If it’s closed for any reason, you’ll need to continue east on Station Road and take London Hill north under the railway access The Approach. There is now a nice off-street stretch taking in a part of Wheatley Wood until you turn north onto the quiet road of St John’s Drive - it’s easy to miss this and carry on west on the path, so be alert! Then it's road walking on the quiet [old] Chelmsford Road that the A1245 replaced. I would be minded in future to not take the north turn at the hedge line but to carry on west on the footpath to Old London Road by the Chichester Hotel, turn north on this road for a while before taking the path east over a footbridge and rejoin the Slow Way there. It’s road walking on Old London Road, but it’s a low-traffic route. On the other side, it's a footpath and quiet road detour until you have to dash across this road again back to its south side. (The England Coast Path proposes a pavement route on the south side of the A132 which will avoid these crossings - so look out for that being implemented. Walking beside that road on pavement will be unpleasant but safer.)....

James Piers Taylor

This route cannot be completed as there is no river crossing between South Woodham Ferrers and Hullbridge. Even at low tide, attempting to ford the river is unsafe. Photos below show the river at this point....

James Piers Taylor

There’s a convenience store and chemist here should you need to stock up (long stretches of this walk offer no shops or refreshments).

Where King Edward’s Road meets Hambert Road you’ll see a sward of grass sloping upwards directly ahead take this to reach the Burnham Road (B1012). Out of the woodland, the path follows the field edge to the junction of Crows Lane and Woodham Road. When the copse ends take the footpath south to meet the Woodham Road again, practically opposite the next piece of the route. Cross the road when traffic allows and take the off-road path going south which shortly joins an east-bound track along the route of the old Maldon West railway line. This road remains busy here, on the south side of the road there’s a grass verge which is suitable for the short stretch to Rookery Lane.

Rookery Lane is a no-through road to traffic and another wonderfully quiet lane to walk down. [A thus-far unconfined element of the England Coast Path proposes a route to South Woodham Ferrers using the farm track westward here]. Before reaching Creeksea itself private claim on the coast forces you inland again and across a field to Ferry Lane.

Here the route turns south and returns to the coast (f you want a quicker route to Burnham station and/or to find refreshments at the Parlour Cage by Creeksea Place turn north instead then east before the railway bridge). The mapped route takes you across Riverside Park and along suburban streets to Burnham on Crouch railway station - but why not carry on along the coast path to the pleasant hostelries of Burnham Quay instead?...

James Piers Taylor

There’s one section of road walking which I think is a bit perilous, especially if you are walking this route east to west so I have uploaded an alternative Soubur four which diverts around it. There’s a convenience store and chemist here should you need to stock up (long stretches of this walk offer no shops or refreshments).

Where King Edward’s Road meets Hambert Road you’ll see a sward of grass sloping upwards directly ahead take this to reach the Burnham Road (B1012). Out of the woodland, the path follows the field edge to the junction of Crows Lane and Woodham Road. When the copse ends take the footpath south to meet the Woodham Road again, practically opposite the next piece of the route. This road remains busy here, on the south side of the road there’s a grass verge which is suitable for the short stretch to Rookery Lane.

Rookery Lane is a no-through road to traffic and another wonderfully quiet lane to walk down. [A thus-far unconfined element of the England Coast Path proposes a route to South Woodham Ferrers using the farm track westward here]. Before reaching Creeksea itself private claim on the coast forces you inland again and across a field to Ferry Lane.

Here the route turns south and returns to the coast (f you want a quicker route to Burnham station and/or to find refreshments at the Parlour Cage by Creeksea Place turn north instead then east before the railway bridge). The mapped route takes you across Riverside Park and along suburban streets to Burnham on Crouch railway station - but why not carry on along the coast path to the pleasant hostelries of Burnham Quay instead?...

James Piers Taylor

That’s because I haven’t finished walking the route but what I have walked is amazing!...

Jane Taylor

It's easy to follow on marked footpaths and bridleways with some road walking....

Clare

We only followed to battlesbridge but was very accurate up to that point....

KR5

This route will not work as there is no crossing on the river crouch at that point...

KR5

River Crouch crossing between Ferry Road, Hullbridge and Marsh Farm Road, SWF does NOT exist!!! First river crossing on foot is upstream at Battlesbridge road bridge - there is NO crossing downstream other than the foot ferry at BOC....

John Myers

In entering Purleigh, from south, it would be more interesting and less road walking to take path leading to the Purleigh Hall, Church and The Bell (food available). A longer alternative route in to Maldon would be to go from Purleigh to Mundon (interesting church), then footpaths north to the Promenade Park....

tony77