We are the Hike Essex Ramblers. We open the way for everyone in our local community to enjoy the pleasures of walking.
Brian R.
Booking Required
This will be a relaxed, leisurely stroll along Southend Seafront, it’s a linear walk from Leigh-on-Sea to Shoeburyness (Station to Station) that will include a number of breaks along the way.
Starting from Leigh-on-Sea station we will be heading west to east along the seafront passing through Old Leigh, Chalkwell Beach, Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea, Shoebury Common Beach, and Gunners Park.
There will be an ice cream stop at the famous Rossi Ice Cream Parlour in Westcliff (established 1937).
We will also be walking the length of Southend Pier and stop for lunch at the end (the pier head) where there is a cafe, amongst other things. N.B. You will need to pay an entry fee of £2.50 to walk the pier, cash, or card.
Southend Pier is a major landmark extending 2.16 kilometres (1.34 mi) into the Thames Estuary, it is the longest pleasure pier in the world. First built out of Oak in 1830 at 500m long and extended in 1846 to 2'100m. The timber pier was replaced by an iron pier that opened to the public in August 1889.
https://www.southendpier.co.uk/history
After lunch we walk back down the pier before continuing along Southend seafront to Shoebury Common Beach. Along this quieter stretch of the seafront, if the weather is nice, we might stop for an optional paddle (or even a swim) in the sea.
For the final part of the walk, we will pass through Gunners Park. Formally M.O.D. land, the 'old ranges' were in heavy operation through the Victorian and Edwardian eras, right up until the early Cold War. It’s now home to a modern housing estate, historic buildings and a 25-hectare nature reserve managed by the Essex Wildlife Trust.
The walk ends at Shoeburyness Station where there are regular trains (every 15mins apx) that run back towards London via Leigh-on-Sea and Pitsea.
Bring a packed lunch, snacks, sunscreen, and plenty of water.
There will be the option to visit a pub afterwards, which has a Beer Garden and is 5mins from Shoeburyness station.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT - Leigh-on-Sea station is serviced by the C2C line which runs between Fenchurch St & Shoeburyness.
PARKING OPTIONS - Local Traffic can be horrendous at the weekends during the summer hols. I would recommend not parking at either Leigh-on-Sea or Shoeburyness Station. I suggest parking at Pitsea Station which avoids the main bottle necks. You can get the train from there to Leigh-on-Sea (buy a return ticket to Shoeburyness).
There is a scheduled train from Pitsea at 10.21 which arrives at Leigh at 10.30
Address - Pitsea Station, Station Approach, Pitsea. SS16 4UD
We will meet out the front of Leigh-on-Sea Station between 10.30-10.45. There is a cafe in the ticket hall as well as a toilet on platform 1. Parking is around the back of the station over the bridge (see parking options above though).
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