Great Yeldham Footpath Walks,
8a: Poole Farm, Cobbs Lakes, Scotney Lane, clockwise walk.

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Walk 8a Route map

2 hours. About 4¼ miles.
Start: Great Yeldham Village Green.

Go up Leather Lane. Shortly beyond where Butlers Way branches off on the right, there is a length of hedge on the right followed by an opening with a garage.

Cross over by the concrete footpath sign and go up the path which is to the left of the garage. It is a narrow path between trees on each side. Follow the path ahead as far as you can ignoring unofficial branches off to the right into the next field. The path then goes right leaves and continues on the field side of the hedge for a very short distance to a footbridge.

Cross the footbridge and turn right. Follow the farm track with the hedge on your right. Follow the track where the boundary first turns left ignoring the gap on the right, follow it as it bends right and left again before going through a gap on the right to a farm road with a concrete slab on the left, and then with hedges on both sides. Follow this short, straight track to a gap just before the gate at the end.

Go through the gap and down the middle of a cultivated field aiming for a gap at the bottom with a post just visible from a distance. This and the next field are often left for some time after ploughing or cultivating before the path is restored. It is heavy clay soil and can be very muddy. Cross a footbridge into the next field and continue up the middle of the field to the corner of the wood at the top.

Go ahead along a wide grass track passing the wood on your left. At the far side of the next field go right through a kissing gate, over a footbridge and left over an unmade farm track. This track can be very muddy. Where the track joins a hard farm road go right to Poole Farm.

As you enter Poole Farm yard go left, then right and right again round the buildings. As you approach the yard exit look to the side of the brick barn to your right with "Whitlock's Chaff Works" embossed in specially made tiles built into the wall. Go left to leave the yard and go ahead to the main road.

At the road go right a short distance and then cross over left and go into the entrance to Orchard Ley which is the start of Blooms Lane. At the first fork in the lane take the left fork and go ahead up the hill. In winter this can be made very muddy by horses. Go right through a gap by a way-marking post into a meadow. Follow the mown or trodden path diagonally away from the hedge and downhill to a gap at the bottom. Here there is another way-marking post. Go round the stile (as it is broken), and across some marshy ground. After heavy rain the ground can be covered with water over a foot deep.

Follow the path to a wooden footbridge and go ahead through a thicket to a large fishing lake. Taking care not to disturb fishermen, go left round the end of the lake and follow the path uphill though more trees and shrubs. At the next junction do not go right into the field but go ahead up the green lane to Toppesfield Road, go left, cross over and go right up an access road to some houses including Scotney Farm and a field. Keep ahead along the side of the field with the hedge on your right. This is a good spot for butterflies when it catches the afternoon sun in summer.

Leave the field at the far right corner, over a bridge into Scotney Lane. This lane can be very muddy in winter. You will pass one house on the right shortly before turning right by a way-marker post, through a gap into a field.

This is Kitley Field. Follow the field margin with the hedge and ditch on your right.

At the corner cross a plank bridge into Brickyard Field. Go left and along the field boundary with the hedge on your left. Ignore the path joining on the left from the landing strip.

At the far side of the field go through a gap, go left for a few yards then right along a narrow uncultivated strip across the field and through the gap opposite. Go ahead, ignore the unofficial path joining from along the old railway track on the right. Continue with a field on the left and houses on the right.

Join Great Yeldham High Street from down the concrete steps beside the Police Station. (To avoid the steps go through the gap on the right side to Whitlock Drive, down onto the High Street, left, then right to the Village Green.)

Cross the road to return to the village green.

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5 Apr 2013