Length: 20.9 km (13.0 mi)
Ascent/Descent: 336m
Net Walking Time: 4 ¾ hours
Toughness: 5/10
[shorter versions possible, see below]
Take the 09.48 Shoeburyness train from London Fenchurch Street (Limehouse
09.52, West Ham 09.57, Barking 10.03, Upminster 10.12),
arrives Laindon 10.22.
Return trains : on xx.27 or xx.57.
This is an energetic and varied figure-of-eight walk through some
tranquil, hilly parts of Essex, mostly through woods, both ancient and modern,
and through flower-rich meadows and some farmland, which are all parts of
Langdon Hills Country Park and the neighbouring Langdon Nature Reserve (which
itself consists of five separate reserves). The hills form a crescent shaped
ridge running West-to-East, giving panoramic views over the Thames Estuary from
many points: out to Canvey Island and Fobbing Marshes in the East, across to
Kent and to London’s Skyline in the West.
The lunch destination Horndon-on-the-Hill is a conservation area and features several noteworthy buildings as well as a multi award-winning pub. On the return you walk through more beautiful, undulating woods and then through the Dunton Plotlands part of the Nature Reserve, an interesting area formerly full of bungalows and chalets for Londoners, now with a brand-new large visitor centre and café.
This walk contains some arable field crossings around lunch (about 1km in total), where it is also afflicted by some road noise from the nearby A13 for a while.
Walk Options:
Shortcuts cut out 2.4 km (1.5 mi) and 2.6 km (1.6 mi)
respectively.
Cutting out the outer loop to
Horndon-on-the-Hill reduces the walk by 5.5 km.
Lunch : The Bell Inn (food 12.00-18.00, a table has been booked for 12.45) or The Swan Inn (food served
12.30-16.00) in Horndon-on-the-Hill (10.4 km/6.4 mi).
Tea : Langdon Visitor Centre in Dunton Plotlands
(café open to 16.00, 3.1 km from the end of the full walk).
For summary, map, height profile, some photos,
walk directions and gpx/kml files click here . T=swc.114
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