Tillingham to Burnham-on-Crouch coast walk (13 miles)

The Walk: My previous walk around the Dengie Peninsula covered the North Eastern corner, including the chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall. This current walk covers the South Eastern corner, which is more difficult to reach hence less frequented. Starting from the classic village green of Tillingham, this walk crosses fields to reach the coast, then follows the England Coast Path (ECP) to the appealing riverside town of Burnham-on-Crouch. You will experience the huge and remote area of salt marsh of the Dengie Flat National Nature Reserve, views across the River Crouch to Foulness and Wallasea Island, a fortified WW2 minefield watch tower, three big wind farms, a solar farm and the nautical ambiance of Burnham. There should also be wildlife sightings dependent on time of year (birdlife, butterflies and, if you are lucky, hares).

Turncole Wind Farm

Route

NB The map shows my route, with various diversions and excursions which you may not wish to follow precisely. You can download the Google map info, as a KML/KMZ file, then convert to GPX using a site like GPS Visualiser.

Start from the village green in Tillingham (known as 'The Square', where the 45 bus stops). Walk south along the main road, and shortly after passing a chapel on the right, a wicket gate on the left gives access to a footpath heading East. Follow the route doglegging across fields, eventually passing between Bridgeman's Farm and Jerry's Farm, and passing Howes Farm and out along a track to meet the ECP along the sea wall (embankment) at Howes Outfall (3 miles). (NB the footpaths around these farms have recently been realigned, so if using Ordnance Survey Mapping, make sure it's the latest version.)

Tillingham village green (church, pump, pub)

The ECP is then easy to follow southwards along the top of the embankment (or there is a track below if the top is tough going). At Holliwell Point, the path turns into the estuary of the River Crouch, which is followed Eastwards to Burnham.

ECP atop the embankment following the River Crouch Estuary

Why do it?

Tillingham is an attractive village, with weatherboard cottages and a classic village green with pub and church and an old-style water pump.

Village pump

The farmland between Tillingham and the sea wall is arable, with straw bales when I passed through in summer. I had several sightings of a hare (whether the same hare following me round, or several different hares, I know not).

Straw bales (with Bradwell Wind Farm behind)

The Dengie Flat National Nature Reserve, comprises the salt marsh stretching out to sea by up to a kilometre (and with extensive tidal mud flats beyond that). The NNR has multiple additional designations (SSSI, SPA, Ramsar.....). There didn't seem much around when I was there in July: a couple of oyster catchers, a curlew, black headed gulls, I guess it's best in winter with lots of waders.

The Dengie Flat salt marsh

As you progress down the River Crouch, there are views across to Foulness Island, with it's strange collection of tall buildings, masts etc which are part of the secretive MoD test site. Passing the mouth of the River Roach, you look across to Wallasea Island, which we walked around on this walk.

The walk passes a succession of wind farms with their imposing turbines. To the North is the Bradwell Wind Farm (10 turbines, 20.5MW), which we walked through on this walk (the Bradwell Nuclear Power Station is also visible). Then comes the Middlewick Wind Farm (9 turbines, 20.7MW), and finally, furthest south, the Turncole Wind farm (7 turbines, 17.5MW). I believe an application has been made to erect even more turbines, surely making the Dengie Peninsula one of the largest concentrations of onshore wind power in the country.

Turncole wind turbines (I think the purple flowers are either flax/linseed or phacelia - a cover crop)

Out to sea to the North East you might, on a clear day (not whilst I was there), make out the turbines of the Gunfleet Sands Wind Farm out in the sea off Clacton. And if that's not enough green energy for you, on the outskirts of Burnham, you pass a solar farm.

Solar farm nearing Burnham

As you enter the River Crouch Estuary, there is a WW2 fortified tower, which was built to keep watch over the minefield laid in the Crouch Estuary.

The minefield control tower

I imagine the whole low lying coastal area of the Dengie peninsula is vulnerable to flooding due to sea level rise, so one might expect (hope for?) some works to raise the sea wall. If not, see it while you can.

Burnham-on-Crouch is a delightful riverside town, popular with sailors, and is home to the prestigious Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, and many yachts are moored on the river. The waterfront promenade has several pubs, such as the venerable White Harte Hotel. Upstream, several vessels are moored as permanent house boats, including several dating from WW2 made out of concrete.

Concrete boats (WW2 vintage) amongst the houseboats moored at West Quay, Burnham

Logistics:

I made use of the 45 bus between Burnham and Tillingham to link start and finish. Timetable info, and a live tracking map, can be found at Bustimes.org. It is a sparse, weekdays only, service. When I did it, there was a bus from Burnham to Tillingham at around 09:45, and one from Tillingham to Burnham at 10:54. (See new bus timetable under 'Challenges')

Starting from Burnham-on-Crouch. Take the 45 bus to Tillingham 'The Square' (ie the village green) and walk back to Burnham. If you arrive by car, you can park for free in the Providence Car Park, or, again for free, on the High Street (except on Tuesdays, presumably because it's market day) and catch the 45 bus from the Clock Tower. Or if you arrive by train, you can catch the bus from the nearby Railway Hotel.

45 bus arriving at the Clock Tower, Burnham

You could also park in Tillingham at the Westfield Car Park, then get the morning 45 bus to Burnham, and do the walk the other way round.

Afternoon buses are too early to be useful. Always check latest times on line.

You could also try local taxis.

Distance:

13 miles from Tillingham to the waterfront at Burnham. I left Tillingham around 10:30 and arrived in Burnham at around 17:00.

Challenges:

As aforementioned, the 45 bus service is quite sparse, so careful planning is necessary to make sure you catch the bus. Plans might also be scuppered if a bus was cancelled. (Afternote: Timetable from 29 July 2026 below, includes Saturday.)

45 Bus Timetable from 29 July 2026

The footpaths around the farms between Tillingham, and the coast have been realigned (presumably to provide more privacy to the occupants), so make sure to follow the track from my Google map, or latest mapping. The ECP map on the National Trails website has the latest Ordnance Survey mapping, down to 1:25K.

Latest OS 1:25K map © from National Trails website, shows revised route of footpaths around Bridgeman's Farm, Jerry's Farm and Howe Farm

The Dengie Flat salt marsh means that for the first part of the coast walk, you are actually some way from the open sea. The flat featureless scenery is best seen on a bright sunny day, which brings out the big skies and blue water. (I have to say, for much of my walk sunshine promised in the weather forecast did not materialise, it was overcast, and became quite monotonous after a while. The sunshine finally came out for the walk along the Crouch, which transformed the outlook.)

Salt marsh to the left, fields to the right, ECP stretching into the distance, grey sky above

The path along the coastal embankment is variable. I encountered a very good stretch where the grass had been cut, but another where tall grass made for difficult going. The concrete Deal Hall sea wall makes for easy walking, and the final mile or so into Burnham is a well maintained path with stone chippings. For virtually the entire route, a good grass track below the embankment provides an easier alternative, presumably used by vehicles servicing the coastal defences, though you won't get the same views out to sea.

The Dean Hall sea wall

Refreshments:

There are lots of pubs and cafes in Burnham-on-Crouch. The waterfront is a great place to enjoy a pre- or post-walk drink and meal. For fish and chips, try the Jolly Fryer chippy in the High Street.