Dedham Footpath Group

Formed in 1975, initially as a pressure group to counter fears that certain of the less used footpaths in the Parish might be lost, the Dedham Footpath Group has now become established as a valuable outlet for those from the village and beyond who enjoy country walks in the company of like-minded people. The village of Dedham itself has almost fifty accessible rights of way  and with the neighbouring parishes of Langham, Ardleigh, Stoke-by-Nayland, Higham, Lawford and East Bergholt  provides a rich and enticing flavour of the local countryside, much of which has become immortalised in the paintings of John Constable.  

Members of the group organise between twelve and fifteen separate outings each year mostly on Sundays either in the morning or afternoon or, during the early summer, on Friday evenings. The length of a group walk is usually less than six miles and most leaders, through popular demand, include a pub lunch or some other refreshments at the conclusion of their jaunt. Occasionally a slighter longer walk is included in the programme but even then leaders try to accommodate the needs of the less energetic by including a shorter route. Approximately half of the chosen outings are in the Dedham parish itself and the rest could be anywhere up to fifteen miles distant. The attendance is normally up to fifteen and this is sometimes boosted if members bring along friends and family members. We do always strive to increase our membership which is made of all age groups many of whom live outside the immediate parish.  Only members are covered by the group's insurance policy. Well behaved pet dogs are welcomed on the outings although they must be kept on a lead.  To view the 2011 programme click here.

The present committee is chaired by John Osborn (johnfosborn@btinternet.com), with  Martin Broom (01206 322578) (mandp1967@btinternet.com) as Secretary and Robert Cort (robertgcort@googlemail.com) as Treasurer. The other members of the committee are Sheila Beeton, Pauline Broom and Eve Jones (evacarl@onetel.com).

The membership fee for 2011 is £6. This includes a sum towards the cost of third party insurance cover which is now in place for all organised walks.

To view the 2011 programme of walks click here

Annual barbecue day walk near Flatford Mill

A Group walk on a hot June day between Wrabness and Manningtree

To view a footpath guide for the parish of Dedham, click here.