side there’s a set of steps that lead up the A120. Be careful as you will need to cross the road and it can get busy. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a blind bend too!

On the opposite side of the road, there’s another set of stairs and a path to the right that goes a short way through the woods. You’ll come out into a large open field! Walk along the tree line to the right.

There’s a small private track that crosses the field, but here is the first point where you’ll see the yellow public footpath arrows to help guide the way! So yes, you’ll need to go over the stile, directly in front, which goes into the next field.

This field…could potentially be filled with cows! The ‘well worn’ path heads round towards the left, however, you’ll need to continue on straight and down the hill. There’s a metal gate through the trees with the yellow arrow sign.

A small bridge will lead to the next field. Follow the tree line straight up the hill. As the path bends around to the left, you’ll see a yellow arrow directing you to the right to cross through the field.

The path cuts right through Hall Farm. Once through the farm, continue to follow the track around a couple of corners.

Stisted

You’ll come to a gate across the road, but there’s a kissing gate on the right-hand side, that you’ll be able to pass through! At the junction, bear to the left. This is Kings Lane and will take you straight into Stisted.

There isn’t a path, so you’ll have to carefully walk along the edge of the main road. It’s wasn’t that busy, we had one car pass us on the way into Stisted and then one pass us on the way back. This road passes by Braintree Golf Club. A couple of public footpaths go around the perimeter of the course or just continue into Stisted Village.

Village of Stisted Essex Braintree District

We took a couple of photos around the village but if your walk co-insides with the opening hours. The Onley pub looks lovely! It has both indoor and outside seating areas, has a food menu, and even a fresh local farm produce shop (vegetables, meat, bakery, and cakes, etc).

It took around an hour to reach Stisted. Once we had finished, we just retraced our steps back to Braintree! By then the cows had disappeared (yay!). As mentioned above it was also easier to cross the A120, as there was a clearer view in both directions.