Trip to the estuary

In my continued quest to walk the whole length of the Thames Estuary I did a walk with a friend from Pitsea in Essex to Leigh-on-Sea.

As usual with this part of the world there was a wide spectrum of experiences from falling over in stinking mud next to a busy road, smashed up cars, to exploring WW2 pillboxes and wetland reserves such as Bowers Marsh.

Once we passed Byfleet the scenery really picked up with wide vistas of the countryside stretching inland with Hadleigh Castle in the foreground on the left and the Thames snaking out to the sea on the right.

On the way to Leigh-on-Sea we stumbled across this boat which is an art installation called Graveyard of Lost Species. Recalling the local tradition of 'wrecking' boats on the salt flats to create break points the sign says the boat represents the decaying of old traditions, ways of life and local dialects on the Thames Estuary - a trend that is sadly occuring across the country.

Leigh-on-Sea was very nice, touristy but still with a quaint fishing village feel to it. I tried cockles and whelks for the first time - the whelks were tasty but I didn't like the cockles!

Southend and Shoeburyness beckons on a future trip.