| 1. This is a mixed route, from hard dirt tracks to B roads to NCR 16, that has some short steep climbs.
Head initially to the B1256 roundabout and turn left onto Coggeshall Road. Follow the B1256 as it turns left at the roundabout into Railway Street. Leave the B1256 at Station Approach and go round past Braintree Railway Station.
At the station, go across the car park and turn left onto the Flitch Way (mostly hard dirt track). Follow this as it swings left, goes under the B1256 and on till you go under the Gore Road bridge. Look for and take the cycle path to the left and go across New Road and into Fairy Hall Lane.
Follow the lane down to the A120, where it turns left and runs parallel with the road. At the T junction turn right and go across the bridge over the A120 and into Great Notley Country Park.
Head out of the park on the cycle path under the A131. Follow this path across Cuckoo Way and on till the cross roads of paths. Turn left and follow the path to Queensborough Lane.
Turn right onto Queensborough Lane and follow this to the T junction with London Road. Turn left onto London Road and follow this through the roundabout under the A120, staying on London Road off the second roundabout. Take the first right off London Road into Tortoiseshell Way.
To the right of Tortoiseshell Way is a cycle path. This veers off left where Tortoiseshell Way turns sharp right. Follow the path up to Godlings Way.
Turn right into Godlings Way and go to the Notley Road junction. Go across onto the cycle path and follow this up past the building and on into Braintree Station car park.
Turn right onto Station Approach and follow this round to the left and back onto Railway Street, B1256. Take the first right turn off into Trinovantian Way and on till the Manor Street T junction. Turn right on to Manor Street.
Follow this road right at the Chapel Hill intersection and straight across the roundabout, heading into the cycle lane at the left of the road.
Take the first turn off on the left and follow this to Stubbs Lane. Turn left onto Stubbs Lane and the left at the T junction into Cressing Road, B1018. Immediately take the pathway on the right into King George's Field. Follow the pathway across the field and then sharp left. Continue on until Martens Meadow. Go left and then right into Clay Pits. Follow this across the roundabout into Clay Pits Way and back to the start.
Difficulty of three due to some short steep hills as you move north to south, but east to west is relatively flat. |