Rainham to Purfleet: 8.3 km (5.1 mi).
Rainham to Purfleet including circuit of RSPB reserve: 12.6 km (7.9 m) .
There is also a return route to Rainham. This adds 3km. (1.9 mi) to the above.
Toughness 0 out of 10, (it says here)
An easy walk, completely flat, well signposted and on tarmac or other hard surfaces..The route is evocative and atmospheric with fine views across the River Thames and the marshes. Along the riverside path, there are some concrete barges, abandoned landing craft made for the 1944 “D” Day landings. Artworks include 'The Diver', and various reminders of local characters, pirates etc.
The RSPB Reserve at Rainham Marshes has an excellent visitor centre,
with a café, shop and toilet facilities. There’s no longer an entry charge and a circuit of the reserve is now included in the main directions. (The reserve’s tarmac and gravel paths can get waterlogged after wet weather, so appropriate footwear recommended).
Travel:
Get the 10:35 Grays train from Fenchurch Street Station (nearest tube, Tower Hill). This stops at Limehouse 10:39, West Ham 10:44, Barking 10:50, arriving Rainham at 10:58.
Trains return from Purfleet at xx:58 and 28, and from Rainham at xx:03 and 33.
Rainham station is in London Travel Zone 6. Purfleet is one stop beyond.
You have to be skilled in the dark arts to get discounts out of the ticket machines at Fenchurch St but the ticket office (at platform level) should be open.
Directions: here t=swc.172
Lunch: Rainham Marshes RSPB Visitor Centre Café, New Tank Hill Rd, Purfleet (01708 899 840).
Tea: Purfleet ending: Royal Hotel, Purfleet., London Road (01708 860 852). 450m from the end of the walk. Although it looks boarded up, recent reviews suggest it is open.
Rainham ending: The Phoenix, A community-run pub, near the station.
Sunday, 4 February 2024
Sunday Walk: Rainham to Purfleet or back.
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1 comment:
N=6 on a w=cloudy-breezy day The morning stretch was indeed interesting as was the walk round the reserve. We sat in the hides. There were some ducks and stuff, none obligingly close, and a flappy swoopy thing I took to be a lapwing. But what do I know.
The visitor centre was crowded. Some may have got coffee but I think it was mainly a picnic oriented lunch.
We all took the route back to Rainham which 2 of us found a bit grim. A lot of it along the service road for the landfill site. The distance back to Rainham from the reserve could have been clearer. It was misinterpreted as being 3km when what was meant was “3k more than the distance to Purfleet”. So more like 3 miles, then.
C2c had halved the number of trains. Four raced ahead to get the 3:33 . Two lumbered along and just missed it. A visit to the Phoenix ensued . Noisy, crowded with wall to wall sports tv. We sat outside. I’ll stick to the Purfleet end in future. Even if it does cost £1.95 more.
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