Around Little Dunmow

The tiny village of Little Dunmow was the original home of an ancient ceremony known as the Dunmow Flitch Trial. A flitch, or side of bacon, was awarded to a married couple who could claim that they had lived in total peace and harmony for a year and a day.

Nobody is sure how or why the ceremony came to be, but one theory is that the church authorities preferred couples to marry rather than live together as common law man and wife, and a side of bacon, at a time when both food and money were scarce, provided an edible bonus. Winning such a prize in those days was equivalent to winning today's national lottery, and one enterprising couple made a tidy profit by carving off slices to sell to hungry sightseers!

The flitch revived

The ceremony fell out of favour by the mid-18th century but was revived in 1855, thanks to a publicity stunt by novelist Harrison Ainsworth (1805–82). His book, The Flitch of Bacon, was a hit the year before, and in an effort to cash in on its success, he was instrumental in arranging for the Flitch Trial to be moved from Little Dunmow to Great Dunmow. Presiding as judge, he awarded a flitch of bacon to an Ongar builder and his wife and, ever since, the Flitch Trial has been held at Great Dunmow every leap year.

Glory days

The church is all that remains of the old Augustinian priory of Little Dunmow, and its main claim to fame is its association with the Flitch Trial. Founded in the 12th century it was, like other religious houses, dissolved by Henry VIII in 1536. As you leave the church on this walk you pass Priory Place. The house was one of several which belonged to the priory. Beyond it is the site of the priory fishponds. These were kept well stocked to provide food.

A line of wildlife

Part of the walk is along the Flitch Way, a path that was once an old railway line that ran from Bishop’s Stortford to Braintree. The line opened in 1869 and provided services for passengers, farmers and local industries who transported goods to main towns along the route. Passenger services stopped in 1952, and the line was eventually closed down in 1969. Today high hedgerows on either side of the railway form a canopy full of wildlife. Rangers and volunteers work year round to keep the footpaths clear and to help regenerate the area for plants and wildlife, including butterflies, bats and dormice.

Park outside the Flitch of Bacon pub. With your back to the pub turn right and right again into Grange Lane, then turn left towards the church at the public footpath sign. Continue past a row of houses, and at the fingerpost by the church keep ahead for a few paces, then turn left in front of the iron gates to Priory Place. The path becomes enclosed and shortly reaches a playing field. Follow the waymarks and take the right-hand field-edge path, and go through a kissing gate to join the Flitch Way.

Turn right onto the Flitch Way, a 15-mile (24km) linear nature park occupying the site of the old Bishop's Stortford–Braintree railway line. Follow the Flitch Way for 1 mile (1.6km) and look out for where you turn right at Flitch Way Country Park and National Cycle Network signs, before the metal and brick bridge.

At a set of waymarks a few paces further on turn right, away from the bridge, along an uphill track. Continue along this meandering path to the right of the A120 to pass Clobbs Cottage.

At the T-junction turn right away from the footbridge over the A120 and follow Grange Lane back into the village. At the T-junction turn left into The Street, where you will see an old red water pump on the left just before the Flitch of Bacon pub. This was erected in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria's Jubilee by Warners, a foundry that made many village pumps, as well as bells and carillons. Continue to the pub for a well-earned rest.