Description
A different route to RomBre 1 which avoids the lumpy verge road walking on Nags Head Lane and tricky A127 crossing highlighted by Carla’s review of RomBre 1 plus a few times where the line didn't quite match reality and might be misleading. This route also has less road walking overall.
It borrows the first off-road part of RomBre 1 through Harold Wood Park and Pages Wood but then through Tylers Common, Tylers Wood (both also public land), some woodland and field paths through farm land plus Warley Country Park. There are also changes in residential Romford and Brentwood to walk beside roads with lower traffic.
* Rombre 1's crossing of the 4 lane A127 / Southend Arterial Road is more direct but only has a dropped barrier and the W side has no pattern of traffic gaps due to no roundabout or lights for miles before.
* Some paths on OS maps at Tylers Common do not exist. This entrance on Warley Road is opposite a house named Braemar and through grey metal bollards, a little further along by the 40mph limit sign is another if you miss it.
* The route loops deliberately on T Com as the other RoW was extra muddy, concealed with a very dilapidated stile.
* This route does have some no-pavement road walking. Great Ropers Lane (quiet but likely school pick-up traffic, pavement or slim verge mix). About 200m on busier Mascalls Lane (traffic becoming comparable to Nags Head Lane on RomBre 1 but better verges and under half the length).
Between Vaughan Williams Way (very quiet) and Crescent Road is Warley Country Park - also not shown on OS maps. Oddly if you come in from Brentwood there's no sign at the Crescent Road turn off, except to a bowls club.
Break points:
The route goes past Gidea Park Station (2km) or Harold Wood Station (10 min walk from 5km), Brentwood at the other end is 1km from the end. Several TfL bus routes run nearby, furthest E is 347 at Pages Lane (nr 6.1km). The 269 bus (to Brentwood, not TfL) is close at Warley Rd (9.5km).
Various shops and eating options at Gidea Park and on Ardleigh Green Road just before middle third. The Harold Wood Park sports pavilion (inadvertent spur on route line) has snacks etc and is actually in the middle third. No on-route eating or shopping E of the M25 but Thatchers Arms is 0.6km down Dark Lane (from 9.1km). Felix Warley or The Fat Turk are about 0.6km along Warley Rd (from 9.5km) - not via Mascalls Lane
A different route to RomBre 1 which avoids the lumpy verge road walking on Nags Head Lane and tricky A127 crossing highlighted by Carla’s review of RomBre 1 plus a few times where the line didn't quite match reality and might be misleading. This route also has less road walking overall.
It borrows the first off-road part of RomBre 1 through Harold Wood Park and Pages Wood but then through Tylers Common, Tylers Wood (both also public land), some woodland and field paths through farm land plus Warley Country Park. There are also changes in residential Romford and Brentwood to walk beside roads with lower traffic.
* Rombre 1's crossing of the 4 lane A127 / Southend Arterial Road is more direct but only has a dropped barrier and the W side has no pattern of traffic gaps due to no roundabout or lights for miles before.
* Some paths on OS maps at Tylers Common do not exist. This entrance on Warley Road is opposite a house named Braemar and through grey metal bollards, a little further along by the 40mph limit sign is another if you miss it.
* The route loops deliberately on T Com as the other RoW was extra muddy, concealed with a very dilapidated stile.
* This route does have some no-pavement road walking. Great Ropers Lane (quiet but likely school pick-up traffic, pavement or slim verge mix). About 200m on busier Mascalls Lane (traffic becoming comparable to Nags Head Lane on RomBre 1 but better verges and under half the length).
Between Vaughan Williams Way (very quiet) and Crescent Road is Warley Country Park - also not shown on OS maps. Oddly if you come in from Brentwood there's no sign at the Crescent Road turn off, except to a bowls club.
Break points:
The route goes past Gidea Park Station (2km) or Harold Wood Station (10 min walk from 5km), Brentwood at the other end is 1km from the end. Several TfL bus routes run nearby, furthest E is 347 at Pages Lane (nr 6.1km). The 269 bus (to Brentwood, not TfL) is close at Warley Rd (9.5km).
Various shops and eating options at Gidea Park and on Ardleigh Green Road just before middle third. The Harold Wood Park sports pavilion (inadvertent spur on route line) has snacks etc and is actually in the middle third. No on-route eating or shopping E of the M25 but Thatchers Arms is 0.6km down Dark Lane (from 9.1km). Felix Warley or The Fat Turk are about 0.6km along Warley Rd (from 9.5km) - not via Mascalls Lane
Status
This route has been reviewed by 1 person.
