Our March walk was from the East Anglian Railway Museum in the parish of Wakes Colne to the neighbouring village of Chappel, a pretty village with a grand viaduct. The walk of 3.3 miles was led by Pat Matthews and Pete Booth.
We parked and met at the railway museum on a bright sunny morning and set off along a gentle incline and onto a footpath running parallel to the railway line and into woodland. Carefully crossing the track, we negotiated some steps and a wooden bridge onto Fair Maid walk. Continuing on around the field boundary and then across a crop field. Leading down to Old Hall Farm, we crossed the pretty River Colne.
We walked past a lake on our left and onto a wooden boardwalk leading to a wide grass track. Ahead was the spire of Chappel village church. Continuing through a wooden kissing gate Wakes Colne Mill was ahead leading on to the church. At this point we had a splendid view of the viaduct. This Grade 1 listed structure has 32 arches, taking trains 75 feet above the Colne Valley and is an impressive sight.
On our return we drove to the nearby 'Shoulder of Mutton' in Fordham, an old public house dating back to 1769, for lunch. Now a licensed tearoom, it has a good menu and an incredible antiques collection which many enjoyed looking around after lunch.
