As a family, we love to play outside and to go on family walks in Essex.  I am sure you can all relate but if I don’t get the little ones out, they turn into wild things and we all start to drive each other mad. We live just outside of Chelmsford in the Essex countryside and we are lucky enough to step outside the door and head off across fields. But there is only so many times you want to do the same old walk.
With everything that has been going on this year with COVID (written in 2021),  you are limited to what you can do with kids in Essex and probably like you, I have exhausted so many of our  walks in Essex, and the girls are definitely getting bored of doing the same ones over and over again. With this in mind, my husband and I got our laptops out, and thinking caps on to search out some fun family walks in Essex that you may like to do over the coming weeks. But please remember to follow the current government guidelines – stay local to where you live.
Table of Contents
Family Walks in Essex: Chelmsford
Galleywood Common Play Trail
Chelmsford CM2 8TR
Paper Mill Lock
Little Baddow, Chelmsford CM3 4BS
Tearoom
Great Notley Country Park
Braintree, Great Notley, CM77 7FS
Home to Essex’s longest play trail and Sky Ropes
Phyllis Currie Nature Reserve
Chelmsford, CM3 1PE
Small car park. Woods and lakes.
Hylands Park, Chelmsford
Play area CM2 8FS
The House CM2 8WQ
Swan & Cygnet Woods
Swan Lane, Stock
Woodland with streams
Holybred Woods
Little Baddow, Chelmsford, CM3 4BW
Galleywood Common
Chelmsford,CM2 8PL
RHS Gardens Hyde Hall
Chelmsford CM3 8ET
Pay to enter.
Little Waltham Nature Reserve
Chelmsford CM3 3PP
Family Walks In Essex: Other
Danbury Woods
Danbury,CM3 4JJ
Paid car park. Well marked paths. Lakes to walk round. Streams to paddle in. Dens to build.
Blake Woods
Danbury, CM3 4ED
Maldon Promenade Park
Maldon, CM9 5JQ
Kids play area, coffee stalls
Paid car park
Tiptree Heath, Tiptree
Tiptree, CO5 0PT
Free car park Ponies graze here at certain times of year.
Flitch Way, Braintree
Braintree, CM77 7FS
Nature Reserve by Marks Farm Tesco, Braintree
Braintree,CM77 8AA
Hadleigh Country Park, Benfleet
Benfleet, SS72PP
Café, mountain biking course
Paycocke’s House, Coggeshall
25 West Street, Coggeshall CO6 1NS
2.5 miles
Start at Paycocke’s House and walk along West Street. Then, take Bridge Street and head towards the River Blackwater. After that, pass Grange Hill, Abbey Lane, Gallows Street, Dead Lane and Church Green before finishing off at The Woolpack.
Weald Country Park, Brentwood
Weald Road, Brentwood, CM14 5QS
Famous for its deer park and Stick Man trail.
Gruffalo Trail Thorndon Country Park, Brentwood
Brentwood, Warley, CM13 3RZ
Warley Place Nature Reserve, Great Warley
Great Warley, Brentwood CM14 5LN
Bourne Mill – National Trust, Colchester
Bourne Road, Colchester, CO2 8RT
National Trust Lakeside Café
Abberton Reservoir Nature Discovery Park, Colchester
Layer de la Haye, Colchester CO2 0EU
Fingringhoe Wick Nature Discovery Park, Colchester
Fingringhoe, Colchester CO5 7DN
Langdon Hills Country Park, Corringham
One Tree Hill, Corringham SS17 9NH
Car Park.
Naze Nature Discovery Centre, Walton on the naze
Walton on the Naze CO14 8LE
Bedfords Park Nature Discovery Centre, Romford
Havering-atte-Bower, Romford RM4 1QH
Chestnut Trail route, Epping Forest
Warren Road, Wanstead Park, E11 2LX
The Temple visitor centre
Hatfield Forest, Takeley
Bush End Road, Takeley, Bishop’s Stortford, CM22 6NE
Lakeside Cafe
Hanningfield Reservoir Nature Discovery Park, Billericay
Billericay CM11 1WT
Wind in the Willows Trail
Norsey Woods, Billericay
Billericay,CM11 1HA.
Car Park.
Bluebells are beautiful in season.
Ingrebourne Nature Discovery Centre, Hornchurch
Hornchurch RM12 6DF
Belfairs Wood, Park & Nature Reserve, Southend
Southend-on-Sea, SS9 4LR
Play area and sculpture trail.
Belhus Woods Country Park, South Ockendon
South Ockendon, Aveley, RM15 4XJ
Kids play area, visitors centre, café
Cudmore Grove Country Park, East Mersea
East Mersea CO5 8UE
Aubrey Buxton Reserve, Stansted
Alsa Street, Stansted CM24 8XL
