England Coast Path Part 28 North Fambridge to Burnham on Crouch

 

Distance 9:28 Miles

Elevation Gain 66 Feet

Time 03:16:02

After our day yesterday today was a breath of fresh air, Parking at North Fambridge station we head out down the road & in no time we are on the banks of the river with stunning views and a  beautiful blue sky,

Thankfully an uneventful day. 

After yesterdays encounter with private land & blocked footpaths we were not surprised to find that the Essex people even won't share there Marsh land!

😄

                                         

No Adders were encountered

We finish our walk at Burnham on Crouch finding a great coffee shop 

                                     after our refreshments we head off to the station 

Route

 

England Coast Path Part 27 Hockley to North Fambridge

Hockley to North Fambridge

Distance 15.35 Miles

Elevation gain 469 Feet

Time 05:18:00 Hours 

Route

The route you see here was not the route planned read on & you will see why. We were supposed to be walking closer to the fingers of the river.

Our route is planned, accommodation booked & we are set to go!

A late start for us leaving home at 07.45 for our hour & half journey to Hockley. park up & source a parking ticket, app not finding our location! There are more unbeknown hurdles to come!

Finlay setting off with Strava set & our GPX route set we leave the station via the bridge over the train tracks the high street has a good selection of shops.

We spy a bakers with some great looking Hot X buns on display & being good Friday we should partake of the buns, Buns purchased we carry on up the road & bite into the buns, not as fresh as they looked but we still eat them.

Disappointed but hey on we go turning off the road down a teeny-weeny little alley which opens up into fields & stables with some lovely well cared for horses grazing on the grass.

Three miles in we come to the railway tracks with a pedestrian crossing, yes guess what hurdle number two, literally, the crossing is shut, disgustingly no diversion signs, no prior warning, no way are we going back! (Stubborn us!)

So its up & over we go, I go first over a very slippery wooden fence into the woods no problem so far, then Lesley climbs onto the fence swinging her legs over & carefully coming down she has inadvertently snagged a tree branch ripping through her trousers gashing & her leg, now snagged on a tree branch suspended in mid air unable to go backwards or forward but luckily with lifting gear a slight lift up & the branch is released from her trousers we carefully move on to fence number two only a thin wire fence so like a scene from the great escape we push the lower wires down & lift the upper ones squeezing through & approach the track side looking & listening,  over head power lines so that's one less danger to consider.

Looking & listening we cross the tracks, now safely on the other side we are faced with a huge metal fence with a helpful person the other side saying ''you won't get over that''

Standing at the fence the giant ants start to attack! Yes giant forest ants have been awoken & are now crawling everywhere!

Like superman, with the aid of a very well placed 🌴 I managed to climb up & am now on top of the fence looking down on the fierce metal spikes looking up at me, what can go wrong!

Lowering myself down I have escaped the cage of the railway & am safely out, now Lesley does the same manoeuvre (she says it's so good to be climbing again!) stealthily done with me holding her feet steady & the very useful 🌴 we are both safe & over the railway. 

 We have a good shake down & can hear the ants  landing back on the forest floor yes they were huge!

Now looking forward to nice easy walking over a golf course the ladies who said we would not get over the fence appear & ask where we are going & suggest an alternative route which sounds good avoiding a busy road so we take there advise (Mistake!) 

Yes it's away from the road through more fields & stables but it comes out on another busy road. Turning onto the road we follow it to the junction but we inadvertently take the wrong turning, its a good mile or so before we realise our mistake & turn around to rectify the mistake.

Now on the right road the footpath is non existent and we end up walking along the road into Battlesbridge an oasis, a cafe four floors up (altitude & descent) with views across the river with not a footpath in sight!

Four floors up we eat CAKE!

Cake & coffee consumed refreshed we continue along the road turning off to find another non existent path private property do not enter signs etc....How can we it be we are doomed!

U-turn, back to the road which is ridiculously busy trying to cross was nigh on impossible.

More footpath signs but no footpath, this happens on this road a few times we eventually give up looking for usable footpaths & cross to a slower road which is better as it has a pavement

Finally leaving the roads & getting into fields by the the river but only for a short stretch.

 over a bridge & under a the road we make it to South Woodham Ferrers a well kept station meeting one of the volunteers trimming the grass.

More non existent footpath forces us to walk down a very fast single carriage way road so we are again dicing with death, it seemed to go on forever, we were offered two lifts because people were concerned that we were walking along the road but we were at our turn off so it was not necessary to take them up on there offer. Easy walking from here to north Fambridge station on quiet footpaths & tracks.

Finally tranquillity

So as you can see we had quite a dangerous adventurous day but the transport links worked out perfectly!