St Peter's Way


St Peter's Way is a long-distance footpath in Essex, England. The path leads from Chipping Ongar to the 7th-century Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall at Bradwell-on-Sea. It is waymarked, and shown on Ordnance Survey mapping.

The path

St Peter's Way was conceived by members of the Ramblers Association in 1970, and has been "adopted" by Essex County Council.
The trail starts in Chipping Ongar, in the west of the county, and goes almost due east across rural Essex. It goes through fields and woodland, over commons, through historic villages, past Hanningfield Reservoir, to coastal marshes and along the seawall at the eastern end of the Dengie Peninsula and finishes at the chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall in Bradwell-on-Sea. The term "on the wall" refers to the location of the chapel built on the wall of the Roman fort of Othona. The walk can be extended westward along the Essex Way from Chipping Ongar for about a mile to Greensted Church; the walk then both starts and finishes at a Saxon church.
The trail is waymarked in both directions by a circular red marker with cross keys and inverted crucifix, the text "St. Peter's Way" and the "Essex County Council" logo.
There are no railway stations on the route, except for the preserved Epping Ongar Railway. There are some rural bus services.

Route

St Peter's Way passes through the following locations: Chipping Ongar, High Ongar, Paslow Wood Common, Blackmore, Mill Green, Margaretting Tye, Stock, West Hanningfield, East Hanningfield, Bicknacre, Cock Clarks, Purleigh, Mundon, Maylandsea, Steeple, St Lawrence, Tillingham, the Dengie seawall, and the chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall.
The length of the trail is said to be , . The highest point of the walk is 104 m near Mill Green. The lowest points are along the seawalls.

Adjoining paths

St Peter's Way adjoins several long-distance paths: Essex Way intersects at Chipping Ongar; the Saffron Trail intersects at East Hanningfield; and the Three Forests Way intersects at Chipping Ongar.