Day: 181 19/2/98 Burnham-on-Crouch to Bradwell Waterside

Weather:  Mild, dry with moderate breeze.

Distance:  25.5km (15.8 miles)    Total Distance:   2337 miles

I must admit to being a bit concerned about today’s walk because looking at the map it was a very desolate stretch and that’s how it proved to be.  My family were over in Ireland for the half-term holiday and I was making the most of what was a very mild spell weather-wise for this time of year.  I drove down and parked the car in a little car park just behind the main street in Burnham.  I bought a few provisions in the local shop and set off.  I was soon out of the built up area and onto the sea wall and on my own.  I was to see hardly anyone for the remainder of the day. 

I had made my mind up that I would try to pace myself so as to not get too tired and to try to give my feet a good break.  I therefore timed it so as to stop once an hour for a drink and a rest. 

My lasting memory of the walk would be the bird life.  At one stage a huge flock of geese took off very close to me flew over me and then back again making an enormous noise. 

One farmer in a tractor did come close to me when I was sat on the sea wall having a break.  I got the impression that it was so rare to see anyone in these parts that he took a detour from doing what he was doing to make sure I was OK or not doing anything wrong. There was evidence of farming on the seaward side also – mussel farming I think it must have been and it looked like it had not been operational for quite a long time.

Apart from these small points there was not mush to take note off until I reached St Peters Chapel which was meant to be one of the oldest in the country.  I took a detour off the path and visited the chapel quickly – and see my first people of the day! 

The structure of Bradwell power station was now in sight and would stay in sight for the last hour of the walk so flat was the land around these parts. It was good to walk into Bradwell Waterside and see buildings and people again!

I started to hitch but there was hardly anybody around in the quiet village of Bradley Waterside so I walked slowly until I reached the junction of the road that came from the power station.  It was not long before a man in a smart car from the Bristol area and on business at the power station stopped.  He sold computers and was trying to solve a software problem they were having – a pretty vital task I would have thought at a nuclear power station!  We got on well and he had no hesitation in driving me back to Burnham even though it was out of his way.  We got lost on the way back along the windy roads and ended up having to stop at a garage and ask the way – we were laughing at why men don’t like to admit they are lost and ask the way.   I collected the car and drove  over to my aunt and uncles in Rayleigh.