Day 28 – Saturday 30 September 2000 - Benfleet to Stanford-le-Hope

10 miles walked today

366 miles walked in total (average 13.07)

I started out just after nine o’clock from the Ferry Boat Inn at North Fambridge – again!  The lady recognised me yesterday and asked where I’d got to so far.  She’s asked me to send an occasional postcard to show progress as she’s quite into this walk now.

I parked the car at Benfleet Station at about nine thirty and was immediately on footpaths through a playing field and then along the back of houses besides the railway track.  It was very peaceful except for the odd train thundering past.

The track went under the A130 and then carried on along the railway line and passed through St Margaret’s churchyard.  About a dozen people were very busy shovelling gravel around the church paths and one of them even tried to hand me a spade so I could help.

The path followed the railway to Pitsea Station where the line divided right and left.  I took the left fork, passing over the line and through fields to a big timber yard. The path became very overgrown and unmaintained at this point – I think I’ve found that Essex farmer who’s deliberately obstructing the path.  I got stung, bitten, cut and my boots were saturated by the wet grass.  After a while, and extremely cheesed off, I retraced my steps back to the timber yard and crossed the railway to walk along the A13 dual carriageway.  Not my idea of fun.  I got off the A13 at the first junction towards Fobbing and stopped for lunch in the White Lion.

From Fobbing, I located a couple of paths to Corringham, but still had to walk along another road and I must say the A1014 has a real nerve being a dual carriageway when bugger all traffic uses it.  I can think of more deserving roads for dual carriageway status – the A140 to Mum and Dad’s for instance – murder when you’re stuck behind a tractor.

Again, I took the first exit I could – to Stanford-le-Hope. I felt quite vindicated though, as I could see the Thames in all its glory, even if I wasn’t walking beside it.  I was quite hot as I got into Stanford-le-Hope – it had started to rain lightly at Fobbing so I’d had a chance to put my new coat on.  However, it’s been very warm all day and I’d been overheating for some time.  This decided me to call it a day at Stanford.  It was only two thirty, but I’d managed ten miles.  A good day.

It was quite fortuitous too – I got the train from Stanford to Benfleet back to the car and, as I was changing my boots in the car park, it started to chuck it down!