The cliffs at Walton-on-the-Naze form one of the finest geological sites in Britain and are a Site of Special Scientific Interest. At the base of the cliffs is London Clay which is 54 million years old and it is overlaid with a sandy deposit called Red Crag (2 Million years old).
I was able to wander around and explore on a quiet Friday and see the coast, cliffs, cafes and of course, the Tower with few people about and a bit of sun shining.
A perfectly peaceful ramble.
The term 'naze' comes from the old English word 'naes' meaning nose. The Naze is a promontory to the north of the town and it separates the North Sea from the Walton Channel.
The cliffs are world-renowned for their fossils and the town is famous for it's tower.
There are a LOT of warning signs telling you NOT to climb on the rocks! They form part of the costal management along with the £1.2 million Crag Walk - a raised walkway, a sea wall and groynes.
There is continuous work to save this section of coast from a relatively high rate of erosion due to the clay cliffs.
As you leave the car park by the Discovery Centre (see more below) you come to a series of signs giving information about the area. One of these details the Walton WW2 Trail and talks about two pillboxes that you can see emerging from the water. Apparently, they were originally on top of the cliff but with erosion they slipped off the edge and now lie on the shore, often covered by the tide.
The pillbox you can see in the foreground used to have an anti-aircraft machine gun mounted in the centre.
As you turn into the Discovery Centre car park you can see the Tower, the Discovery Centre and a café selling ice-cream. There is also a shepherd's hut selling hot drinks with picnic tables and views across the water and the cliff tops.
If you walk towards the centre of town along the coast path, you come across rows and rows of beach huts - some of the poshest I've seen, with their own gardens and brick walls! This path carries on to run parallel to the road where there are a few arcades, more cafes and kiosks selling the essential buckets and spades and inflatables. The pier is the second longest in the U.K.
It is obviously a relatively accessible place to enjoy the coast judging by the number of people in mobility scooters walking their dogs!
The Tower was built in 1720 as a navigational marker for passing ships. It was later fitted with a beacon and was a predecessor for the lighthouses of the 19th century.
Originally, the Tower was over a quarter of a mile away from the cliff face but now stands a mere 50 metres away.
The medieval village of Walton now lies underwater nine miles out to sea. The link below gives more detail about this fascinating feature.
Read more about the Tower here, including it's link to both world wars and even Lord Montagu, inventor of the sandwich!
I had read information about Walton when visiting a different place along the same coast and was curious about the Tower.
A quiet Friday with no rain forecast and a rare change to my work schedule meant I jumped at the chance to wander in Walton with my camera.
The Tower now houses galleries, a museum and a shop. Although it was open I didn't go in because my car park ticket was almost up and I realised the bottle of juice I had in my rucksack had leaked all over my belongings.
I had dripped juice down my coat and along the Essex coastal path for miles. Remarkably, my phone charger and camera seemed fine but in my purse was a soaked book of stamps stuck to various cards. I was most annoyed about this and am still trying to dry them off to see if they are useable. Stamps are expensive nowadays!
Although there were a few people around, it was so peaceful and the sounds of birds, the sea hitting the sea wall and a gentle breeze dominated and were the only things that filled the air. This is so rare and I think it is partly because both the cliff top and shore are far enough away from the sound of traffic that it is really noticeable and very welcome.
I guess on a warm summer weekend, it's not as tranquil as it was today.
I will definitely return when I can; there is still so much to explore!
Charlotte Eriksson - author and songwriter
Apparently world famous for its sea salt, Maldon is part of the England Coastal Path and on a bright day like today, provides a really interesting backdrop for a pleasant wander.
The Thames Sailing Barges which cluster around Hythe Quay mix the traditional with the modern and the flat-bottomed barges are perfectly adapted to the shallow waters of the estuaries.
St. Mary's Church is known as the mariner's church as it acts as a beacon for sailors navigating the River Chelmer.
It is believed a church has stood here since Saxon times and it is recorded that the third St. Mary's was completed in 1130. The tower that was added in 1300 collapsed in 1605 damaging the building. As the church was such an important landmark for sailors a petition persuaded the king to have it rebuilt in 1636. The white spire was added in 1740 to further increase visibility.
Maldon Prom has a park, lots of places to get an ice cream or hot food with picnic benches and outdoor café seating. It has a splash park for children, various water sports are available and there are beach huts, cricket pitches, tennis courts, a museum and so much more!
Vikings, mostly from modern Norway and Denmark, had been raiding England from the 8th century AD. Despite a Viking stronghold in the north and east of the country, the rest of England had stood firm for the best part of 100 years, united under the Kingdom of Wessex. It was under these circumstances a Viking army of approximately 3,000 men stationed themselves on Northey Island in the Blackwater estuary in August 991.
It was Bryhtnoth - the subject of the statue - and a local ruler of Essex who led the fight against Viking invaders in 991.
We know what happened in the battle because 325 lines of a poem about it survive. The rest was destroyed in a fire but in the 1930s the original transcription was found in The Bodleian Library.
Click on the image to find out more...