England Coast Path Part 31 Maylandsea to Heybridge basin

So today is a special day as we have guest walkers, we don't have guest's often but it's a pleasure when we do & as today is our last of three consecutive days it also can help with transport.

We have arranged to meet Joe & Nicky at our accommodation at Maylandsea, They have even made us a packed lunch. They arrive at the agreed time hand out the packed lunches & we lighten our bags leaving excess baggage in the car.

 Distance11.49 miles 60 feet 4 hours 

Elevation gain 60 feet

Time 4:03 Hours

Joe & Nicky join us as guest walkers

Starting at the sailing club we turn onto the sea wall starting on a gravel track but it soon turns into long grass, winding our way along the sea wall slowly getting nearer our destination.

The weather today is not bright sun like the last two days but cloudy & windy its still warm but the wind cools the air.

Happy walkers

Finally out of the long grass we are on the concrete sea wall approaching Heybridge which can be seen in the background of the photo above. Soon enough we are at Heybridge & stop at a cafe for a coffee & sandwich, Delicious they were too, always better when someone else makes them. Thank you Joe & Nicky.  

Refuelled we continue on our way past the docks where several square riggers moored.

We pass through the back streets of Heybridge past what would have been shipwrights sheds & yards now some have been turned into cottages.

No selfie Photo courtesy of Nicky

Now on the northern bank of the River Chelmer we pass a disused gravel pit now a bird sanctuary. Now on the home straight we arrive at Heybridge Basin.

All that's left for today is a gentle stroll along the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation back into town to catch the bus back to Maylandsea.

The bus is full, full of very well behaved school children unlike the school children at Beulieu where the language was well not what you would expect.

Due to the bus being full I was standing near the driver, a very pleasant chap named  Alan with his neat tie & straw hat, he was a chatty chap quite amusing, the bus  was on diversion down some narrow country roads & Alan momentarily  forgot so had to turn the bus around in a small T junction. 

Reaching Maylandsea the bus stop is right next to the Joe's car. The next leg of our journey is for Joe to drop us back at our car in Burnham-on-Crouch.  the end of a great three days walking with some guests along the way.

Route

England Coast Path Part 30A Circular evening walk Maylandsea.

 Distance 2.98

Elevation gain  9 feet

Time 1 Hour7 minutes

After that refreshing  pint a shower & some food we head out to walk the circular route again taking in ECP territory.

Starting at Maylandsea harbour we first pass a wood fired pizza trailer, had we known we could have eaten dinner here.

The tide is again at low water & the sun is glinting on the wet mud of the river bed ships stranded until rescued by the incoming water.

Starting on the path a good concrete one with some children playing on a rope swing a live singer in the yacht club a great vibe. But soon the path becomes again overgrown with long grass but nothing we have not encountered before.

Short grass

We pass two other walkers twice! as they were also walking the circular route chatted to one guy who was just in the area for the day & acknowledged the other guy.

Route

England Coast Path Part 30 Bradwell on Sea to MaylandSea

After a very comfortable night we are up reasonably early to another bright sunny morning, we have our breakfast, pack our belongings into our bags & clean the cabin.

We are off at 07:20 crunching our way out of the gravel driveway & down the road, Turning into the field Lesley remembers that we have not taken our sandwiches from the fridge! Dropping my back pack leaving Lesley I go back to the cabin & retrieve them. No one has stirred in the house I crunch my way back out onto the road jog & walk back to re-join Lesley & continue our walk back onto the coast path.

Todays stats

Mileage 15.84

Elevation gain 93 Feet

Time 05:46

Meandering our way around the corn fields we are soon back on the waters edge.
The tide is out low water, mud flats & mud banks again clearly visible with the clear blue skies  and cooling breeze, what is better than wandering  free, no one around.

Shortly we spy  a small blue tent pitched on the beach with the light sound of snoring coming from it, a fellow walker? we pass silently leaving them to rest. 

We are soon passing the Bradwell 'B' Nuclear power station silently going about its business generating our beloved electricity that no man can live without.

Then we are at Bradwell waterside Marina, we stop for a coffee along with the Harley Davidson bikers with their breakfast baps in hand.

Yesterday we has long grass, today we have full on forests.

I have just emerged from the dense foliage & Lesley is right on my heels.

Here she comes, see I told you she was there!

