BBC Walks

Colchester Roman River Walk

Walk Details:
Start Point: Hilly Fields Nature Reserve, north end of Sussex Road, Lexden.
Countryside Rangers Office 01206 282714
Ordnance Survey: ref: TL984252
Distance: approx 3km (2 miles)
Time: approx 1 1/2 hours

Walk Conditions:
Paths are of varying width and a mix of tarmac, compacted earth and grass that can become muddy after rain. There are two short steep hills. There are a number of kissing gates on the route not all of which are wheelchair/buggy friendly due to their width. There is one busy main road that must be crossed twice.

Enter Hilly Fields Local Nature Reserve, turn sharp left and follow the footpath westwards.

There are excellent views across the valley of the river Colne to the railway line and High Woods Country Park. This area is now scrubland but 2,000 years ago it was a thriving industrial suburb of a Roman city.

Look out for rabbits and the burrows of the local Minotaur beetle which buries rabbit droppings to feed its young. During World War II this area would have been grassland for grazing cattle and you will pass a lichen and moss covered pillbox to your left.

Continue along the path until it passes through a mature hedge by a large Oak tree. Bear right down the slope, following the line of the Broom and Oak hedge and continue downhill across the next field.

At the bottom of the slope you will come to a narrow kissing gate - wheelchair access is difficult - and a wildlife meadow.

This part of the reserve was formerly a seed growing ground (Buntings Nursery) and is now managed for butterflies as part of the LNR.

In summer look out for Skipper butterflies, Hummingbird Hawkmoths and distinctive yellow and black Cinnabar caterpillars among the Ox-Eye Daisy, Pink Mallow, yellow Lady's Bedstraw, Purple Hardheads, Teasles and Wormwood.

Pass through the second kissing gate, walk to the far end of the Hubert Road and turn right into Glen Avenue. Turn left into Cymbeline Way (Avenue of Remembrance) and walk along the verge beside a row of cherry trees. At the roundabout cross the road carefully using the island. This is a very busy road so take care. Turn right down Spring Lane, pass Mill Paddock Cottage and bear to the right.

The lane crosses the river Colne at a white painted Victorian bridge. Continue, passing the brick edifices of The Grist Mill on the left and The Bridge House on the right, and a field of cattle opposite.

Where Spring Lane meets Bakers Lane, turn right onto Cymbeline Meadows Farm trail, passing a willow plantation on the right.

The Chase Way runs alongside the Iron Age Lexden Dyke (to your left), an ancient earth bank constructed by hand around 2,000 years ago for defensive reasons. These dykes were built in the 1st century BC and enclosed an area of about 30 square kilometres.

Look out for Harebells in the summer and Sheep Sorrel which grows along the top of the bank on thin acid soil. Also note the large pollarded Oaks, which are several hundred years old. The rotton wood inside the trunks provides a thriving home for insects and beetles.

Follow the footpath leading off to the right next to tennis courts (signposted Sheepen Road). Through a kissing gate the path opens out into a grassy area with picnic tables and benches.

The path runs alongside an Elm and Elder hedge, where Wild Rose, Hawthorn and Aspen abound, home to flitting sparrows and Meadow Brown and Red Admiral butterflies in summer. Cherry, Hazel, Walnut and American Red Oak trees have been planted.

Look out for orange soldier beetles on the Hogweed growing alongside the river. The bed has not always flowed on its present course, but has moved from side to side. Notice the water worn pebbles where the ground has been disturbed, deposited by the river when it flows further north.

Cross the footbridge over the clear river. Look out for electric blue or green Banded Demoiselle damselflies. Birdlife includes Sedge Warblers, Swans, ducks, Seagulls, Swifts, Swallows , Housemartins and wading birds. Early in the morning you might be lucky enough to see a Watervole.

Plantlife includes Arrowhead, Bulrush, yellow Water Lily, Greater Willowherb and Purple Loosestrife.

Follow the meandering river on either bank side to Sheepen Bridge (you can cross to the south bank by going over the footbridge and through the narrow kissing gate into the cattle grazing field, keeping the river on your left).

The outside of the bends erosion by the water cuts a vertical bank (good for nesting Kingfishers) whilst on the inside of the bends, where the current is slower, sediment is deposited and there are beds of vegetation such as watercress.

Look out for Stag Beetles, Wood Pigeons and Green Woodpeckers, mature Oaks and Alders whose roots grow in wet ground.

Turn right through the gate into Water Lane, cross Cymbeline Way into Sheepen Road and a little further on the right take the footpath marked Lexden. Where the track turns south follow an unmade path to the left along the hedge.

This area was the site of Roman Temples, although nothing now remains on the surface.
About 3,000 years ago, in the Middle Bronze Age, one of the first cauldrons made in northern Europe was taken up this hill and buried half way up in a religious ceremony. It was excavated in 1933 and is of great significance as one of the earliest pieces of sheet metal work in Europe. It can now be seen in Colchester Castle Museum.

Acid grassland dominates, with red Sheep's Sorrel and Ragwort. In July look out for the distinctive Cinnabar caterpillar with its yellow and black stripes.

Turn left at the T-junction of paths and continue eastwards. Leaving Hilly Fields by the stile continue eastwards up a steep narrow sandy path. At the top of the hill turn left along Pope's Lane and cross Balkerne Hill via the footbridge.

Here you can see one of the finest surviving stretches of the Roman wall built nearly 2,000 years ago. This is the oldest Roman wall in Britain, built between AD65 and AD80 just after the defeat of Boudica in AD60.

Notice the layers of tile and septaria, nodules derived from the 50 million year old London Clay deposits which underlie much of Essex. The walls are an important habitat for wallflowers, snapdragons, rare lichens and simple colonies of algae and funghi.

Ahead is the Hole in the Wall pub. The name of this pub came about as a result of the railway coming to Colchester in 1843. A 'hole' was made in the wall in order to give patrons of the pub a better view of the newly constructed Great Eastern Railway.

If you wish to extend the walk and explore the town further continue through Balkerne Gate to Jumbo water tower and Duncan's Gate. Otherwise retrace your steps across the bridge and past the hospital site, rejoining the path along the south side of Hilly Fields, walk westwards until the starting point at Sussex Road is reached.