Wicray two

Verified Slow Way

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Would recommend this walk from Wickford to Rayleigh getting out of town wasn't difficult and once into the woodland the scenery was great. Easy going on the feet and not too hilly I'd recommend it was there some nice history to the area.

The route from Wickford to Rayleigh is a easy route through some farm land and quite a lot of residential areas.
Some of the footpaths are seldom used so required some overgrown branches to be pushed back but nothing too bad and they were still accessible.
Rayleigh has lots of amenities including a well connected train station so a great route to connect the two towns.

Really enjoyed this section of our walk from Wickford to Rayleigh we met some lovely dog walkers on our trip and the forest outside the area was really lovely a little bit of road walking but not too much.

I walked on a warm August Sunday from Wickford to Rayleigh. Out of Wickford Station, you are soon on an off-road path through a housing estate that takes you to the edge of town. A brief bit of pavement walking, then on into The Wick Country Park and out into the fields. The broad and quiet Doublegate Lane takes you over the railway and, a bit later, over the A130 and deposits you on London Road. You will need to cross here to access the pavement on the opposite side of the road, the traffic here is quite busy and fast so wait for your moment. The footway passes the Carpenters Arms pub and goes all the way to the roundabout where the A129 and A1245 (dual carriageway) meet. The vehicles, again, move pretty fast here. There’s an island separating the northbound and southbound traffic but you will need to take care.

Once you've navigated the crossings, it's a pleasant stretch on the quiet road of St John’s Drive. Carry on along a nice off-street stretch that goes through Wheatley Wood and continues on a greenway that finally exits onto Heron Gardens. From here it's suburban streets through to Rayleigh railway station. Take The Approach eastwards before following London Hill south under the railway bridge and proceed to where it joins Rayleigh High Street.

(I walked this with Jane Taylor on 12th October 2023, so my comments reflect the route variations we felt appropriate and which she's documented).

To me there was a marked difference between the Wickford and Rayleigh portions of the walk. In the former the route nips between housing estates along well-used, well-maintained footpaths of a kind characteristic of new towns (it's in Basildon district). At the Rayleigh end (in Rochford district) no such urban planning was in evidence and footpaths were less reliable. Connecting them is a few hundred yards of London Road, which is sufficiently congested that you may wish to pause conversation for a few minutes or take advantage of any headphones you have.

Photo 1 shows where you break away from Wickford High Street, by an estate agents. Photo 2 shows the elevated path you're heading for after that. As you leave the housing estates of Wickford behind you, near the entrance to Wick Country Park, the route runs alongside a children's play area and appears to disappear into the undergrowth (photo 3). Don't be put off; it's a decent path when you get there. Photo 4 illustrates where the route takes you away from the trucks and gravel pits onto a bridleway, shortly before crossing the A130. Photo 5 gives you an indication of why you might prefer to take the slight diversion towards the end via Rayleigh Mount / Castle - if you're following this route during its opening hours.

Walked Wickford to Rayleigh.
Classic green belt mix of residential, scruffy farmland and odd bits of semi-rural-industrial with associated traffic. A large part is off road too, I enjoyed it a lot! Will lead you efficiently from Wickford to Rayleigh with a good gander at what lies in between.

Refreshments as specified in route description. We stopped at the garden centre cafe which is just off route, and has loos.
There’s a nice bit of Woodland Trust land near Rayleigh if restful picnic required.

As in route description- we actually walked the ‘alternative’ way into Rayleigh, crossing the railway at the station (which feels a bit cheeky) and going up the Mount to see what’s there. The official way is better if the Mount area or the station is scheduled to be closed, or if you don’t do steps.

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