Essex Way Day 1: Epping to Pepper’s Green

The first stage of my journey across the county

I’m walking the Essex Way in five stages — one day a week-during August 2023.

The first signpost on the way, showing how to get out of Epping

I’ve started country walks from all sorts of places — pubs, bus stops, car parks, lay-bys, remote cottages — but this is the first time I’ve begun one from a London Underground station. The Essex Way begins where the Tube ends: at the point where the Central Line breaks out of London and cuts under the M25 to terminate in the western corner of Essex and so, this journey started by joining the commuters on the 6.43 from Colchester Town, then veering away from their path to the heart of the city.

The view from the Central Line as it heads north-east is London sprawl for most of it, but then the countryside starts breaking in the further along you go, eventually bursting into full colour as we roll past massive fields full of lavender in full bloom. It’s a reminder that the city’s coming to an end, and even though there are no boundary signs on the line, that we’ve officially left London now. The Central Line used to snake even further into Essex, but now it ends at Epping.

There aren’t many people leaving the train in the morning, and me and my friend are the only ones who appear to be going walking. This isn’t like the start of other…