10th – 12th July 2025
Jaywick, Clacton-on-Sea, Holland-on-Sea, Frinton-on-Sea, Walton-on-the-Naze and Harwich.
We decided that the best way to move ourselves onwards with this adventure was to tackle this section of the coast all in one go. Busy towns with good transport links meant that we could easily take in all of them within a few days. We booked two nights at a seafront hotel in Clacton, from where buses and trains radiate in all directions.
Thursday July 10th
Clacton and Jaywick
We set off early but it was already 26° and feeling very uncomfortable. Luckily the Greater Anglia trains are air-conditioned and we enjoyed our ride down through Suffolk to Essex. The trains were all delayed by the heat and we knew we had a tight change at Colchester for the Clacton train. After some working out we prepared alternative trains and buses for various timings. In the end our train slipped out onto the main line just ahead of a late running train from Norwich. We changed onto it at Stowmarket and reached Colchester with an extra fifteen minutes to spare. The train to Clacton was on time and we elected to walk to the seafront which took about fifteen minutes. By then it was lunch time and we spotted a Prezzo so stopped there for a meal, which we enjoyed on the terrace overlooking the sea. After lunch we went to the hotel, almost next door, and requested an early check in. Our rooms were not ready so we left the cases and carried on.
After lunch we set out for Jaywick, the next place along the coast after Brightlingsea, which we did by catching a bus just inland from the seafront. The buses run every fifteen minutes and ours was very busy both ways. We got off at the nearest stop to the Martello Beach Campsite and walked along the sea wall to the Martello Tower. We were interested in the settlements here, as Jaywick is officially the most deprived place in Britain. Looking at the estate agents’ websites, it is probably the only place you can buy a bungalow for less than £100,000. The village, and its next door neighbour Seawick, were built as temporary homes on reclaimed salt marshes and the chalets were originally used as holiday homes during the 1920s. After the Second World War, housing shortages led to them being occupied permanently and many residents have lived here for many years. The land is low lying and constantly at threat of flooding so the feeling is that the worst could happen at any time. The chalets have been altered over the years, added to, extended and many generally done up but there is still a feeling of impermanence about the place.
The Martello Tower is just a few minutes’ walk from the end of the village along what is obviously a new sea wall. The sea wall has recently been strengthened and heightened to cope with the rise in sea levels and to protect the housing behind. The tower is now run as a volunteer led heritage centre with lots of information about the area and its history. Having walked past so many of these towers along the coast it was interesting to go inside one and see what life would have been life for the military personnel manning them.
Dating from 1809, it is one of twenty-nine originally built along the east coast and one of the few survivors. They were not very tall but the walls are incredibly thick – about 10 feet. During the Napoleonic Wars, the fire power would have been provided by three cannons.
After an interesting hour, we retraced our steps but on the way back caught a double decker bus so headed upstairs to enjoy the ride back to Clacton and the end of day one’s exploring.
Friday July 11th
Holland-on-Sea, Frinton-on-Sea, Walton-on-the-Naze
We were heading further along the coast today, but first a little about Clacton. Clacton is one of the famous old fashioned resorts for which England is famous. It does not disappoint with its pier, amusement and pleasure gardens. The seaside resort began to be developed in the 1870s and was called Clacton-on-Sea to distinguish it from the main part of the town slight further inland. Initially, it grew slowly but the coming of the railway in 1882 ensured it would soon be a very popular destination for day trippers and holidaymakers alike. Its proximity to London and the opening of a Butlin’s holiday camp in 1938 added to its appeal. Today it does feel a little run down but the beach is still beautiful and the weather this summer has ensured the resort stays busy.
We began the day by walking down one of the many sets of steps cut into the cliffs to reach the pier. The address of the pier is Number 1 North Sea!
We were far too early and it was still closed but it was pleasant walking along the prom for a while before climbing back up to the road above and making our way to Pier Avenue for the bus to Frinton. The bus route runs along the sea front road through Holland-on-Sea, which is now a suburb of Clacton and mostly residential with some beautiful houses along the seafront. At the end of Holland on Sea the bus turns inland although had we been walking the path would have continued along the sea’s edge and would have been a lovely walk.
Once in Frinton, we had decided to get off at the top of the town and walk down Connaught Avenue which is basically the High Street. We called into a few shops, including a bookshop for very posh postcards and a coffee shop. We bought lunch bits in Sainsbury’s then headed for the seafront.
Frinton has a reputation for being a very conservative and somewhat high class resort. Some of this stems from its beginnings when Richard Powell Cooper bought most of the land and was very particular about the quality of the housing built and would not allow boarding houses and pubs. There is no pier and no amusements. The first pub was not opened until 2000. Its safe sandy beach is popular with families who want a quieter day at the sea.
The beach is reached from the town across a greensward with trees and seats then down steps and slopes to the sands. We found our way down but it was really too hot to sit in the sun so we retreated to the shade at the top enjoying watching people coming and going. When it was time for the next bus, we made our way past the beautiful old church to the bus stop.
