Day 69 – Tilbury to Southend-on-sea

 

 

 Date:Monday 25^th April 2011   Distance: 31.49 Miles

 

We drove to Southend Central Station where we parked on the road opposite as it was free all Bank Holiday. A traffic warden told me it was alright to park all day as we weren’t disabled. How crazy is that?

 

We took the bike on the train in bits to Tilbury Town (Fenchurch Street train) and we were able to see where we would be cycling later. A local cyclist told us that this area is pretty for cycling but what with landfill sites and fly tipping we weren’t so sure. The farmland looked poor (we learnt later that it hadn’t rained properly since February) with some rape, peas and wheat and the vegetation variety in the hedgerow (but no hedges either) was limited. It was hot sun with few trees to break the wind.

 

The cyclist on the train had told us that Coal Fort would be interesting- a free wartime museum. Only open Bank Holidays and one Sunday a month probably accounted for the locals flocking there. Today there was Irish Dancing, Bands, Owls, Army Recruiting, Drama as well as tours going round the museum exhibits. All the recreation space – grass- was full of families picnicking. When we tried to leave there was gridlock on the narrow road just leading to the fort, which had very limited parking facilities. We had a job getting through walking with the tandem. We stopped at the top at a pub, Ship Inn which was friendly with a garden. The food was nice as well as cheap. Cars were still queuing for the fort, or leaving it , when we left the pub.

 

Cycleways were disjointed and in small number. Disappointingly there were only houses, litter and views of Canvey Island. We passed a landfill at Muckley which we thought appropriately named. There were no sheep, a few cows but some hardy ponies. As the places have been so heavily populated they seem in dire need of places to go for leisure. Hundreds of people walked along a footpath from Benfleet to Leigh on sea. There were views of a ruined castle ( that’s more like it!) and  then it was good cycling along the estuary as the tide started to come in- quickly. Lack of butterflies and bird varieties in the estuary made us feel they may need a conservation programme.

 

 Leigh on sea was humming with activity- hundreds of people walked the cobbles taking in its charm. This happens every weekend. We stopped at a very efficient cafe that sold delicious scones- Bob had the cream and a plain scone which was unusual. A little girl was with her dad who was serenaded by the entire staff singing happy birthday when she bought him a special cake with a candle.

 

The houses after this were quite plush as we drew nearer to Southend. It was a  motorbikers weekend and they were parked across the cycleway- closed for the purpose. Again this place was heaving. It must have had a face lift since the seventies when I was last here. There was lots for people to do and it was very noisy- Funfair shrieks, a bar singer in the street complete with numerous body piercings, boys doing wheelies on mopeds and oldies on roaring Harley- Davisons displaying skulls and other gothic decoration. The long intact pier had a steam train going seawards. We climbed to the station and tired and hot retrieved our car from outside it, looking forward to the peace at home.