Hadleigh to Leigh-on-sea

We drove to Hadleigh Country Park.  Google Maps directed us further down the Benfleet Road than I remembered going. We ended up having to reverse up a steepish hill on a narrow driveway leading to two or three very large houses.  Then it was back to St. Johns Road, and down Chapel Lane, as I remembered it from our last trip.

It is a beautiful day, with clear views over the Thames Estuary.  The path from the Country Park to the Castle is covered in crushed stone.  We spotted a sparrow with something in its beak.  It looked like a piece of plastic, the sunlight glinting off it. As we watched the sparrow repeatedly bashing whatever it was on the ground, it became clear that it was a dragon fly.  Once it had knocked the wings off, it flew away with its prize, leaving us to examine the remains, a shining lacy wing. 

After about a mile, we arrived at the castle.  Once a trio of mums had decided they were not staying, I was able to take a picture of Southend Pier between the towers.  Last time I did this it was an overcast day.  (https://3cephas.blogspot.com/2022/06/hadleigh-park-and-castle.html)  Hopefully this is a better picture.

Instead of walking down towards the railway, we followed the Saffron Trail.  It runs about halfway up the hill and is a purpose made track, used for walking and cycling.  I'm not sure if it was here last time we came, but it has definitely been here a while as there are shrubs growing through the plastic base.

As we arrived in old Leigh, the tide was coming in.  We had lunch at The Peterboat and wandered through along the high street to the beach, where we turned back.  Now with an ice cream we sat on the sea wall and watched the river.  Then went to look for the cockle sheds.  I can remember it being very open, and running up (or trying to) the piles of cockleshells. I could dive into them too, like a ball pit. Now, it is much more developed and access behind the cockle sheds is much more difficult. The sheds themselves are much more modern with lots of stainless-steal in a bright environment.  It used to be dingy, hot, and smell of fish, none of that now. The boatyard is also now behind a huge fence, where it used to be open and easily accessible.

We decided to get the bus back, as it was due in about 5 minutes.  The driver of the number 26 had other ideas.  Pulling into the wrong stand, he drove straight through, and completely ignored the passengers, all of whom were less than regulars.  

The next one was 35 minutes away, so we waited.  We got off at Homestead Gardens and walked down Chapel Lane.  By now it had started to rain a little.  Once we were in the Hub Café, the rain came down harder.  I left my bag behind, over the back of the chair, so halfway down Rayleigh Road, we had to turn around to retrieve it.  Fortunately it was still there.

Foulness, Old Leigh, Hadleigh Castle & Wallasea Island

An alternative title might have been "No Entry" or "Places we haven't been", either as it turned out could have been the theme through the day.

2009_0907 Old Leigh, Hadleigh Castle, Wallasea Island

We started the day on an ancestor hunt. James Knight is a great grandfather of mine, he was rector of Foulness. We decided to visit the church. There was information on the web that suggested there are public roads on the island. The man at the gate agreed they were public, but still insisted that we could not drive on them. He seemed incapable of seeing the contradiction. We tried the next island round, and couldn't get on there either. The road to Potton Island was just a dead end.

After discounting a visit to the archives on such a lovely day we went to Old Leigh. Last time I was there was probably 30 years ago. Many of the boat yards have gone, and the town is now full of places to eat. The other noticeable difference is that the trains are much quieter. There is also a museum now, and in what looks like a derelict house a stone marking a spring, which is presumably why the town was recorded in the Doomsday Book.

Then on to Hadleigh Castle which has changed a lot. I remember it as a neglected ruin, now it has had the English Heritage treatment - about time too. There are still cows in the surrounding fields, and they are still menacing enough to stop me going in the field. We had lunch at the Salvation Army Tea Room. I think they were a little overrun by the result of the good weather, they had already run out of some items.

We decided to return to Wallasea, and got to walk along the sea wall. Even this is being blocked (further on from our walk) as they return some of the land to salt marsh. There are pictures on Picasa (see link above), in one there is a tiny spot on the horizon which we believe is Foulness Church. On another there is a large plume of smoke. The sky was dark at the time and I thought it was thunder, but I suspect it was just a test on Foulness.

On our way back from the first attempt we saw a sign saying 'Foulness cycle ride' - perhaps that's the way on to the island.