Weather: Windy, sunny and
warm.
Distance: 28 km (17.4 miles) Total
Distance: 2254 miles
My uncle took me Stanford and dropped me off at the ponds used by angling
clubs. A couple of miles on reasonable
paths through fields was a nice start to the day. I
then had a less than enjoyable stretch along the road to the oil refinery being
passed by numerous petrol tankers going to fill up and deliver their
loads.
I
headed north onto farm tracks. I stopped
to chat to a man living at Oozedam farm.
He confirmed my worst fears that there was no way across the river at
the flood barrier. It was well protected by barbed wire etc. This meant a
very long detour up to Basildon.
The
good point was that just beyond the barrier, on Fobling Marshes there was not a
sole or dwelling in sight which meant that I could continue up the sea defenses
even though there was no footpath marked on the map. If this had not been so
it would have been an even longer detour.
The worst part of the path was up near Marsh Farm where the path of the
ground was virtually non-existent and very overgrown. Another mile I was in Pitsea where I had the weird experience of going into the superstore to have a drink and a snack in the restaurant after being so isolated for much of the day.
The next couple more miles meant following a track alongside a railway. Sometimes I even needed to
go on the railway property to get out of the brambles and other undergrowth. There was then a mile or so on the main road
before managing to scramble down the bank onto the sea defenses again.
The next part down East Haven Creek was less
than interesting. When I reached to pub
in Canvey village I had a cool pint of shandy and even tried to phone my uncle who
had offered to come and get me but there was nobody there. I therefore decided to hobble onto Canvey
Island past holiday chalets etc. I was fortunate
at Canvey to find a bus stop relatively easily where I got a bus to Thundesley
and then another onto Rayleigh where I was staying with my relatives.
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