On Wednesday morning(18th April) I set off on the train from Chalkwell to Tibury Town in order to try out a run on the section of the north side of the Thames Estuary, between Tibury Docks and the London Gateway (super) Port, as planned. I left a little later than anticipated due to a wasp deciding to take refuge inside my room as I was getting ready. (I have a phobia of wasps due to a childhood incident so waiting for it to fly out of the open window again somewhat delayed me). I had wanted a fairly early start, due to the warm weather and I was concerned as I was dressing and packing my gadgets and running backpack, that I would be well-prepared for the heat, with enough fluid to keep me hydrated for the duration of the run. Luckily I had brought enough running clothing with me for all weathers so my knee-length leggings, t-shirt and light windproof sleeveless jacket would keep me relatively cool. However, I had neither sunglasses, nor sunscreen, nor hat, so I decided to fashion a makeshift one with an extra pair of running shorts, which I put over my head and tied at the back, bandana style- I’m sure it fooled no-one and still looked like a pair of shorts over my head, but who cares? Sun protection was more important.
Arriving at Tilbury Town station, the signpost to the ferry port indicated a left turn. It was a mile’s walk down a dusty industrial road before I reached the various ports. I passed an entrance to port services, where there were shipping containers stacked up five high, then an imposing port police station, before passing the cruises docks and finally reaching the ferry port at the end. I found a spot looking over the river wall towards Gravesend to sort out and activate my various means of recording the run. These included my mobile phone with an active OS map and the tracking app, which was held in a see-thru pouch on my left forearm; my old mobile phone with an app that would allow me to take a succession of photographs automatically at regular intervals inside a similar pouch on my chest; a sound recording device inside my right pocket with an external mic clipped to my lapel; and finally my Garmin GPS watch that would allow me to record a back-up track of my route.
The sun was beating down quite strongly now and I knew this was not going to be an easy run, but I felt refreshed and prepared for the task ahead. As the ferry set off for Gravesend in the distance, I climbed down some metal steps to began my run along the inside of the river wall. It took a while to settle into a slow rhythm of slow running, passing Tilbury Fort, a riverside fort built to protect London’s seaward approach from the 16th century through to the Second World War, now maintained by English Heritage. This first section followed the Thames Estuary official footpath which allowed me to continue along the inside of the river wall close to the edge of the river, past some disused sewage works before continuing along the wall next to more open, rugged green space, currently being developed as a nature reserve. There was a fantastic vista of the open countryside with the widening river beside it, which also encompassed a continuous stretch of the North Kent bank on the south side. It was a straight forward path, well marked and well-maintained. There were a few walkers about, but less than I had feared on such a warm day; for much of the time I was on my own and could indulge in the solitary experience of the run and the environment around me.
I passed a disused water tower, just beyond Coalhouse Point on the approach to Coalhouse Fort, near East Tilbury, a Victorial coastal defence built in the 1860s, where I veared left and continued on my way along the nearest path to river on the other side of a small moat. This is where the official Thames Estuary Path diverges inland towards East Tilbury and Standford-le-Hope. I wanted to continue close to the river, so continued straight ahead. Luckily there was smaller public footpath through some long grasses of a nature habitat, where I had to be mindful to not stray from the path and disturb nesting wildlife. This was a slightly wilder path, away from anyone and I eagerly ventured on to see where it would take me. My previous research on the OS map had indicated that this path would continue by the river and eventually lead to the Thameside Nature Park and Visitor Centre. However, I’m not sure what happened: the path became more indiscernible and I found myself running on an obscure terrain of dried mud that was clearly a clearance site and work in process. By this time I had lost sight of the original footpath (but not the river) and so I continued on my way. If anyone were to stop me I would explain that I had lost my way, which I had….
