Route Description

Southend-on-Sea to Wallasea Island

After filling up on fish and chips and experiencing the bright lights and excitement of Southend-on-Sea pleasure beach and pier, head out east towards Barge Pier where this stretch of England Coast Path starts.

The city landscape changes to private residences that were formerly the military barracks for Shoeburyness. Moving away from the active military area where the boom of exploding ordnance dominates for miles around, the trail slips in and around the creeks and rivers winding their way through the marshes and isles in the area. Here lies the remains of HMS Beagle on which Charles Darwin sailed.

After miles of solitude passing Great Wakering, Potton Island, Barling, Sutton Ford Bridge near Rochford and Paglesham with only farmland inland of the trail and marshland seaward, walkers will come upon Wallasea Island, home to the RSPB Nature Reserve, where the land is being reclaimed by the sea. Deliberate holes in the seawalls allow tides in and invite dense flocks of seabirds that will provide an autumn and spring spectacle.

Keep an eye out for the causeway with remnants of floating WWII bridges, marinas full of boats and why not stop a while at a holiday village.

Burnham-on-Crouch to Maldon

The section of the King Charles III England Coast Path between Burnham-on-Crouch and Maldon loops around the Dengie Peninsula. It is one of the more remote sections of the National Trail in the East of England, despite being close to major populations there are very few settlements along the entire length apart from at each end. The route is bounded on the landward side by farmed land, that has over years been drained to allow crops to grow (the very area where malaria was so rife up to the 1800s that the local farmers are recorded as marrying up to 15 times as successive wives succumbed to the disease).

In his book ‘A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain’ Daniel Defoe noted “It was very frequent to meet with men that had had from five to six, to fourteen of fifteen wives… they being bred in the marshes themselves, and seasoned to the place, did pretty well with it; but that they always went into the hilly country for a wife… when they came out of their native aire into the marshes… they presently changed their complexion, got an ague or two, and seldom held it above half a year, or a year at most; and then [the men] would go to the uplands again, and fetch another.”

To the seaward side of the trail, miles of saltmarsh and mudflat open up to the horizon at low tide, a home to thousands of shoreline birds and a reason why this area is of international importance for its wildlife.

The route passes through very few villages and there are no significant facilities or parking giving the area a feel of true wilderness. The exposed coast should be respected and despite being generally flat can still offer a challenge to walkers looking to complete the section. A tourism draw, with parking and shorter circular loops using the local paths, is the small chapel of St Peter on the Wall dating from the year 660.

Maldon to Salcott, Essex

40 miles from London, this part of the Blackwater Estuary boasts big skies, was visited by Vikings, Romans and WW1 pilots.  Vast expanses of intertidal salt marsh and mudflats are breeding and grazing grounds to dark-bellied Brent goose, little tern and ringed plover amongst many other waders and wildfowl, native oysters and golden samphire.

In the historic maritime town of Maldon you can take a trip on a Thames sailing barge or visit Promenade Park the largest waterside park for family fun in Essex.  It’s also home to the culinary renowned Maldon Sea Salt company.

The route passes by Heybridge known for homing the final stage of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation Canal, historically used to transport coal and wood to the inland town of Chelmsford.

Goldhanger, thought to get its Nordic name from the Corn Marigold growing in surrounding grassland, was first mentioned in the Domesday Book.  On the path from the crest of the seawall nearby you can experience panoramic views over to Osea Island.

Tollesbury nestles between Tollesbury Fleet and the RSPB reserve at Old Hall Marshes is ideal for bird watching.  The town itself hosts an impressive marina that is a boating centre for all the family. And Salcott is named after the huts that stored the salt harvested in the area since the Iron Age.

Shotley Gate to Felixstowe Ferry

This length of the King Charles III England Coast Path offers walkers a range of experiences in a relatively short distance.

It offers a unique perspective of the busy ports of Harwich and Felixstowe being on the seaward side of the berths. Walkers can marvel at the size of the container ships that dock here viewing them from water-level to the dancing cranes loading and unloading towering above.

