logo Walking Britain
Home About Holidays FAQ Email MENU ☰

Arlesford Creek & Brightlingsea Circular

Essex Walk

County/Area - Essex

Author - Lou Johnson

Length - 6.0 miles / 9.8 km    Ascent - 150 feet / 45 metres

Time - 3 hours 10 minutes    Grade - easy

Maps Ordnance Survey Logo Anquet Maps Logo

Ordnance Survey Explorer 184Sheet Map1:25kBUY
Anquet OS Explorer 184Digital Map1:25kBUY
Ordnance Survey Landranger 168Sheet Map1:50kBUY
Anquet OS Landranger 168Digital Map1:50kBUY

Walk Route Description

Photo from the walk - Arlesford Creek & Brightlingsea Circular
Click image to see photo description.

This Essex walk starts from Brightlingsea, which I remember as a child with its beach, river and boats. A return visit years later brought back many happy memories and the chance to explore the area in more detail. The walk starts close to Batemans Tower where there is a car park and toilets (grid ref. TM078162).

Locate Western Promenade and walk along the sea front with Brightlingsea Creek to your right. Walk as far as the Lido and then turn left beside the fence. At the northern end of the Lido turn right and follow the clear path to pass the boating lake on your right. Reaching a road, turn left into Lower Park Road. The road curves to the right and shortly after turn left into Park Drive. Take the second right into Chestnut Way and reaching a T-junction turn left onto Marennes Crescent.

Continue to the end of this road and turn right onto the path (adjacent to house number 34). The path leads behind housing, passes a farm on the left to reach Church Road (grid ref. TM082178). Turn left along Church Road. After 250 metres the road bends right (grid ref. TM080179). Take the tarmac track on the left just after the bench and follow the waymarked path (sign partly hidden in vegetation) to pass a sports field.

The track initially continues between fields and after 350 metres passes between flooded gravel pits. Reaching the end of the flooded pit on your left, the track bends sharp left. Cross a dirt track and follow the path into a wooded area (grid ref. TM073181). The path veers right and then left alongside a service road with flooded gravel pits on either side. Continue ahead to reach a band of trees at a T-junction of wide gravel tracks (grid ref. TM070184). Go straight ahead here following a path into the trees and a gate. Go through the gate and head half right across the field to join Movers Lane (grid ref. TM069187). Again, there is ample evidence of past and current gravel extraction.

Turn left along Movers Lane. Ignore the track on the left heading to Moverons Farm. Continue walking for just over a kilometre staying on the track as it bears right, left and right again to reach the shore of Arlesford Creek (grid ref. TM063194). Turn left through a gate and follow the path with the creek on your right. The path soon swings round to the left and joins the old railway track-bed which runs alongside the River Colne. You now have nearly three kilometres of easy walking back to Bateman's Tower and the start of the walk.

Other walks nearby

Walk 3746 Bradwell on Sea Circulareasy6.5 miles
Walk 2924 Tollesbury Wick Marshes from Tollesbury easy7.2 miles
Walk 3658 Manningtree, Flatford Mill and Dedhameasy/mod7.1 miles
Walk 2366 The Naze from Walton-on-the-Nazeeasy6.0 miles
Walk 3660 Stour Valley & Dedham from Flatford Milleasy3.5 miles
Walk 2096 Alton Water, Stutton & Tattingstoneeasy5.5 miles
Walk 2149 Circuit of Alton Watereasy/mod7.6 miles
Walk 3724 River Box from Stoke-by-Naylandeasy6.0 miles
Walk 1648 Church End & Erwarton from Shotley Gate easy6.0 miles
Walk 3645 Burnham-on-Crouch to Fambridgeeasy/mod9.5 miles

Recommended Books & eBooks

No suggestions for this area.

Messaging & Social Media

Message Walking Britain and follow the latest news.

Facebook  Twitter

Mountain Weather

Stay safe on the mountains with detailed weather forecasts - for iOS devices or for Android devices.