Essex Countryside September 27, 2011

After our whirlwind weekend in London, Pat and I headed separate ways for a few days. He went to the Coty Plant in Ashford, Kent then to the GOLT meetings at Leeds Castle, while I took the train from Liverpool Street station
To Chelmsford, east of London, to visit my longtime friend, Vicky. On Tuesday, Vicky drove me around some lovely coastal areas of eastern Essex. The weather continued hot and sunny, obviously this is a good time to come to the UK!

We walked around the pretty town of Burnham-on-Crouch, along the river wall as the tide was going out and leaving behind huge mud flats. These are some of the homes we saw, the first one is for sale...any takers out there?


















Vicky recommended this restaurant, called The Contented Sole!







We enjoyed "elevenses" in a lovely garden tea room, coffee and tea cakes, which I discovered are large raisin buns.



From there we continued along the coastal estuaries, stopping at the lovely town of Maldon (where the famous sea salt comes from) for a late lunch. Maldon is located on the Blackwater River, another tidal river with big mud flats.

The pretty Church of England on the main street:




Town Hall and the clock tower of Maldon:







Down by the Blackwater River at low tide:




Vicky told me that at New Year's, the town holds a race across the mud flats-it doesn't look far, but it is definitely slow going!




Note the boats high and dry on the mud...the river leads to the North Sea.




More later...

Location:England