The bus took us on to Walton-on-Sea, the next settlement along the coast. It was immediately evident that Walton and Frinton are very different seaside resorts. Frinton is quiet and refined while Walton is loud and fun. We got off beside the beach which was very busy with children on school trips. Some were on proper geography field trips while some appeared to be revelling in an end of term treat. We were close to a beach shelter on the prom which was full of teenagers but they were quite quickly called away and we found a lovely seat in the shade overlooking the sea. We enjoyed watching a school group on the beach who were having fun splashing in the waves and digging a ditch to keep the sea back. I suspect part of the enjoyment for us was that we were not in charge!
Walton is another resort which was originally a fishing village developed into a family friendly place which does have amusements and a pier. There are beach huts, fish and chip shops and a nature reserve along to the Naze Tower.
After lunch we walked along the sea front to the pier but sadly the length of the pier just looked too daunting for me to tackle as did the walk out to the tower.
I had an ice cream instead which had to be eaten very quickly before it melted! We found our way through the back streets to Walton-on-the Naze railway station which is a tiny terminus and well hidden away. A seat in the shade was very welcome as we waited for our train. We had to change at Thorpe-le-Soken onto the Clacton train which took longer than the bus but going back by train meant that we had travelled all the branch lines in the area.
Saturday July 12th
Dovercourt and Harwich
Today we set off on the last leg of this journey to visit Dovercourt and Harwich. We had breakfast at 7.30 again in order to check out and be ready for the bus to Harwich just before nine o’clock. This bus takes an inland route serving several villages and small settlements behind the extensive coastal nature reserves around Hamford Water. We realized that Clacton is a bigger town than expected spreading back from the seafront and incorporating Great Clacton, site of the original settlement. We travelled slowly through Little Clacton, Thorpe-le-Soken, Great and Little Oakley and into Dovercourt.
To walk this would have meant many days of sea wall and busy road walking so not a very hospitable rambling environment whereas the bus took an hour and was a very pleasant ride through the countryside.
We got off in Dovercourt High Street in order to find somewhere to buy the makings of a picnic lunch, which we did, then found our way to the seafront via a rather short steep hill.
Dovercourt is now part of Harwich but has obviously been a separate community in the past. It has a High Street with a few shops and other facilities which Harwich does not, so it was a good place to stop for supplies. As with many other seaside resorts, Dovercourt was developed in the mid 19th century by a rich businessman, hoping to make money from his investments. John Bagshaw built several houses for himself and his family, but was declared bankrupt in 1859 and his house became a hotel but was eventually demolished. The site was later bought by the local council and a park created overlooking the sea.
We arrived at the cliff top a little way from the park and began to climb down the zig-zag paths to reach the lower promenade. As we descended we could see what appeared to be a building housing public toilets – classic seaside shape and built of brick with a flat roof. Then we spotted a sign indicating something called The Pavilion. We investigated and it turned out to be the most beautiful café/cocktail bar. Further investigation revealed that the building had indeed been a public toilet block but had been revamped into a café, although the original penny in the slot entry device was still on the door. The décor was 1920s and very slickly done. The toilet was decorated in brown and gold with gold taps and even a gold hand dryer! We ordered a drink and I enjoyed strawberries and cream at a table overlooking the sea. Lovely.
From there we walked back to the High Street and caught the a bus along to the end of the route at Harwich Station. Plans now had to be revised a little because three days away had left me struggling with pain and discomfort, not helped by dragging a suitcase behind me! We decided that we would leave all the very interesting sights of Harwich to be investigated properly another day and just explore slowly, beginning with a gentle amble towards the beach where we found a little garden near the front with a bench to sit on. From our lunch spot we could see a sea wall and just beyond the top of cranes in the container port.
After lunch we climbed onto the sea wall and walked along, watching the big port but also people on the beach below us. We meandered round to the old harbour and found a heritage trail and then the ferry to Felixstowe. We plan to come back to Harwich another time and cross to Felixstowe but we did reach the end of Essex today!
From there, we slowly made our way to the station where the once an hour train was just arriving. Jen hurried on to get the tickets and we reached the platform just in time. We were setting off an hour earlier than planned but given the blistering temperatures inland we thought there might be problems with the trains so it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
The Harwich branch terminates at Manningtree and from there we caught a train to Ipswich. At this point we became aware that the trains were unusually busy and quite a lot of the passengers were wearing pink t-shirts. Then the penny dropped. I remembered reading that Ed Sheeran was playing a sell-out homecoming concert in Ipswich later and people were beginning to arrive. Once we got to Ipswich we had about one and a half hours to wait for our train so found seats in the waiting room where we bought snacks and drinks for the journey in case we got delayed.
People watching became very interesting as every train that arrived brought more and more pink clad fans streaming through the barriers. Eventually there was a gap between trains and we decided to dash over to platform three where there was a bench in the shade. From there we could hear the music from the football stadium and see the barriers and portable loos that would be brought into use later. Most of the trains were delayed for various reasons but ours slipped in and out bang on time and we were back in Peterborough in good time for the six o’clock bus out. It was cooling down after what had obviously been a very hot day. I had a nap and coffee and then unpacked before falling into bed at about 8.30.
Coast Walk 