Bissta four

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Bishop’s Stortford to Stansted Mountfitchet 4 (Bissta 4) review.

A shorter Slow Way which makes good use of green spaces between the conurbations.

The River Stort is flanked by parkland which pushes into the heart of Bishop’s Stortford. The route out of town is via this space (Photo 1). Castle Park at the south end is undergoing improvements which might alter the paths there.

Leaving town, care is needed at the traffic intersection with the A120, as it lacks pedestrian crossings.

At first glance, the footpath into Birchanger looked like a nettle-filled ditch! (Photo 2). There is an actual path to be found with a bit of patience.

The walk into Stansted Mountfitchet has good views, including a glimpse of the town’s restored windmill (Photo 3).

It’s a straightforward walk into town, crossing over the railway, to end at the train station. There are amenities close to hand.

This is a nice walk, especially the route along the river in Bishop Stortford. The paths to and from Birchanger are somewhat mundane. The previous review is fairy comprehensive, so there is not much to add, but I did encounter some problems:
The GPS route in Bishop Stortford encounters a closed park gate. There are easy ways around this to the East or West.
When I walked this route, the path across the fields between the B1383 and Birchanger was partially blocked at both ends. At the B1383 end there were head high brambles and nettles which can be negotiated with care. At the Birchanger end there were barriers with no notice of how long they might be there - it was possible to climb over these but that might not be everyone's preference. I flagged the route for access because of this, but the comment on my review indicates that the barriers are no longer there, so I've updated this review to recommend the route.

Compliments to Daisy C for designing this, it is a fine walk - green practically from end to end. I started this walk from Bishops Stortford station and after a couple of short roads you are on the riverside. You come off to cross the A1250 and in theory go straight into a park, however the entrance is currently closed (I think they may be working on the river bridge) but if you walk east a few yards and recross the river you can turn into the park there and rejoin the route.
The walk through the park and beyond is very pleasant walking, with benches and information boards about the locality and wildlife. The walking is firm underfoot and suitable for pushchairs and bikes until you get to Johnson’s Bridge where it starts to get a bit softer and by the time you cross the River Stort again it is getting a bit muddy in places. Despite the fact it had rained heavily in recent days the whole route was much less prone to mud than I had expected – just a couple of patches around gateways that were really churned up. There was one point where the path seemed to be blocked by a large puddle or intermittent brook but traversing a few yards to the side it was easy to find a place to cross.
The only steps on the route are about half a dozen up onto Michaels Road (B1004). To make use of the pavements there you need to cross before the road rises to go over the railway so it is not that easy to see traffic coming over the rise. Pavements are fairly narrow and there are a surprising number of large vehicles travelling at speed for a small road.
I had not been looking forward to crossing the B1383 and A120 but in fact it was quite manageable making use of the central islands. Although there was a good deal of traffic (on a Monday lunchtime) it wasn’t travelling at speed because of the roundabout and there were enough breaks in the traffic to make crossing acceptable. Traffic travelling westbound on the A120 is slightly obscured by trees but you can see far enough to cross safely – this wouldn’t be a problem if you were travelling the route in the opposite direction. While it is not ideal to cross without traffic lights or footbridge etc. if you exercise patience and caution I think this is a feasible option.
It is easy to follow the grassy footpaths to Birchanger and on to Forest Hall Road and there are some good views across the rolling countryside. From there it is a long straight footpath that runs between a fence and the backs of houses until you reach West Road and then very straightforward into the centre of Stansted Mountfitchet.
Just past the station there are about three pubs and a cafe, the only places on the route to find refreshments. At Bishop’s Stortford I saw nothing except on the station platform but maybe if you leave the station on the other side there are places.

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