So... the standard question. Does anyone have a route from Witham to the Blue Boar for me to look at (I have plotted a Blue Boar to Witham route).
This is not
too far off the route we were plotting - it's mostly on the old railway line, with a couple of sections of road interspersed where the line no longer connects up, and a very little bit of bridleway near the start to get from the B1018 to the railway line. Apart from Market Hill (the short steep one on the way into Maldon), it is fairly flat.
Eventually, Sustrans/Braintree District Council/Maldon District Council/Essex County Council/persons unknown intend to make this a route surfaced very like the Flitch Way. It's not too bad at present, but isn't quite as smooth as the FW yet. Think of it as trailblazing for future generations of MEMWNSers
I will ride it tomorrow daytime though, to check if the recent weather has affected the navigability, and have a think also about any width challenges. (We may have to man/woman-handle the Trice round a gate at the 4.2 mile point, where we get back onto Witham road).
What sort of time will people be leaving Witham? Is anyone else planning to do what I am doing?
I hadn't thought much about setting off time. I'm happy to do either the usual 6:30, or go for a later kick-off (given the shortness of the outbound leg -- although it'll be a bit slower than the Flitch Way was). OD is probably the only other person planning to come from/through Witham, unless anyone else (Tokamak?) signs up for the mild off-road silliness in the mean time.