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Bradwell

A circuit along the coast near Bradwell

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Walk summary

Summer

In summer, wild flowers and insects beside the path and along the seawall, and skylarks and other songbirds near the chapel; birds on the foreshore in winter.

Little shelter in bad weather, so check the weather forecast and take suitable clothing.

Drive to Bradwell-on-Sea and follow signs to St Peter's Chapel, parking at the end of the road beyond the Eastlands farm buildings

3–3½ hours

Flat, apart from short climbs on and off the seawall; mostly well-defined unsurfaced footpaths, plus some sections on quiet roads on the way back.

Click on a marker on the map for route details

Stage AB: Eastlands Farms car park to seawall

20 mins

From the car park, continue straight on through the kissing gate and follow the track up to St Peter's Chapel. At the chapel, bear left between chapel and outbuilding and follow the path across the meadow with an observation tower on your right. At the corner of the wood surrounding the Othona Community buildings go up on to the seawall and follow the path beside the wood with saltmarsh on your right, soon giving way to a shingle beach. Reaching the point, you look across mudflats and a row of barges, and across the Blackwater Estuary towards Mersea Island. Continue along the seawall until the path turns inland and a permissive path leading back to the car park turns off on the left.

Stage BC: Seawall path to Bradwell power station

65 mins

Ignore the turning and continue along the seawall path, with a broad reedy borrowdyke on your left and saltmarsh and shingle on your right, and the massive buildings of Bradwell power station ahead. Just before the power station another footpath turns off left.

Stage CD: Power station to Bradwell Waterside

25 mins

Continue along the seawall path past the power station and before long you come to a caravan park and beyond it the road at Bradwell Waterside.

Stage DE: Bradwell Waterside to Bradwell-on-Sea

30 mins

Turn left on to the road. About 200m on the road turns sharp right and you take a footpath straight on between two houses. Beyond their gardens turn half-right to cross two arable fields, then straight on beside gardens on to Trusses Road. Cross it to take the road opposite, signed Bradwell Village, and 200m down take a footpath off left between fences, then over a stile on to the edge of an arable field, and at the end of the field across a footbridge on to a paved farm track. Turn right and follow the track down to East End Road.

Stage EA: From Bradwell-on-Sea back to car park

25 mins

Turn left to follow East End Road back to the car park.