Essex Way Day 5: Lawford to Harwich
Reaching the coast at the end of the journey
I’m walking the Essex Way in five stages — one day a week — during August 2023. You can read about my first stage from Epping to Pepper’s Green, my second stage from Pepper’s Green to White Notley, my third stage from White Notley to West Bergholt and my fourth stage from West Bergholt to Lawford.
For the last time on this journey, another early start. There was rain in the forecast for the afternoon, so I hopped on the first bus that would take me back to Lawford and was back walking by 8am, heading down Cox’s Hill to where I’d left off last week. Owl’s Flight Dell proclaimed the sign as I cut away from the road into the little blotch of green, and I could hear an owl hooting from one of the trees as I made my way through it.
The rain forecast was one part of the cooler weather that had settled in since last week’s sunny walk. Long trousers were again the order of the day, and they were soon picking up dampness from the dewy undergrowth, the sun still low, bright and cool, a sign of those August days when you’re trying to persuade yourself it’s still summer while Autumn is fading in more with every passing day. The days when my inner child is remembering that school is starting again soon and another summer has passed far too quickly.
