Great Sampford, Thaxted, Great Easton, Great Dunmow

[juliefaithrigby]

Our Diets are going well I think, Pat seems to do better at keeping within his calories per day where as I struggle.  I try to eat around 1200 Kcals per day but often go over that because I find I start to get bad tempered at work and normally snack on fruit and veg and now have some weight watchers hot chocolate at work to drink when I feel stressed at work or tired.  I am certainly loosing weight and at a nice slow rate and feel better for it.  Pat and I have been enjoying weekend walks around Essex and have slowly been building up in distance as we go along.  We are following a book called Footpaths for Fitness - Essex by Laurie Page.  It is a book of walks that start at around 1 and a half miles and mostly easy flat walks and getting more and more difficult as they go along.  We are now doing around 3 miles with some hills in.  Pat is doing a great job of doing the navigating while walking.

The most interesting route we have taken to our walks is from Bretwood through Ongar, Great Roding, Great Dunmow, Thaxted, Great Easton, and Great Sampford.

Thaxted reminded me of a time William Shakespeare would have lived in.



Just behind the Thaxted Town hall which is the white building, there is a house for sale called the Dick Turpin's cottage and looks like a very interesting place to live.

Just after Thaxted is Great Eastern where there was a Rolls Royce Dealership with a beautiful a wooden frontage.



I can't afford to Rolls Royce but the window shopping was pleasant.



Yesterdays walk in Great Sampford was the most interesting since it took us through woods, cottages, fields with hourses in, churches and up hills.  The rain managed to hold off long enough for us to finish our walk and have a drink in the local pub before heading home.

It is lovely to discover Essex after living here for 3 years.

Comments

[eleyan.livejournal.com]

It's nice to hear from you chaps. I'm glad to hear that you're ok. The photos look wonderful. I've been trying to walk more but mine are rather less interesting than yours, and now that it rains all the time, also much less frequent.
Are you going to Novacon? If so, we look forward to seeing you there.

[juliefaithrigby.livejournal.com]

We won't be at Novacon sadly. I hope you have lots of fun. :-)

I hope to be posting more and photos as well. :-)

[splanky.livejournal.com]

I've been to Thaxted! I had no idea it was near you.