Indulge in some Essex sea-wall walking on the north bank of the River Roach, in the lovely but often-overlooked parish of Stambridge
Words and photos: Simon Taylor, Public Rights of Way team at Essex County Council
Distance: 5 miles (8km).
Starting point: Mill Lane, off Stambridge Road, postcode SS4 2AA, grid reference TQ887905. Parking is available on-street.
Getting there: From the A127, take the A1159 Southend Road north to Rochford. From Rochford, Stambridge is signposted via South Street, North Street, Weir Pond Road and Stambridge Road. Mill Lane is on the right, just outside Rochford, signposted for Stambridge Mills. There is a bus stop at the end of Mill Lane served by the 60/60A Southend – Paglesham route (essexbus.info).
Map: OS Explorer 175 Southend-on-Sea & Basildon or 176 Blackwater Estuary (the entire route is on either map).
Refreshment: The walk passes two pubs: The Royal Oak and The Cherry Tree.
Places of interest: Barton Hall, accessible by footpath from Hampton Barns (point 3) was home to Richard Brito, one of the four knights who assassinated Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170. For more than 500 years there was a tidal flour mill at the bottom of Mill Lane. Although the most recent construction was severely damaged by fire in the 1960s, it continued to operate until well into the current century and some buildings and bridges remain. Further afield, the RSPB reserve at Wallasea Island (2.5 miles north east of Great Stambridge) is a birdwatcher’s paradise, recently landscaped utilising more than three million tonnes of spoil from the excavation of London’s Crossrail project.
Interactive map: essexhighways.org/getting-around/public-rights-of-way/prow-interactive-map
The walk
1. Walk down Mill Lane away from Stambridge Road and take the path opposite house number 4. Across the field, pass between the fishing lakes and through some metal railings to emerge beside the cricket pitch. Continue across this to a wooden gate beside a metal field gate, from where a hedged path leads down to the sea wall.
2. Turn left and follow the sea wall east, with views of the boatyard behind you. The path passes along the top of the sea wall for 2.5 kilometres, with farmland on the left and the marshy, muddy bank of the River Roach on the right. Estuarine birds and the typical saltmarsh marginal flora (and related fauna) abound. On a clear day, the high-rise buildings of Southend can be seen looming on the horizon to the south, contrasting with the otherwise very rural surroundings. Eventually, the path turns north to skirt Bartonhall Creek.
3. At Hampton Barns, the sea wall path descends to meet a tarmacked lane. Turn left along the lane, as indicated by a concrete footpath fingerpost. After 200 metres, the tarmacked lane veers off to the left, but the footpath continues straight, as a grassy track with two strips of crushed cockle shells. Pass an equestrian manège on the left then continue, with the hedge to your right, for the best part of a kilometre until emerging onto Stambridge Road in the village of Great Stambridge, beside Ash Tree Court. Turn right to reach The Royal Oak pub.
4. Past the pub, turn down Stewards Elm Farm Lane, then turn left to enter the footpath just before some iron railings. The path continues, winding between hedges on either side, to emerge alongside an arable field. Follow the edge and then turn left at a raised manhole. Cross the field, then continue beside a hedge before turning right, then left, around the edge of another field. Continue straight on, with poultry sheds visible ahead, to emerge onto Stambridge Road beside The Cherry Tree pub.
5. Turn right along the footway, and in 200 metres, carefully cross the road to return to Mill Lane.