The open beaches at the ends of the section offer sandy shorelines, whilst the central section is dominated by the tidal Orwell estuary and its salt marshes and flats host to internationally important numbers of wintering waders.

Walkers can take in a view not otherwise available as the Orwell Bridge is the highest point of the King Charles III England Coast Path around the eastern coastline. At 45 metres above the yachts tacking below with sweeping views across the parkland and woodland dominated rolling landscape.

The Trail follows a walkway alongside the dual carriageway across the bridge. Users will need to climb a flight of steps to walk beside the trunk road.

Settlements, including the classic seaside town of Felixstowe offer frequent service stops with the Trail spur directed to Landguard Point’s Fort and tearooms.

Aldeburgh to Southwold

The delightful seaside town of Aldeburgh is the beginning of this walk. You’ll start alongside the pebble beach and the path is often close to the sea as it follows the coast towards Southwold, another seaside gem 27km (17 miles) north. In between, there’s a house in the clouds, a £20 billion construction site, a lost town, and wild areas of nature. The route goes inland in a few areas to protect it from the ever-present erosion on this section of coast.

Maggi Hambling’s ‘Scallop’ shell sculpture on Aldeburgh’s beach is a striking tribute to Benjamin Britten – one of the 20th-century’s most important composers who frequently walked to Thorpeness during his many years in the town.

At Thorpeness you’ll do a double-take at the house that appears over the treetops – a way of disguising the water tower in this fantasy holiday village. The view is soon dominated by the rectangular bulk of the decommissioned Sizewell nuclear power station. The working reactor next door, with its white dome, will be joined by another reactor in 2031 and our route is being diverted during its construction. In contrast, the tranquil views of the marshes and reedbeds of RSPB’s Minsmere reserve are nearby and these are followed by National Trust’s Dunwich Heath which is carpeted with pink/purple heather flowers in late summer.

At the halfway point Dunwich (with its café, pub and seasonal museum) is a small village mainly known for once being a large Medieval town that’s now under the waves, the victim of coastal erosion and change which is still happening.

Carrying on north you’ll look seaward over the reed beds of the Walberswick National Nature reserve where the 300 bird species include bittern and marsh harrier. Here the route has been improved with new sections of boardwalk alongside the Dunwich River.

Walberswick sits on one side of the River Blyth, and you’ll walk along its banks to reach Southwold. The famous inland lighthouse can be seen across the river which you’ll cross on a bridge that was built for a narrow-gauge railway.

After passing through a traditional harbour, journey’s end is on Southwold’s seafront, close to the sandy beach, and famous for its beach huts and pier.

Lowestoft to Sea Palling, Norfolk

This 24-mile (39km) section of the coast path offers a contrast of dunes and beaches with lively seaside towns, nostalgic coastal entertainment, World War II history and maritime heritage.

The route starts at the most easterly point in the British Isles, North Beach in Lowestoft, close to Ness Point. Heading north, you’ll soon reach Gunton Warren, a unique site in the County because of its range of coastal habitats managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Continuing onwards to Corton, there’s a final clifftop walk before you’ll say goodbye to Suffolk near Potters Resort.

The beautiful beaches at Hopton-on-Sea and Gorleston transition into the industrial maritime hub of Norfolk’s coast.  Great Yarmouth hosts a striking contrast with its busy port and quays set alongside the Golden Mile, home to nostalgic seaside entertainment set amongst historic buildings. There are also award-winning museums well worth a visit. Beyond the pier, part of the beach holds the distinction of being a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its complete range of dune vegetation types.

The path at Caister-on-Sea leads past the lifeboat station, and the old lifeboat shed, which is now a museum. Here you can learn about the station’s history and heritage. In summer, the beaches are bustling with families relaxing on deckchairs, savouring ice-creams and building sandcastles. In contrast, autumn and winter offer a quieter experience with the possibility of having the entire stretch of beach to yourself. Perhaps this is the time to hunt for the 16^th-century gold coins supposedly found here during the California Gold Rush, giving this area its name.

