Sunday, 15 October 2000

Coastwalk

Dovercourt → Manningtree

[Harwich Dockside]

Distance: 14.5 miles
Ascent: unknown
Duration: 4 hours 55 minutes

The Stour again
« Kirby-le-Soken | Shotley Gate »

Yesterday south Essex. Today I'm in the north. If I keep chipping away like this I should be able to complete the county by the year end.

Today's walk is the opposite of last Saturday's. I'm walking inland on the south bank of the Stour.

Harwich sits at the river mouth, so the walk started with road-walking round the town, skirting the southern boundary of the international port at Parkeston. I've sailed from Harwich only once. Aged twelve or thirteen we took the Harwich-Hook line overnight to start a holiday on the continent.

[Royal Hospital School, Holbrook]

Once clear of the docks, the path soon meets up with the Essex Way most of the distance to Manningtree. At East Newhall farm, I startled a barn owl perched on a fence-post just a few metres ahead. The sight of him taking flight was astonishing: this huge bird quickly unfurling his wings and beating the air. It's one of only a handful of times I've seen an owl in the wild, and certainly the closest.

From Wrabness Nature Reserve, the scale of the magnificent buildings of the Royal Hospital School across the river was impressive. A little further on, the path gave way to road again for the final few miles into Mistley (past the paradoxically well-signposted "Secret Bunker") and Manningtree.

Posted by pab at 22:29