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Walking the Mardyke and the lost fens of Essex

by Ian Tokelove September 13, 2021

September 13, 2021

The Mardyke is a small tributary of the Thames, draining the lowlands of southern Brentwood & Thurrock before joining the river …

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Walking
Purfleet to Grays, exploring the Thames Path

by Ian Tokelove February 19, 2020

February 19, 2020

Walking the Thames path from Purfleet to Grays and exploring this wild & ragged edge of London. Nature flourishes along this …

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Remote London

Remote London is a website dedicated to the quieter, wilder side of Greater London and beyond. Places away from the crowds, where nature can flourish undisturbed. Places where you can walk and see few others.

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ian.tokelove

Wild spaces, rivers & seas
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Kayaking, walking & writing

The disused, dilapidated gantry bridge at Harwich

The disused, dilapidated gantry bridge at Harwich Train Ferry Berth. Dating back to 1923, this once served train ferries to Zeebrugge in Belgium. The last service ran in 1987 and the structure is now Grade II Listed. The gantry controlled an adjustable train bridge which was hinged at the shore end, while the other end could be raised or dropped to rest on the stern of a ferry. The gantry was originally constructed in Richborough, Kent in 1917 to support overseas troops fighting in the First World War. Other parts of the structure are from a sister berth in Southampton, repurposed after the war’s end. These were Britain’s first ever roll-on/roll-off ferries. In their original role they played a critical part in resisting the German Spring Offensive of 1918. Pics from a week or two ago, while walking the Stour coastline. Lots more info at www.historicengland.org.uk - - - #HarwichTrainFerryBerth #HarwichTrainFerry #Harwich #HarwichZeebrugge #StourEstuary #EssexWay #Estuary #CoastPath #CoastalWalking #Stour #RollOnRollOff

Exploring the tidal River Colne last week, from Fe

Exploring the tidal River Colne last week, from Ferry Road, Fingringhoe to the head of navigation at East Mill in Colchester. A surprisingly green journey, alongside new housing and old and repurposed industry. And one old hulk, slowly melting into the river. - - - #RiverColne #Essex #Colchester #EastMillColchester. #RemoteLondon #Fingringhoe #Estuary #ThamesEstuary #Kayaking #Kayak #SeaKayaking #UrbanKayaking

Last week I stumbled across this intriguing, forgo

Last week I stumbled across this intriguing, forgotten curiosity, while walking the Essex Way between Copperas Bay and Ramsey. It’s a locally-built swather, a small harvester that cuts and ‘windrows’ grain and other seed crops, depositing the cuttings in a long row to dry before collection. This one dates back to 1981 and was built by @shelbournereynolds. The cutting blades are hidden in the brambles, at the opposite end to the unrelated yellow bucket. - - - #EssexWay #Swather #ShelbourneReynolds #ShelbourneReynoldsSwather #ShelbourneReynoldsEngineering #Ramsey

A couple of abandoned hulks on the Stour Estuary.

A couple of abandoned hulks on the Stour Estuary. Spotted while walking the Essex Way last week, from Mistley to Harwich. One hulk was within reach, one was not. The coastline is gorgeous, quiet and remote, but not always accessible. - - - #StourEstuary #EssexWay #Abandoned #Hulks #Hulk #Estuary #Wrabness #CoastPath #CoastalWalking #Stour

The gnarled, sculptural remains of a riverside wil

The gnarled, sculptural remains of a riverside willow, upstream of Flatford Mill on the River Stour. Stripped back to its core, its bleached, twisted bones seem almost alien. It’s the sort of stump that looks as though it could move itself, when the mist is thick and no one is watching.

My favourite ‘easy’ escape – a train ride to

My favourite ‘easy’ escape – a train ride to Higham in Kent – a shortish walk out to the estuary, and a long, circular route back. On a warm weekend evening, rabbits were grazing on the foundations of a long-erased cement works, last active some 100 years ago, and soldier beetles were getting jiggy atop bouquets of wild carrot. Lots of space out here, and room to breathe. - - - #RemoteLondon #HooPeninsula #ThamesEstuary #Estuary #Thames #NorthKentMarshes #EnglandCoastPath #CliffeMarshes #CoastPath #Abandoned #LondonGateway #CliffePools #RSPBCliffePools #CliffeCreek

