What a difference a week makes! Unlike the previous Saturday, the weather was damp, gloomy and distinctly chilly, which made it difficult for photography, if not for walking.
This week’s objective was the two Essex unitary authorities of Thurrock and Southend along the Thames Estuary. They gained (or in Southend’s case regained) their independence from Essex in 1998. Most people are probably aware of the dubious charms of Southend and only associate Thurrock with Lakeside with shopping. However both places have played an important part in British history. Tilbury Fort (in Thurrock) is the place where Queen Elizabeth fired up her troops to defend England against the Armada and Southend was one of the first places to be bombed by Zeppelins in WW1. Both are quite hilly places for Essex, Southend has its Cliff Railway and Thurrock has Langdon Hills which rise out of the Thames flood plain.Heath Mount (Southend-on-Sea) 197ft
Southend has twin peaks about a mile apart so I had hoped to join them up in a circular walk but total GPS failure, poor map reading and disinclination but paid to that. Heath Mount is a small part of Belfairs Park and Nature Reserve (also confusing known as Hadleigh Great Wood). It was a mixture of broadleaf woodland and golf course, well populated with walkers, runners, dogs, cyclists, horse riders and golfers. I had a pleasant stroll of about half a mile through the trees to the bit of wood identified as the highest point and marked with dog poo bin.London Road A13 (Southend-on-Sea) 200ft
I meandered on through the woods and over the golf course but found myself back at the car park and not in the nature reserve, so I gave up, hopped in the car and relocated myself about a quarter mile from the Southend border. All you can say about the stroll to the top was that it was uphill. The top is marked by the Welcome to Southend sign. Southend is twinned with Sopot in Poland, which is a seaside town with a long pier, more like identical twinning. Normally there is quite a good view over the Thames estuary from this bit of the A13 but about the only thing visible in the gloom was the gas flame at the oil refinery.Langdon Hills (Thurrock) 377ft
Essex, particularly the south-west bit, is well served by country parks, which probably explains why I haven’t visited Langdon Hills more often. It straddles the border between Essex and Thurrock and spread over several different sites linked by footpaths and bridleways. I opted to park at One Tree Hill as this was nearer the top and the gradient less steep but the Langdon Visitors Centre (on the Essex side) is well worth visiting, particularly the Haven Plotland Museum. This tells the story of the Essex plotlands, little chunks of land bought up by Eastenders who spent their weekends in the country.
From the car park there was a fine view east towards Southend and the woods I had just visited. The walk took me through woodlands up to Langdon Hill. The actually top of the hill is on the Essex side as are the grand views west towards London, obscured on this day by the murky weather. The top of Thurrock was along the boundary fence of a very posh house with no view whatsoever. Using map and compass I managed successfully to join up the waymarks that took me past a fine old oak and onto a bridleway back to One Tree Hill. I had to avoid Essex Girl Racers galloping along listening to their Ipods, getting back to Archie as the rain started to fall in earnest.Despite the murky weather and unpromising topping material, I had two very enjoyable walks and discovered somewhere new in my own backyard.
The Old Oak
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