Coastal erosion is posing significant challenges for the seafront community at Hemsby and further north at the Winterton-Horsey Dunes National Nature Reserve. Concrete blocks, originally placed in the dunes during World War II to prevent the advance of invading tanks, now lie scattered along the beach, as the sand dunes underneath them have been washed away over the years.

You can continue onwards, enjoying a quieter section of coastline until Sea Palling. This beach is formed in a unique scallop-shaped due to its offshore sea defences.

Sea Palling to Weybourne, Norfolk

The coast is beautiful here, with long sandy beaches. There’s history to explore, 800,000 year old flint tools have been found here and the famous West Runton Elephant Fossil. Or you can enjoy the villages, walks, and of course try Cromer crab.

Hunstanton to Sutton Bridge

This section of the King Charles III England Coast Path follows the Norfolk and Lincolnshire coast, between Hunstanton on the eastern shore of The Wash and Sutton Bridge on the River Nene.

The sandy beaches at Hunstanton, Heacham and Shepherd’s Port present walkers with a seaside holiday vibe, also offering stunning sunsets and views across The Wash to Lincolnshire. But within these tourist honeypots sits a highly protected landscape, with multiple designations for wildlife. Local initiatives have made important progress in protecting the vulnerable species such as the ringed plover and oystercatcher which nest along the beaches.

Between Heacham and Snettisham, the path passes Wild Ken Hill estate, known for rewilding, regenerative farming, and traditional conservation practices – also a popular location for BBC’s Springwatch.

As a ‘superhighway’ for migratory birds during autumn and winter, an appealing part of the route is RSPB Snettisham reserve, where visitors can see the ‘whirling wader spectacular’. Having gathered to feed on the mudflats, species such as knot, dunlin and oystercatchers fly up into the air en masse with the rising tide and perform incredible murmurations.

Up to 40,000 pink-footed geese also gather in The Wash over winter, taking flight at first light in close V-shaped formations across the sky. They make an unmissable, high-pitched ‘wink-wink’ sound as they call to each other before they head inland to find food for the day.

The shoreline on the open coast between Snettisham and Sutton Bridge is predominantly alongside sea banks that were constructed to protect the drained arable farmland. The banks and adjacent saltmarsh are also grazed by cattle.

There is a sense of remoteness by the sea banks, with no public facilities or connecting paths for a number of miles, but with good services and transport links in the centres of King’s Lynn and Sutton Bridge. Between these two hubs, the path follows the Peter Scott Walk along the sea bank between West Lynn and the lighthouse on the mouth of the river Nene, which was once owned by Sir Peter Scott.

Although remote in parts, it is the perfect stretch to experience the splendid isolation of you and the thousands of other species, big and small, that live within the landscape.

Sutton Bridge to Skegness

Two sections of this stretch are available for public use.

The longer section to the south links with the open section of King Charles III England Coast Path along the Norfolk coastline of the Wash to Hunstanton.  It opens almost all of the coastline of the Wash, one of the largest natural bays in England.  Fed by several narrow navigable rivers on a modern coastline, the historic ports and associated settlements are some distance upstream.  This also means the first bridging point is some distance upstream and users will find themselves following the canalised banks inland and back out to the open coast.  As the coastline is relatively young there are few settlements and facilities along much of the stretch.  An open and exposed, and sometimes harsh coastline.  Ideal for birdlife, which is one of the key features of this landscape.  Also ideal for MoD live firing ranges and users should be aware that military activities may be underway.  These operations do not close the trail to users.

The land owner at Friskney Eaudyke has given temporary permission for the public to use the track at this location to either access the coast from the village itself or to allow users that have travelled north the option to turn inland and return south on the public right of way network.  Please respect the local residential properties and historic features that are closed to the public.

The shorter, northern section creates an important link between the visitor attraction at Gibraltar Point, with its visitor centre, tea room and facilities to showcase the important wildlife of this geological phenomenon and the classic seaside town of Skegness.  This also links to an open stretch of coastline to Mablethorpe in north Lincolnshire, offering views across sands and out into the North Sea.

The section between these two areas is currently not available for public use and no public access rights exist within this area.  It is not possible to cross the River Steeping as the current private bridge is not safe for the public and a new bridge is being constructed.