What do you do when you live in the middle of the UK, you're feeling landlocked, the sun is shining and you only have a few hours to spare? You head off to Walton-on-the-Naze of course! The last time I went to Walton my daughter was the same age as her daughter is now, and my lasting memory of that occasion was when a rogue wave hurtled over the sea wall, drenching the poor mite as she was walking along it! Not wishing to repeat that scary episode, we set off to Walton with camera, rather than daughter clutched in my hand.
Walton likes to be identified as 'the friendliest resort in Britain'. Not sure how they reached that conclusion, but come to think of it, I did speak to an extremely helpful and friendly shop assistant when buying some postcards, so maybe there's some truth in it! What I can vouch for is that Walton seems to have retained all the charm of a small traditional Victorian seaside resort, without seeming to lose any of it's appeal to visitors of all ages. But it also has the added benefits of being home to the UK's second longest pier, having a cliff full of tiered rows of beach huts and it's own very special Nature Reserve. Oh, and it's been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest too!
But the history of Walton has to begin millions of years ago, even before that of many other towns. This is because the area to the north that is said to lend the town it's name - the promontory known as the 'Naze' - is rich in fossils, particularly those from a warm ancient sea. The soft eroding cliffs form one of the finest geological sites in Britain and for that reason are a Site of Special Scientific Interest. At the base of the cliffs is London Clay which is 54 million years old and it's overlaid with Red Crag, 2 million years old! This sandy deposit contains a large number of fossils, including shells, sharks teeth and bird skeletons.
So, after we'd checked out the photogenic beach huts, the famous long pier and the infamous and ineffective sea wall, we aimed for the prehistoric, Stone Age cliffs - for a walk, to check out the nature reserve, to do some beach-combing, and maybe even to find some fossils ... .
The Naze stretches northward from Walton for 3 miles and is currently a public open space. The nature reserve is located near the end of the Naze and can be reached along the public footpath which stretches along the cliff tops from the Naze Tower. It's owned by the Essex Wildlife Trust and named after the late John Weston, a leading Essex naturalist. The dense scrub of hawthorn, gorse and brambles provides cover for numerous animal species and nesting birds, including Lapwing, Sedge and Reed Warblers and the occasional rare vagrants. It also acts as a important landfall and wintering ground for migrating birds, such as the Firecrest, Brent Geese, Godwit, Redshank, Shelduck, Teal and Avocet. In summer the cliffs provide secure sites for sand martins, and being so close to the shore the reserve also attracts shore loving insects including Emperor and Cream Spot Tiger moths. The shore itself is a feeding ground for waders, gulls and terns, and in addition there are nationally important numbers of Widgeon, Ringed Plover, Curlew and Dunlin. During migration in the Autumn and Spring the Naze is a prime bird watching site. Curlew Sandpipers are regularly seen along the beach with Gannets and arctic Skuas passing offshore.
Just behind the beach, Hamford Water and the Walton Backwaters offer tidal creeks, mudflats, islands, salt marshes and marsh grasslands to a plethora of wildlife. This area is recognised internationally as an important breeding ground for Little Terns. It also supports communities of coastal plants which are extremely rare in Britain, including Hog's Fennel. All of which can best be viewed from the footpath.
We chose to walk along the beach rather than the public footpath, an arbitrary decision which we later learned would prevent us from circling back through the reserve on the footpath, but one which we didn't regret anyway! Walking along the narrow strip of sandy beach was like walking along a sand spit, sandwiched as it was between the sea to our right and the creeks and channels to our left. Sadly I missed the opportunity to find a fossil as the tide was in. And we probably missed some interesting bird-life by choosing the beach route over the footpath, but it offered us instead pretty shells, pretty views over to Harwich, pretty stunning photographic material and a pretty good workout too!
With daylight and our energies fading fast, we decided it was a good time to leave Walton, and to drive further down the coast to catch the sunset. We found just the place.
Burnham-on-Crouch lies on the north bank of the tidal River Crouch. The town is small and quaintly pretty with many listed buildings. But it's Burnham's waterfront location that makes it such an attraction, and one that has historically been the mainstay of it's economy, firstly as an important ferry port, then as a fishing port and latterly as a major centre for yachting. The annual sailing event known as 'Burnham Week' attracts many visitors to this very popular and picturesque maritime area.
