Southend Pier walk

3.5 miles (5.6 km) from the station. 2.6 miles (4.3 km) if you park next to it.

Southend has 2 stations, a few minutes walk apart. Trains to Southend Central go from Fenchurch Street (2 per hour, 50 mins) and to Southend Victoria from Liverpool Street (1 hour 5 mins, 4 per hour). Make sure it's not a stopping train! £14.70 super off peak return at weekends.

C2C (trains from Fenchurch Street) have serveral obfuscated discounts.

• Buy online from the C2C website 3 days in advance to get a 40% discount (makes a difference Mon-Fri when super-off-peak tickets aren't available), railcards get a further 1/3 off.
• A Senior Rover (day pass) is £10 (£7 London Freedom Pass holders). Either 65+, or 60+ with a Senior Railcard

By car: Pay and Display on-street parking along the seafront road, about £1.50/hour. Free after 6pm. Free on inland roads a miles or so either side of the 'pier' area.

This is a lovely stroll along Southend Pier, the world's longest pleasure pier (1.34 miles / 2.16 km long, in each direction!) [Wikipedia] out into the Thames Estuary. It may be a bracing walk in winter!

As an alternative to walking, there's a pier railway. 2 trains (diesel) per hour.

At the end of the pier is a glass fronted cafe (think coffee and panini rather than egg and chips) or you could take a picnic, and a lifeboat station with a sun terrace. It a nice spot with a breeze and for looking out over the estuary and shipping lanes. The Cafe may be closed off season.

Cost. Walk: £2 (£1 Nov-Mar). Train £5.35 return.

Opening Times: Closes: Aug-Sep: 9pm, Oct & Apr: 6pm, Nov-Mar: 6pm (Closed Xmas Day and Mon-Tue except school holidays). Last admission 1 hour before. NB: Google maps has different opening times from the pier's page on the council website.

Train times: out xx:00 and xx:30, back xx:15, xx:45

The small cafe building at the end of the pier used for Jammie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast is only a film set, it isn't actually a cafe in real life, just a kiosk for selling ice cream in high season.