The cranes and foreshore jetties now stand idle, and large areas of the landfill site remain off-limits. Eventually, the nature reserve will expand and embrace these fenced-off spaces. In summer, skylarks now sing overhead. In winter, waders patrol the mudflats, seeking worms and shellfish.

Walking a wet landscape

Taking the footpath back towards Mucking, a new path follows the railway tracks south, and past another flooded gravel pit. The path then cuts back towards the Thames, with fenced-off landfill to the left and another large gravel pit to the right. This can be a wet and boggy route in winter.

As the path meets the Thames a circular concrete structure, reminiscent of WWII fortifications, turns out to be a settling tank from a small sewage works which once stood here. A twin tank stands nearby but overgrown, and other traces of the treatment works can still be seen.

The river path heads eastwards, past Mucking Flats. The river embankment used to be considerably farther out here, but the reason for its retreat is unclear. This area, like many others, was greatly affected by the devasting North Sea Flood of 1953, and it is possible the river simply reclaimed what was once its own. The land is held in place by ugly, heavy-duty plastic mesh, eroded by the elements and clipped by mowers and strimmers.

Stanford-le-Hope marshes

The path comes to a railway line, overlooking Stanford-le-Hope marshes. Along with the Mucking Flats and Marshes, these are part of a SSSI, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, protected for their value to wildlife. My map shows a footpath bisecting this small sea marsh and cutting across to the London Gateway deep-sea container terminal, but you’ll need a low tide to walk this one-way route.