A Local's Guide to Essex Coastal Walks for Beginners

Essex does not do dramatic cliffs. Its coast is a slow, wide thing of estuaries, saltmarsh, mudflats and long sea walls, which is exactly why it suits a beginner. Almost everything is flat. Paths are usually firm underfoot in dry weather, the views open up within minutes, and you can be back at the car inside an hour if the weather turns. What it does ask of you is a little planning, because the tide here moves across mud and sand faster than most people expect, and a few of the prettiest routes involve a causeway that vanishes at high water.

What makes Essex coastal walking different

Most of the walking is on top of sea walls: raised earth embankments built to keep the sea off low-lying farmland. They run for miles, they are broadly level, and they give you a clear line to follow. Underneath you is marsh, creeks and mud, and beyond that the water.

Expect big skies, wading birds, the smell of salt and estuary mud, and very little shade. Curlews, oystercatchers and little egrets are common; in winter the Brent geese arrive in numbers. Also expect wind. Even on a still day inland, the sea wall can be breezy, so a light jacket earns its place in your bag.

Facilities are thinner on the ground than on a promenade. Some routes have a pub at one end and nothing in between, so plan where you will eat and drink rather than hoping something turns up.

Five easy routes to start with

• Maldon Promenade to Heybridge Basin — about a mile and a half each way along the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. Flat towpath, boats, swans, and a lock-side tea room and a couple of pubs at the far end. Ideal first walk.
• Two Tree Island, Leigh-on-Sea — a nature reserve with a network of flat paths and hides, roughly a couple of miles if you wander the lot. Good for birdwatching and for children on bikes.
• Cudmore Grove, East Mersea — country park with low cliffs, beach, grassland and short circular routes of a mile or two. Sand, shells and a pillbox to poke around.
• Walton-on-the-Naze to Frinton — about two miles along the greensward above the beach, passing the Naze Tower. One way is plenty; catch a bus or walk back.
• Tollesbury Wick — a sea wall circuit of around three miles through an Essex Wildlife Trust reserve. Utterly quiet, wide open, and no facilities at all, so take everything with you.

If you want something with a town at both ends, the gravel path along the River Colne between Colchester and Wivenhoe is flat, well surfaced and about three miles one way, with cafes at the finish.

Tide times are the one thing you must check

Check the tide before you leave the house, not when you arrive. Local tide tables are easy to find online, and harbour noticeboards carry them too. Two reasons this matters here more than on a rocky coast.

First, causeways. The crossings to Northey Island near Maldon and to Osea Island in the Blackwater are covered at high water. They are not shortcuts to be attempted on a whim. The Strood at Mersea, which links the island to the mainland, also floods on the highest spring tides.

Second, mud. Essex mudflats are not a surface you can walk on. They are soft, deep and notoriously good at holding a boot. Never walk out across mud to reach the water's edge, however firm it looks. The tide comes in around the edges and fills the channels behind you first, so the route back can disappear while the water in front still looks distant.

Stay on the sea wall, enjoy the view from there, and turn back with time to spare. If you are ever cut off, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.

Footwear, layers and what actually matters

You do not need expensive kit for these walks. You do need shoes with a bit of grip. Ordinary trainers are fine on dry promenades and firm sea walls. Trail shoes or light walking shoes cope better with muddy field edges and slick, grass-covered embankments after rain.

Wellies are tempting and can be useful in winter, but they are heavy and rub on a long walk. If the ground is genuinely wet, short walking boots are the better answer. What to avoid: smooth-soled fashion trainers, flip-flops and anything you would mind ruining.

For the rest of you, think wind rather than cold. A light waterproof shell, a warm mid-layer, a hat and sun cream, even in spring, because there is nowhere to hide from the sun on a sea wall. Take more water than you think you need, and something to eat if your route has no shops.

If you have a health condition that affects how far or how long you can walk, speak to your GP before choosing a longer route, and start with something short.

Refreshment stops worth planning around

Half the pleasure of these walks is the stop at the end. A few reliable options:

• Heybridge Basin — a lock-side tea room and two pubs, all within sight of the water. Busy on sunny weekends.
• Maldon — the Hythe Quay area and the town centre are a short walk apart, with cafes, bakeries and plenty of benches on the Prom.
• West Mersea — seafood shacks and cafes around the waterfront. The famous oyster sheds are casual, popular and often close early, so check opening days before you build a walk around one.
• Frinton and Walton — cafes along Connaught Avenue in Frinton, kiosks and ice cream near Walton pier.
• Wivenhoe — quayside cafes that make a good full stop to the Colne path.

Opening hours shift with the season, and several places shut on Mondays or close by late afternoon. A quick phone call or a look at a local Facebook page saves disappointment.

Small things that make a bigger difference than you would think

• Park considerately. Many sea wall car parks are small, and some are free precisely because they are not advertised.
• Keep dogs on leads near birds and livestock, and follow reserve signs. Ground-nesting birds are easily disturbed.
• Close gates behind you. Cattle and sheep graze many of these marshes.
• Use a toilet before you start. Public facilities are scarce once you are out on the marsh.
• Take litter home, including anything that blows out of a pocket.
• Tell someone your route and rough return time. Phone signal is patchy on the quieter marshes.
• Carry a paper map or a downloaded one. Battery life and signal both fail at the worst moment.

Before you set off

Fifteen minutes of preparation covers it. Check the tide. Check the weather, especially wind speed. Choose a route you could walk back in half the time if you needed to. Fill a bottle, put a waterproof in your bag, and pick a refreshment stop you are actually looking forward to.

Then set off early, walk at a pace that lets you talk, and turn around while you still feel fresh rather than when you are tired. These walks are gentle by design. Get one under your belt on a bright, calm morning and you will start planning the next one on the drive home.

Photo: wellbreddesign / Pixabay