Length: 20.9 km (13.0 mi) [shorter walk possible, see
below]
Ascent/Descent: 126/120m
Net Walking Time: ca. 4 ½ hours
Toughness: 2 out of 10
Take the 09.23 Southend Victoria train from Liverpool Street (09.30
Stratford [DLR, Overground, Crossrail and Jubilee and Central Lines],
09.48 Shenfield [Crossrail]), change at Wickford onto the
Southminster service (10.02/10.07), which arrives North Fambridge
10.21.
Return trains from Burnham-on-Crouch are on xx.11 (62 mins journey time).
Buy a Burnham-on-Crouch return.
Serenity, tranquillity, solitude: you’ll find lots of it on this walk on the Dengie Peninsula in Essex, which largely follows the tidal River Crouch eastwards towards the North Sea, on a wide grassy path atop the sea wall, and with the prevailing wind in the back. Far away from any conurbations, you’ll experience wide open and scenic countryside, constantly changing river views, salt marshes, reed ponds, mudflats, creeks, rich bird life, sailing boats and marinas, to then end along the promenade in charming Burnham-on-Crouch , with its plethora of tea options. Flat throughout (apart from the diversion inland for lunch at the good value pub The Three Horseshoes in Althorne), and with exceptionally easy route finding.
Shortcuts:
· It is possible to shorten the walk by taking the train back from
Althorne, just before/after lunch.
· You can also cut short the approach to the river from Fambridge
station in the morning by using a more direct route (cuts 1.4 km/0.9 mi) or cut
the Burnham ending short by using a more direct route to the station (cuts 2.1
km/1.3 mi).
· Taking both shortcuts therefore reduces the length of the walk to 17.4
km (10.9 mi).
· Finally, if you bring your own lunch (no shops along the route) for a
picnic by the river, you can cut out the walk inland to the lunch pub, reducing
the walk by 2.9 km/1.8 mi.
Lunch: The Three Horseshoes in Althorne (11.5
km/7.2 mi, open all day, phone: 01621 740307).
Tea: you are spoilt for choice for cafés, restaurants
and pubs in Burnham. For details consult the Walk Directions pdf.
For walk directions, map, height profile, some photos,
a video and gpx/kml files click here .t=swc.162
1 comment:
8 off the train, including 2 rarely before seen ones. Those two struggled a wee bit with the soapy/muddy sections along the starter section of getting to the river, then along the seawall, where clearly locals and dogwalkers had done their bits (plus cyclists although it's a footpath and - as we saw a little later - a guy pushing a pram along the grassy/soapy seawall top!). Those two eventually fell substantially behind (and did not plan to walk up to the lunch pub anyway, so we never saw them again after Althorne, and even there only from distance).
The path did eventually get substantially better and - with it being low tide - we could focus on checking the birdlife. Skeins of geese overhead, waders to the side in the exposed mudflats to the right, egrets emerging from the drainage channels to the left, the sound of curlews and plovers in the air, it was entertaining enough to just about forget about the cold wind onto the face.
About 40 minutes before the turnoff for the lunch pub, the silhuettes of two very familiar Sunday walk regulars appeared, walking towards us. They had been at Liv Street at the right time, but got bad advice from a person in the ticket office and headed for the wrong train on the wrong platform. They then took the next one an hour later, but to Althorne and walked back to meet us and turn back with us to Althorne.
At the lunch pub, we had a pre-booked table for 4 and a high table at the bar for 3 with 1 sitting outside. It is under new mgmt (the same guy who runs the Queen's Head in Burnham) as of last weekend and not everything went smoothly just yet but it looks very promising. One of the group got - correctly - admonished by him for eating her own sandwiches secretly under the table and had to go outside as well, while the others ordered food.
The two late joiners then walked back to Althorne station, while 6 of us carried on. More muddy sections followed, where one of us ever so gracefully slipped and slided into a side-on collison with the elements, but spirits were still high upon reaching Burnham. We were in line to easily meet the 16.11, so that's what we did without a further stop.
n=10 w=dry-and-grey
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