Burnham on Crouch Walk

The Essex town of Burnham on Crouch is situated in a lovely location on the Crouch Estuary opposite the RSPB's Wallasea Island.
There's miles of riverside paths to try with a large variety of wildlife to look out for on the estuary. The picturesque quay, with its historic pubs and red-roofed houses, is known within sailing circles as the 'Cowes of the East Coast.'
This circular walk takes you along the River Crouch towards Creeksea to the west of the town.... The route runs for about 3 miles on a series of flat public footpaths. On the way there's nice river views and a visit to the pretty Burnham Marina.
Start the walk on the front, just south of the train station. Here you can pick up public footpaths heading west around the marina to Creeksea. You'll pass Burnham's museum where you can learn all about the maritime history of the town. There's also a number of pretty houseboats and the Yacht club with its restaurant and RNLI Lifeboat Station.
At Creeksea the route then heads inland, passing Creeksea Place farm before following paths back to Burnham.
Pubs and More Info
The Anchor is nicely located right on the riverfront. You can enjoy your meal with fine views across the river. You can find the pub at postcode CM0 8AT.
From Burnham quay, you can catch a boat to view the seals which make their home at the mouth of the estuary.
One other nice idea is to catch the ferry over the river to Wallasea Island where there is a RSPB nature reserve. Here you can pick up the Roach Valley Way to explore the island. The trail also visits the nearby village of Paglesham. The village is a pleasant place for a stroll with trails along the River Crouch and Pagelsham Creek. There's also a fine 17th century pub for refreshments afterwards.
If you head north from the town toward Mayland you could pick up the St Peters Way long distance trail and follow it to the ancient church of St Peter on the Wall. Near here there's also Bradwell on Sea to visit.
For more walking ideas in the area see the Essex Walks page.

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Nearby Routes

St Peters Way Roach Valley Way Wallasea Island Bradwell on Sea Paglesham

Photos

Clock Tower, St Mary's House, Burnham-on-Crouch

Burnham-on-Crouch waterfront. Looking upstream from opposite the Anchor Hotel.

Boats on the River Crouch. These boats are moored alongside pontoons at Essex Marina. In the middle distance is the pier and boatlift used for lifting boats in and out of the water. In the far distance can be seen the two cranes at Baltic Wharf.

Burnham Lifeboat Station

Creeksea ferry. The ferry coming in to land on the south bank of the river Crouch.

Path along sea wall from Creeksea towards Burnham

Saltmarsh On The River Crouch. A case of "Coastal Squeeze", before the reclamation of farmland from the sea the saltmarsh could have stretched for many hundreds of metres inland from the foreshore. Here it is "squeezed" between the river and the sea wall, although things are not too bad, there is a strip of marsh about 100m wide holding back against the erosion.

Small Beach. Brankfleet Spit and mouth of Roach to the south across the estuary. Nice secluded spot for a BBQ.

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