Outdoor writer Peter Aylmer leads you round a selection of Harlow’s 100+ public sculptures, including Moore, Frink, Hepworth and Rodin as well as many talented local sculptors. The celebration of art was key to the vision of Harlow’s master planner, Sir Frederick Gibberd – as also was his understanding of the site, gently sloping down to the River Stort, with its tributaries respected as green corridors to link distinct communities. But is that vision now threatened by new developments on the edge of town?

The walk will also include a special visit to Gibberd Gallery who have kindly agreed to open exclusively for participants on this event.

Meeting place and time: Harlow Town station, 10.30am

Distance of the walk: Five miles

Difficulty of the walk: Easy / moderate. Much of the walk is on paved surfaces but there are a few rougher sections.

The sculpture in the photo is Solo Flight by Antanas Braždys

About the author

Peter Aylmer lives in Sheering, just outside Harlow. His rich understanding of Essex and its countryside started young, visiting his uncle’s farm in the Rodings. Since discovering walking as a young man, he’s since climbed many hills and walked many long-distance paths all over Britain, but still relishes the surprise on people’s faces when he tells them that some of his favourite walking is within his home county.

Peter is the author of the Cicerone Press guides Walking in Essex (second edition, 2019) and Walking in London (2017). He also has his own series of Trailman guides to local trails, including the Stort Valley Way, a circular walk around Harlow’s hinterland, and edits the annual review of the Mountain Bothies Association. Peter’s website trailman.co.uk has details of many walks across Britain and also serves as a shop for his Trailman guides. In 2021, Peter was walk planner for the 500-mile Beach of Dreams exploration of the coast from Lowestoft to Tilbury.

Buy the book

You can buy a copy of Peter Aylmer’s Walking in Essex on bookshop.org