Turpin's Trail will be checked during the summer of 2025 and all three walk descriptions updated. (Walk 2 and 3 have already been completed). Thanks to Robert and Christine Bartlett for re-walking the routes and supplying the changes required.
The area covered by these three linked walks is associated with the birth, childhood and early career of the notorious highwayman Dick Turpin. Hempstead, his birthplace; and Thaxted where he was apprenticed, as well as the picturesque village of Great Sampford which lies between them, are all worth a visit in their own right. Follow the Historical Notes link below for interesting facts about the area these walks pass through and how they are linked to him.
Historical Notes Overview mapWalk 1 with mapWalk 2 with mapWalk 3 with map
Grateful thanks goes to those involved in developing the original trail and the guide to these walks in 2005 which has been the basis for much of the information on this webpage. Uttlesford Ramblers decided to adopt the trail in 2016 after walking the three routes and noticing how overgrown the paths were and some of the waymarks needed replacing. Over the next few years the paths were cleared and new waymarks designed. After re-walking the routes in late 2018 and early 2019, the route guide was updated and additional waymarks were put up. Now Turpin's Trail is ready for eveyone to enjoy by following the guidance notes above. The whole trail is well waymarked with new waymarks but please carry the relevent map (OS Explorer 195 Braintree and Saffron Walden, Scale 1:25,000). Starting and finishing at any point is an option.The routes have been tracked and measured by GPS. If using a pub for the start/finish please ask permission to park before walking.
Thanks goes to all the members who walked the routes, cleared the paths and put up the new waymarks. Special thanks goes to Alan Goffee and Robert Bartlett who got the project off the ground, Daphne Hills who designed the new waymark roundel, Brian Hayes for the GPS routes and Sylvia Hayes for providing the photographs.