Coming into  St Lawrence we pass waterside holiday park a well established mobile home park with well kempt gardens & some neatly mown grass. There are children out playing & adults passing the time, all very friendly.

We then have to turn inland past an inaccessible beach even though the map shows the path across the beach past the pub but it's closed back onto the shore line of the River Blackwater with small sandy beaches, children playing in the sand & adults on the water with jet skis & motor boats.

Turning a corner onto Mayland creek we follow the creek to the end weaving along past dried up mud ponds large cracks in the mud warning us of the warming drying out planet we inhabit & the damage human activity has.

Arriving at our destination an easy check in with a coded key box a little apartment behind the pub. A trip to the Nisa convenience store to gather supplies for the evening then to the pub.

A well earned pint or two.

 

Route of the day

England Coast Path Part 29A

 We dropped our bags off at our accommodation East hall cottages a cosy little cabin near the stable yard overlooking fields with horses grazing soaking up the sun.

www.airbnb.com/rooms/52387159

We were looking for some food & checked out a caravan park just down the road but they were not doing food until later in the day & unfortunately the nearest pub, The Cricketers had closed down so we walked past the rundown Cricketers pub into Bradwell on sea a tiny village with a quaint community run shop.

After some debate about what to buy best calorific, protein value food & of course an ice cream we went into the adjacent church yard & sat to eat our ice creams.    

And then into the pub, the Kings head, for a packet of crisps and a pint, a  pint of Ghost ship a very nice pint too, a well kept cellar, Shame there were only three locals sitting at the bar talking about the Epsom derby races whilst the tv had the football showing.

We sat outside in the sun Lesley  drinking  a Lime & soda & of course me, my pint. With our evening supplies secured in bags & pockets we strolled back to East hall cottages.

Later that evening.

It was a beautiful evening & I had been studying the map realising that there was a circular walk that would incorporate about 3 miles of the coast path saving us mileage tomorrow also meaning we can walk without our packs so we out our boots on & set off on now named ECP Part 29A#

The evening sun is glorious as we walk back to St Peters Chapel, trying the door handle, it's open.

Wild flowers 

Cool and quiet, a moment to contemplate 

Back outside in the bright evening sun we carry on around the coast path, with the tide low we can see the sunken barges (Photo below) they were intentionally sunk filled with concrete to protect the wetlands.

Map of the evening walk 4.49 Miles

we don't know the mileage to the village pub as we don't record all of our outings when we are away but I think to the village pub & back was over three miles so we covered over 23 miles today.

England Coast Path Part 29 Burnham on Crouch to Bradwell on Sea

Distance15:49 miles

Elevation gain 41 feet

Time:5:33 hours

It's time to scratch that itch, Walking  some more sections of the England Coast Path this time picking up from where we left off in Burnham on Crouch, the forecast is good for the next three days & with accommodation booked we are doing a linier walk so hopefully it will work out 🤞 

With an early start from home we drive to Burnham on Crouch leaving the car in a side road just a few meters from the path. What luck! its 08:20 & we are on our way, quick stop at the lovely clean toilets before heading out into the countryside. A quiet path no dog walkers. 

Leaving Burnham on Crouch

 The path is not well trodden with knee length grass growing over the track, this continues for a few miles but its dry & reasonably easy walking.

The path is not well trodden

The tide is low & the snake like patterns in the mud are visible with the water winding it's way along. 

The path widens with a stone surface & we pass an interesting shaped pill box left from the costal defences from the second world war.

A pavement along the top of the sea wall enables us to speed up & we try a bit of speed walking!

Continuing along the sea wall we reach a gate of human shame, Plastic pollution collected from the beach.

Gate of human shame

            Further down the beach we come across an unpleasant  sight. A dead seal.

Natural causes or plastic pollution death?

We also had some aeronautical entertainment. in the picture below you can see a red arrow jet doing some manoeuvres.

                                                                     Found it?

                                    No !!!!

                                                         Ok I will give you a clue!

                                                                              

We pass a walker coming from Saint Peters chapel our destination who tells us that the path ahead is very overgrown & almost impassable.

 He is not wrong, With the grass up to shoulder height (I'm 5'8'') we push our way through until coming to a farm where the grass has been cut, thankfully this nice cut grass continues until saint Peters chapel.

St Peters Chapel

Route map 15:49 miles