Follow the tidal River Crouch eastwards towards the North Sea atop the sea wall. Wide open and scenic countryside, mudflats, creeks, rich bird life, sailing boats and marinas.
Length |
20.9 km (13.0 mi), of which 4.4 km (2.7 mi) on tarmac or pavements. For a shorter or longer walk, see below. Time: 4 hours 30 minutes walking time. For the whole outing, including trains, sights and meals, allow at least 7 and a half hours. |
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Maps | OS Landranger Map: 168 (Colchester). OS Explorer Map: 176 (Blackwater Estuary). |
Toughness | 2 out of 10. Cumulative ascent/descent: 126/120m. |
Walk Notes |
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, stark but beautiful, with 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. |
Walk Options |
It is possible to shorten the walk by taking the train back from Althorne, right before or after lunch, or to take a bus from the lunch pub in Althorne to South Woodham Ferrers.
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Transport |
North Fambridge and Burnham-on-Crouch are on the single track Crouch Valley Line from Wickford to Southminster, with one train every 40 minutes Mon-Sat, and hourly trains Sun.
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Lunch and Tea |
The Three Horseshoes, Lower Burnham Road, Althorne, Essex, CM3 6DP (01621 740 307). Open Mon 18.00-22.00, Tue-Wed 12.00-15.00 and 17.00-23.30, Thu-Sat 12.00-23.30, Sun 12.00-22.30. Food served Tue-Thu 12.00-14.30 and 17.00-21.00, Fri-Sat 12.00-21.00, Sun 12.00-19.00. Located 11.5 km into the walk, the Three Horseshoes provides good value, freshly prepared food, from a wide-ranging menu. It has two bars and a large garden at the side. Plenty of options for tea in Burnham. See the pdf for details. |
Profile | |
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Help Us! |
After the walk, we would love to get your feedback You can upload photos to the SWC Group on Flickr (upload your photos) and videos to Youtube. This walk's tags are:
swcwalks
swcwalk162
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By Train |
Out (not a train station) Back (not a train station) |
By Car |
Start CM3 6NE Map Directions Return to the start: Finish CM0 8DG Map Directions Travel to the start: |
Amazon | |
Help |
National Rail: 03457 48 49 50 • Travelline (bus times): 0871 200 22 33 (12p/min) • TFL (London) : 0343 222 1234 |
Version |
Jan-20 Thomas G |
Copyright | © Saturday Walkers Club. All Rights Reserved. No commercial use. No copying. No derivatives. Free with attribution for one time non-commercial use only. www.walkingclub.org.uk/site/license.shtml |
Walk Directions
Full directions for this walk are in a PDF file (link above) which you can print, or download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone.
This is just the introduction. This walk's detailed directions are in a PDF available from wwww.walkingclub.org.uk