Arriving shortly before sundown, we managed to find a waterfront seat outside a watering hole. All we had to do was relax and wait ... and our patience was rewarded with an already amazing river scene backlit by the bright orange glow of the sun, silhouetting the jetties and boats before slipping into the water. A fitting end to an impromptu but impressive day on the Essex coast.
Walton likes to be identified as 'the friendliest resort in Britain'. Not sure how they reached that conclusion, but come to think of it, I did speak to an extremely helpful and friendly shop assistant when buying some postcards, so maybe there's some truth in it! What I can vouch for is that Walton seems to have retained all the charm of a small traditional Victorian seaside resort, without seeming to lose any of it's appeal to visitors of all ages. But it also has the added benefits of being home to the UK's second longest pier, having a cliff full of tiered rows of beach huts and it's own very special Nature Reserve. Oh, and it's been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest too!
But the history of Walton has to begin millions of years ago, even before that of many other towns. This is because the area to the north that is said to lend the town it's name - the promontory known as the 'Naze' - is rich in fossils, particularly those from a warm ancient sea. The soft eroding cliffs form one of the finest geological sites in Britain and for that reason are a Site of Special Scientific Interest. At the base of the cliffs is London Clay which is 54 million years old and it's overlaid with Red Crag, 2 million years old! This sandy deposit contains a large number of fossils, including shells, sharks teeth and bird skeletons.
So, after we'd checked out the photogenic beach huts, the famous long pier and the infamous and ineffective sea wall, we aimed for the prehistoric, Stone Age cliffs - for a walk, to check out the nature reserve, to do some beach-combing, and maybe even to find some fossils ... .
The Naze stretches northward from Walton for 3 miles and is currently a public open space. The nature reserve is located near the end of the Naze and can be reached along the public footpath which stretches along the cliff tops from the Naze Tower. It's owned by the Essex Wildlife Trust and named after the late John Weston, a leading Essex naturalist. The dense scrub of hawthorn, gorse and brambles provides cover for numerous animal species and nesting birds, including Lapwing, Sedge and Reed Warblers and the occasional rare vagrants. It also acts as a important landfall and wintering ground for migrating birds, such as the Firecrest, Brent Geese, Godwit, Redshank, Shelduck, Teal and Avocet. In summer the cliffs provide secure sites for sand martins, and being so close to the shore the reserve also attracts shore loving insects including Emperor and Cream Spot Tiger moths. The shore itself is a feeding ground for waders, gulls and terns, and in addition there are nationally important numbers of Widgeon, Ringed Plover, Curlew and Dunlin. During migration in the Autumn and Spring the Naze is a prime bird watching site. Curlew Sandpipers are regularly seen along the beach with Gannets and arctic Skuas passing offshore.
Just behind the beach, Hamford Water and the Walton Backwaters offer tidal creeks, mudflats, islands, salt marshes and marsh grasslands to a plethora of wildlife. This area is recognised internationally as an important breeding ground for Little Terns. It also supports communities of coastal plants which are extremely rare in Britain, including Hog's Fennel. All of which can best be viewed from the footpath.
We chose to walk along the beach rather than the public footpath, an arbitrary decision which we later learned would prevent us from circling back through the reserve on the footpath, but one which we didn't regret anyway! Walking along the narrow strip of sandy beach was like walking along a sand spit, sandwiched as it was between the sea to our right and the creeks and channels to our left. Sadly I missed the opportunity to find a fossil as the tide was in. And we probably missed some interesting bird-life by choosing the beach route over the footpath, but it offered us instead pretty shells, pretty views over to Harwich, pretty stunning photographic material and a pretty good workout too!
With daylight and our energies fading fast, we decided it was a good time to leave Walton, and to drive further down the coast to catch the sunset. We found just the place.
Burnham-on-Crouch lies on the north bank of the tidal River Crouch. The town is small and quaintly pretty with many listed buildings. But it's Burnham's waterfront location that makes it such an attraction, and one that has historically been the mainstay of it's economy, firstly as an important ferry port, then as a fishing port and latterly as a major centre for yachting. The annual sailing event known as 'Burnham Week' attracts many visitors to this very popular and picturesque maritime area.
Arriving shortly before sundown, we managed to find a waterfront seat outside a watering hole. All we had to do was relax and wait ... and our patience was rewarded with an already amazing river scene backlit by the bright orange glow of the sun, silhouetting the jetties and boats before slipping into the water. A fitting end to an impromptu but impressive day on the Essex coast.
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