There are no issues flagged.
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Information
Route status - Live
Reviews - 1
Average rating -
Is this route good enough? - Yes (1)
There are currently no problems reported with this route.
Downloads - 1
Surveys
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| Grade 4X based on 1 surveys | Sign up or log in to survey this route. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Note | ||
| Grade 4: Route includes very rough surfaces including deep ruts, steep loose gravel, unmade paths and deep muddy sections. Wheelchairs may experience traction/wheel spin issues. Access grade X: At least one stile, flight of steps or other obstacle that is highly likely to block access for wheelchair and scooter users. |
Grading is based on average scores by surveyors. This slow way has 1 surveys. | ||
| Full grading description | |||
Only people who have completed our training can become Slow Ways surveyors and submit a survey. We do not vet contributors, so we cannot guarantee the quality or completeness of the surveys they complete. If you are dependent on the information being correct we recommend reading and comparing surveys before setting off.
Survey Photos
Facilities
Facilities in the middle third of this route.
Challenges
Potential challenges reported on this route. Some challenges are seasonal.
Obstacles
Obstacles on this route.
Accessibility
Is this route step and stile free?
Measurements
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Narrowest part of path: no data
The steepest uphill gradient East: no data
The steepest uphill gradient West: no data
The steepest camber: no data
How clear is the waymarking on the route: Unclear in places (1)
Successfully completed
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Terrain
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50.0% of the route is on roads (1)
65.0% of the route is lit at night (1)
45.0% of the route is paved (1)
30.0% of the route is muddy (1)
There is no data on rough ground
10.0% of the route is through long grass (1)
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1 surveys
Information from verified surveys.
Geography information system (GIS) data
Total length
Maximum elevation
Minimum elevation
Start and end points
Romford
Grid Ref
TQ5140488488
Lat / Lon
51.57493° / 0.18349°
Easting / Northing
551,404E / 188,488N
What3Words
crib.tribal.trio
Brentwood
Grid Ref
TQ5962793866
Lat / Lon
51.62098° / 0.30449°
Easting / Northing
559,627E / 193,866N
What3Words
issued.alarm.link
| Romford | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | TQ5140488488 |
| Lat / Lon | 51.57493° / 0.18349° |
| Easting / Northing | 551,404E / 188,488N |
| What3Words | crib.tribal.trio |
| Brentwood | |
|---|---|
| Grid Ref | TQ5962793866 |
| Lat / Lon | 51.62098° / 0.30449° |
| Easting / Northing | 559,627E / 193,866N |
| What3Words | issued.alarm.link |
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review
Daisy C
13 Dec 2023 (edited 18 Dec 2023)Nice route, would be four and a half if possible. It's varied going with fields, woodlands, scrub and meadow as well as residential areas. There are even a few vistas from the higher land in the eastern half. Over half the route is off-road, mostly through a a chain of publicly owned bits of land (local councils and Forestry England) which are part of the fantastic Thames Chase cross-boundary woodland creation and habitat linkage project. The on-road pavement walking between Harold Wood and Romford is unavoidable but avoiding the busier cut throughs. This part is rather samey but you can make very good time. It's a shame about the un-pavemented road walking on Mascalls Lane but traffic and verges seemed better than the alternative on Nags Head Lane in RomBre 1.
I started at Brentwood Station and went first to Brentwood High St then turning back to Romford. There were a few detours and direction switches like this as I tested out different options, so I wasn't always heading in the same direction and I did miss a few short bits to avoid a lot of doubling back and repetition. Test under weekday traffic conditions, on a dry day but after generally wet weather and an overnight frost. Unsurprisingly there were a few muddy paths but this route avoids the muddiest option. Between Dark Lane and the M25 some fields had lightly waterlogged patches that I skirted easily. In the same area there are some narrow paths between wire fence-lines and hedges where overgrown brambles or nettles may grow across in summer. Also signs warning of grazing sheep and lambs, a kissing gate and some stiles, one stile has definitely seen better days. W of the M25 the worst obstacle was dodge-able mud. Brentwood is at the top of a hill, and there are a few other fairly gentle / short hills until Harolds Wood, then it's flat into Romford.
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