Tag Archives: english

30. Fobbing to Tilbury

Posted on September 25, 2010 by Ruth Livingstone

“Or, if you walk into the village, you may be able to catch a bus.”
“I am not allowed to travel by bus,” I tell him.
If he thinks this is a little odd, he is too polite to say so.
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Posted in 04 Essex | Tagged britain, british, Coalhouse Fort, coast, coastal, england, english, Essex, Essex Coast, ferry, foot path, footpath, fort, GB, hiking, path, photography, rambling, river, Thames, Tilbury, tip, travel, UK, walk, walker, walking | 3 Comments

29. Southend to Basildon to Fobbing

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Ruth Livingstone

I hesitate outside the dark mouth of the gloomy alleyway. For the first time on my whole journey, I feel very uneasy. I am not concerned about tides, or mud, or even snakes. It is the thought of ….. Continue reading →

Posted in 04 Essex | Tagged Basildon, coast, coastal, england, english, Essex, Essex Coast, farm, foot path, footpath, hiking, horses, manure, marsh, photography, travel, UK, walk, walker, walking | 11 Comments

28. Great Wakering to Southend to Leigh-on-Sea

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Ruth Livingstone

Southend is full of sunlight but I am surrounded by warning signs. I am forbidden from walking along the beach – first by Ministry of Defence warning signs and later by an oil spill. I scratch my insect bites and have some close encounters with blackberry bushes, before becoming trapped in deep, dark stairwell …. Continue reading →

Posted in 04 Essex | Tagged beach, britain, british, coast, coastal erosion, england, english, Essex, Essex Coast, foot path, footpath, GB, hiking, Ministry of Defence, oil, path, pier, Shoeburyness, Southend, travel, UK, walk, walker, walking | 18 Comments

26. Burnham on Crouch to Rochford

Posted on September 19, 2010 by Ruth Livingstone

I am planning to make good progress over the next few days. Who knows, I might even manage to leave Essex. With 350 miles of coastline, Essex has the longest coastline in England. I was not aware of this fact before I encountered its miles of estuaries ….
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Posted in 04 Essex | Tagged boat, boatyard, britain, british, Burnham-on-Crouch, coast, coastal, england, english, Essex, Essex Coast, ferry, foot path, footpath, hiking, marsh, path, photography, River Roach, Rochford, RSPB, UK, walk, walker, walking, Wallasea | 5 Comments

22. Maldon to Maylandsea

Posted on August 28, 2010 by Ruth Livingstone

Here is Byrhtnoth, the Earldorman of Essex, bold and fierce, looking out to sea. I see Bradwell Power Station ahead of me and realise am making little progress. I worry about snakes and twisted ankles …. then my phone dies. Continue reading →

Posted in 04 Essex | Tagged britain, british, Byrhtnoth, coast, coastal, england, english, Essex, hiking, Maldon, photography, UK, viking, walk, walker, walking | 3 Comments

Stage 20. Old Hall Marshes to Tollesbury

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Ruth Livingstone

Bradwell Power Station looms menacingly on the horizon. There is the threat of rain and strange colour-changing light. My trousers look like an insect graveyard – sticky webs with spiders, flies, butterflies, beetles, ladybirds… Little flies extract their revenge on behalf of the insect kingdom, attacking my upper arms. Continue reading →

Posted in 04 Essex | Tagged Blackwater, britain, british, coast, coastal, england, english, Essex, hiking, insects, light, marina, marsh, nature reserve, nuclear, path, photography, pier, power station, rain, ships, Tollesbury, walk, walker, walking | 10 Comments

Stage 19. West Mersea to Peldon to Old Hall Farm

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Ruth Livingstone

This is a day of highs and lows – and of unanswered questions. What has caused the death of all these little crabs? Why am I forced to play “chicken” with uncoming cars? And what is the purpose of that large, menacing building in the distance? Continue reading →

Posted in 04 Essex | Tagged beach, britain, british, coast, coastal, crabs, england, english, Essex, hiking, Mersea, Old Hall Marshes, path, Peldon, photography, traffic, walk, walker, walking, West Mersea | 9 Comments

Stage 16. Harwich to Kirby-le-Soken

Posted on July 10, 2010 by Ruth Livingstone

The heat is relentless – more like Spain than England – and the air is hot and close around my face. My chest feels tight and I am having trouble breathing. I hear the sound of horse hooves behind me and have to force myself not to stop. There is horsey breath coming over my shoulder…. Continue reading →

Posted in 04 Essex | Tagged britain, british, coast, coastal, Dovercourt, england, english, Essex, Essex Coast, foot path, footpath, Hamford Water, Harwich, hiking, horse, Kirby-le-Soken, Lowestoft, marsh, Norfolk Coastal Path, path, UK, walk, walker, walking | 12 Comments

Stage 7. Sheringham to Overstrand to Mundesley

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Ruth Livingstone

I forget my socks. There is nobody here at all. Nobody. On my right are crumbling cliffs with no way up. If you were caught here with a rising tide, it would be difficult to escape the waves. Continue reading →