Deepest Essex..

 We don't actually watch "Come Dine With Me", but we did happen to catch a moment where one of the contestants, giving herself airs, said that she always described where she lived as "Suffolk borders", whereas it was, in fact, Essex.

Walking, as we do every Friday, in the Essex countyside you wonder why she felt so conflicted.  This is the old railway station at Rayne, now turned into a little cafe on the Flitch Way.  We began our walk here.

A perfectly level gravel path stretched before us, crossed at intervals by these splendid arches - this one crumbling away.

 All along the route, paths led enticingly across open fields.  Mature trees provided a constant canopy where we saw many squirrels.

 Finally we arrived at Little Dunmow, where we had parked the first car.  North Essex is full of houses like this one.  The second picture is of the "Flitch of Bacon" pub, where we ate lunch.