Burnham-on-Crouch to Maldon

KC3 ECP Leg Number 35

Overview
Date started:
15th April 2023
Date completed:
17th April 2023
Official miles:
37.9
Miles we actually walked:
39.0
Guest walkers
Ani The Dog & Claire
We walked 39 miles to complete this leg which was opened in 2022. From Burnham-on-Crouch we walked anti-clockwise and then northwards along the coast of the Dengie Peninsula, mostly on sea wall, to arrive at St Peter's Chapel, near Sales Point. Turning west, we followed the south coast of the Blackwater Estuary, past a muddy Bradwell Marina, then on to St Lawrence, and round Mayland Creek into Maylandsea. From there it was more marshy and winding coastline until we neared Maldon, completing the walk at Promenade Park, joining up with the start point of Leg 36, which we completed in October 2021.
Day by day
Day 1 – Burnham-On-Crouch to St Peter's Chapel
15th April 2023
Miles 14.5 | Elevation gain 14ft
Map of Day 1
Day 2 – St Peter's Chapel to Maylandsea
16th April 2023
Miles 17.0 | Elevation gain 13ft
Map of Day 2
Day 3 – Maylandsea to Maldon
17th April 2023
Miles 7.5 | Elevation gain 10ft
Map of Day 3
How we approached this leg
We based ourselves in Burnham-on-Crouch and completed this leg over three days, using two cars parked either end of the walk on all three days. We travelled to Burnham on the evening before our first day. Day 1 was a 14.5 mile walk from Burnham-on-Crouch to St Peter's Chapel - which has pretty much the only car park on this stretch. Day 2 was a marathon 17 mile walk from the Chapel to Maylandsea. It would be possible to break this into two shorter days by breaking at St Lawrence. Finally a short 8 mile day 3 from Maylandsea to Maldon, on our way home.
Where we stayed
Burnham-On-Crouch - a lovely small town with plenty of pub and eating options
Useful links
White Hart - Burnham-on-Crouch
Traditional hotel / pub with decent pub food and a choice of fancy specials, we had dinner here on our first evening.
Oyster Smack Inn - Burnham-on-Crouch
Best food we had on this trip, all our starters and mains were lovely. The duck looked amazing! We had dinner here on our second evening - a busy Saturday and we were glad we booked ahead.
Bradwell Marina Bar & Restaurant
Looked nice from the outside, it wasn't open when we walked past early on Sunday morning. No doubt it would serve suitable refreshments at a better time of day!
The Stone Inn at St Lawrence
We arrived here lunchtime-ish on Sunday after an early start - it was supposed to open at midday, and we waited hopefully for 20 minutes, but sadly there was no sign of life. A shame as it looked very inviting and we were so very much looking forward to mid-walk refreshments!!
Blackwater Bar & Bistro - Maylandsea
We had a much needed drink here at the end of our 17 mile walk on Sunday. Arrived mid-way through the second half of West Ham v Arsenal, so it was somewhat busy and loud, but we found a spot outside. On Monday, we made use of the car park here, to start our walk back to Maldon. On our return to collect the car, we did attempt to have lunch but no food was being served on this particular Monday lunchtime.
The Star Inn - Burnham-on-Crouch
Waterfront pub (although quite hard to actually see the water!). We sat outside for a pre-dinner drink here on Sunday evening.
The Ship Inn - Burnham-on-Crouch
Very close to our accommodation, ideal for dinner in the aftermath of our 17 mile walk. Decent Sunday food.
England Coast Path map - Burnham-on-Crouch to Maldon
Link to stretch maps and descriptions of the route on gov.uk
St Peter's Chapel
This chapel is at the top of the Dengie peninsula, not really much else on this stretch, so this was of great interest at the time!!