Saturday 10th May 2025

A rather pleasant day today although walking 15+ miles after a 3 mile parkrun does make for a lengthy day … even more so because my normal walking buddy decided to rest up.

So it was a day walking either side of the River Roach, accompanied by a cacophony of cuckoo sound and the absolute treat of watching not just one game of cricket but two! 

It’s unusual to see one game of village cricket these days let alone two but it appears that Rochford CC, a small Essex village, are able to do just that!  Lucky them and lucky me.

Anyway enough sport distraction, this is a tale from the river bank – a gloriously sunny day, spectacular estuary views, birds a-plenty and a bus back home for dinner, having been dropped off in Paglesham by Mrs R just four hours earlier.

Whilst being recognised as the England Coastal Path it seems that not many folks have walked along this section, although in late spring the grass and cow parsley is in full growth mode, making it almost a case of wading through the waist high undergrowth!  The views though are amazing and can be doubly appreciated as you walk the other side of the river on the way back. This Essex coastline has endless such inlets to be covered.

I have to say, our coastal path walking has highlighted that parts of this delightful small island we live on remains pretty much undiscovered … you can walk for miles with not another person in sight. A lonely 15 miles completed, just the birds, cricket and sea shells to keep me company!!