Discover Sheering: Walking Trail, Stort and History

Sheering combines a varied circular walking route with a remarkable architectural and landscape history. Those looking for a holiday apartment or holiday house can therefore consider the village especially if walks, historic buildings and discoveries by the water are part of their travel plans.

Walking through the landscape along the Stort

The Sheering Country Walk is a 7½-mile circular walking route away from the Stort Valley Way. The Stort Navigation provides an important guide to the route: its towpath forms most of the northern and eastern sections of the Sheering Country Walk. This makes it possible to include the route as a walking option in a day’s plans without all sections necessarily having the same character.

Several old pollarded field maples stand along the boundary ditches beside the route. The largest has a circumference of 4.8 metres. Details like these give the walk a special connection with the landscape, because they bring not only the route itself but also the traditional forms of field boundaries into view. At Marsh Lane, there are water meadows along the River Stort. They were created by draining and digging ditches in the former marshland and show how closely today’s landscape is connected with its history of land use.

Feakes Lock is also part of the history of the waterways. The lock is one of fifteen locks along the Stort Navigation. Those who enjoy walking along canals can take this aspect into account when choosing their holiday destination, just as they can the circular walking route.

Mills, maltings and historic houses

The Maltings in Sheering is a Grade II listed building and part of an extensive series of brick maltings dating from the mid to late 19th century. The area around The Maltings also has antique centres that visitors can explore. This allows a trip to be complemented by architecture and historic objects without focusing on just one activity.

A 17th-century mill still stands beside the canal on Sheering Mill Lane. St Mary’s Church in Sheering dates from the Middle Ages. It is open for services on the first four Sundays of each month from 10 a.m.; services begin at 10.30 a.m. This specific time information is relevant for travel planning if you would like to combine your stay with attending a service.

Sheering Hall consists of hall houses dating from the late 15th and early 16th centuries. They form a “Unit System” group of manorial status. Other historic features include the Gate Piers of Durrington Hall: the stone gate piers date from the 18th or 19th century, stand about 100 metres west of Durrington Hall and are listed for their group value.

Which accommodation suits your stay?

A holiday apartment in Sheering is a good base for a trip in which you want to vary your days: one day taking a longer loop on the Sheering Country Walk, and another visiting maltings, the mill or historic houses. What matters most is which aspects you want to prioritise. Those who want to focus on the waterside landscape can include the towpath, locks and water meadows in their plans. For travellers interested in cultural history, The Maltings, St Mary’s Church and Sheering Hall are the main highlights.

For further travel planning, you can also look at other destinations in the surrounding area: West Mersea, Clavering, Coggeshall, Great Hallingbury, Saffron Walden, Dedham, Takeley and Great Dunmow.

Sheering is therefore an interesting choice for travellers who want to combine activity, waterside landscapes and built heritage. When looking for accommodation, you can make your preferred daily rhythm the starting point: a longer walk, a cultural and historical tour, or a trip that alternates between the two.

For the broader travel overview: Essex.