The end of the line. An abrupt stop to the coastal

The end of the line. An abrupt stop to the coastal path at Brandy Hole, on the River Crouch in Essex. The low seawall was deliberately breached in 2002 to allow the sea in, creating a large area of precious saltmarsh. The footpath may have gone, but this is still a beautiful and relatively quiet section of the Essex coastline. Well off the beaten track, one can see why this area was once infamous for smuggling (very likely leading to the name, Brandy Hole). - - - #RemoteLondon #BrandyHole #RiverCrouch #CoastPath #Estuary #Creek #ThamesEstuary #CoastPath #SaltMarsh #Saltings #EndOfTheLine

Walking the River Crouch on Sunday, from the head

Walking the River Crouch on Sunday, from the head the creek at Battlesbridge to Brandy Hole, then back. Busy in places, very quiet in others. Not long after the boatyard at Brandy Hole, the coast path and the seawall end, deliberately breached in 2002 to create new intertidal habitats, making up for loss elsewhere. I love this last part of the path, walking away from the land along the thin, rough remnants of the seawall, with a high spring tide lapping all around, and just the chatter of birdsong. I should add that to get to this path from the railway station requires a risky 1km walk along the busy, narrow and pavement-free Beeches Road. It’s not much fun. - - - #RemoteLondon #Battlesbridge #BrandyHole #RiverCrouch #CoastPath #Estuary #Creek #ThamesEstuary #CoastPath #SaltMarsh

The Hoo Peninsula, walking out from RSPB Cliffe Po

The Hoo Peninsula, walking out from RSPB Cliffe Pools, late afternoon. Horses and cattle graze amid the abandoned buildings of Cliffe Explosives Works. There’s birdsong in the air, as a marsh harrier hunts low along the ditches and creeks. Along the foreshore, several wooden piers still stand, their stout, dark timbers unused for more than a hundred years. - - - #RemoteLondon #HooPeninsula #ThamesEstuary #Estuary #Thames #NorthKentMarshes #EnglandCoastPath #CliffeMarshes #CoastPath #Abandoned #LondonGateway #CliffeExplosivesWorks #CliffeMunitionsWorks #CliffePools #RSPBCliffePools

Kayaking the estuary last weekend, Gravesend to th

Kayaking the estuary last weekend, Gravesend to the remote, off-grid Broadness Harbour and back, using the tides. We stuck to the south bank, avoiding the big boys across the river at Tilbury Docks. Along the way we checked out the abandoned wharves of the Northfleet cement works, and a hidden dock that once served the long lost Rosherville Gardens – once a hugely popular pleasure garden visited by steam boats from London (including the ill-fated Princess Alice, on her last journey). Big thanks to @midiwife for joining me on this one, and for some of these pics. - - - #RemoteLondon #Gravesend #Northfleet #SwanscombeHarbour #Swanscombe #Estuary #ThamesEstuary #Kayaking #Kayak #Thames #RiverThames #RoshervilleGardens

Sadly deceased, a young great tit. It flew into

Sadly deceased, a young great tit. It flew into the glass of my kitchen door this afternoon. Light but surprisingly firm and solid in the hand. I placed it on the garden compost, its siblings noisy in the cherry tree above.

Recent river clean-ups 💦 Plucking wet wipes (o

Recent river clean-ups 💦 Plucking wet wipes (over 2,000!) from the foreshore at Battersea with work colleagues and @Thames21, and then volunteering with @brookmillpark and @healthyriversproject in Deptford to clean up the Ravensbourne – where we took out shopping trolleys, Lime bikes, a discarded wheelchair and a Casio keyboard, amid countless bags of other trash. I’ve included a toilet seat from a previous Ravensbourne clean-up, just cos I like it. London Rivers Week kicks off today, offering lots of enjoyable (and less messy) ways to interact with London's numerous waterways. Head over to the Thames21 website for more info. #LondonRiversWeek2025 - - - #RemoteLondon #RiverCleanUp #UrbanRivers #Battersea #RiverRavensbourne #Ravensbourne #Deptford #BrookmillPark

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Recent Posts

Walking the River Roach: Rochford to Barling Ness
From the Swale to Bedlams Bottom, a Medway Marshes walk
Walking the River Roding, from Redbridge to the Barking Creek Barrier & the Thames
Walking the River Ebbsfleet, from Northfleet Harbour to its Springhead source
Yantlet Creek: a short walk between two estuaries, the Thames & Medway
Walking the River Crouch: Burnham on Crouch to North Fambridge
Walking MOD Shoeburyness and the Wakering creeks
Exploring Milton Creek, from Sittingbourne to the Swale
Walking the Broomway, Britain’s deadliest footpath
Walking the Mardyke and the lost fens of Essex

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All content © Ian Tokelove 2025 unless otherwise stated.

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