Today (yesterday) I did my 3rd and final run of the week whilst I’m on residency here. I hadn’t been entirely satisfied with the first run I had done going west and felt the urge to go further and see if I could at least make it into Canvey Island or beyond. I had also wanted to make some additional sound and image recordings of the route. What’s more, it was my opportunity to try out some live tracking. I set that up using the LocatoWeb app on my phone using a track called From Chalkwell towards London’. I could also use the map on it as a means of navigation, although I didn’t really need it. The weather was glorious, a far cry from Monday’s rain.
Since I had made a point of seeking out the Crow Stone yesterday, I made sure not to miss it out on the way. This time the tide was in and it was half submerged.
The route into and through Leigh on Sea was much the same as before, except that due to the good weather there were more people about. I decided to bypass Two Tree Island as I felt it has been more of a detour on the previous run; instead I carried straight on, following the footpath sign to Benfleet that would take me onto the grass ridge overlooking the island. This went on for straightforward 3 and a half miles in somewhat easier conditions than previously, when I had had to contend with waterlogged paths, thick with slippery mud. An encounter with an over-enthusiastic Alsatian off its lead, slightly alarmed me, but not as much as its over- defensive owner, who seemed to think it was not okay for me to question his level of responsibility.
I was starting to tire a bit as I came towards Benfleet and the turning across the bridge to Canvey Island. At that point I had run about 6 miles and I thought that I might take it to about 10 miles maximum, before calling it a day. However, I had not anticipated finding a path right next to the flood-barrier that almost encircles this town, creating a boundary between it and the water. Once I was on it, I felt obliged to follow it as far as I could. It lead me along the other side of the inlet towards Hadleigh Bay, back to the river proper and then round and along Canvey’s Eastern Esplanade and beyond. I finally hit a dead end, near an industrial looking jetty, after 7 very long painful miles. The walls of the flood barrier were so high that I had no idea what was on the other side, but at least I had been running river side most of the way with pretty amazing views. I walked back along to find a set of steps up and out to the other side and found myself close to a bulk liquid storage facility on one side and a caravan park on the other. The latter would be my way through towards the train station, which was back at Benfleet, another 3 slow miles away. I decided to break the journey halfway by stopping at a café for a rewarding two egg, beans and chips, which i devoured ravenously.
