Haven Point to Barling Ness

Turning my back on the Thames, I headed north west toward Barling Ness on the river Roach to pick up the coastline. Mainland Essex is separated from the islands to the north east by a series of creeks, some large, some small. Along with Foulness the MOD also occupy Potton Island and Rushley Island, linked to mainland by bridges and causeways.

The sea wall takes a serpentine route along Havengore Creek and Potton creek that I seemed to walk in every direction. At one point you can see Southend and at another Burnham on Crouch. The land is very, very flat so the elevation from the sea wall makes for excellent views all round. There wasn't a great deal to see except for clouds and mysterious military buildings on Potton Island.

Potton Creek was large enough to be navigable and hidden halfway between the Roach and the Thames was a boatyard with a wide variety of craft; houseboats large and small, crusiers and sailboats, and some boats have obviously come to die.